[one n dona]

Sorry to hear about your foot steve but it's probably a good thing you didn't travel what with the storm and all .\Every time I have some crud drop into my life and mess up things for me I remember my grandmother telling me that things always happen for a reason wether you fiqure out the reason later or not, and in most of my life I really have to admit for the most part she was very right. Its not always plane crashes you missed a huge accident that you might have been in but small things like a phone call you might have missed ,being there for someone who needed you when you otherwise might not have been, or DRIVING HOME IN A BLIZZARD LOL. But speaking of weather its hard to belive watching a storm based in texas right now is going to hit Canada (right smack where I live) and drop off oh about 50 to 60 centemiters of snow (about a foot for you nonmetric people aggg i hate metric) and just to make it really interesting high winds to go with it YIPEY so think i'll go get a good book and just settle in got my blankies my candles hubby and dog dam wish i had a fireplace (i have a small one that looks real but runs on lights so not much hope there hehe any way take care all i've written my novel for today

[BEMM]

Oh, the aches and pains of winter. Your foot problem sounds very painful, Steve, I looked it up. Resting is not as easy as it sounds, I know, it's easier to DO something about it.
And Chasmo, a painful shoulder makes you hurt all over. I hope you find that it is something that is easily mended. Could it be a neck problem? A herniated disc in your neck can make your shoulder feel as if it is put on backwards and on fire. But it can be alleviated with physical therapy, mild traction and rest. Mine lasted three years, but it is completely painless now.

We shopped today, piling up supplies in expectation of being snowed and iced in. Very often we get just the edge of a storm, but now we're prepared for the worst.

Our daughter was here for a visit with her new baby and his big brother. She had a two pm flight from Chicago on Tuesday, and because of a minor lake effect snowstorm, she spent the entire day at O'Hare with a three year old and a two month old infant. They did not get on a flight until 7:30 pm, and to get on that flight they had to take a shuttle to another terminal. And during the long wait, she could not even give up and go home, because her husband was still on the road. It took him five hours to drive back to Hyde Park. A nightmare day!

But once they got here all was well. It was lovely to have our daughter here for a while, the baby was too young for travel at Christmas. The three year old is marvelous, sweet and fun, and the baby already smiles and makes 'conversation'. Our other daughter and family came for the week end, and her three year old and his cousin played and played - much too busy having fun for any squabbles.
Missing was our third three year old grandbaby. She got sick on Thursday, sore throat, etc. and could not come.
The house is very quiet now, and we have taken a very long nap today. The little ones are exhausting, but family get togethers are as good as medicine.

[rosebud]

I've been so busy and my computer so slow that I havn't kept up with anything. didn't want you all to worry about me (you did of course didn't you???) I'm still on the radar screen. I'm still grinding away on the blood sugar thing. Socialized medicine is wonderful when it works well and a nightmare when it doesn't. But theres a reason why everything happens the way it does usually in the end. I am still trying to see an endocronologist...I see my Neuro on March 5 so he may get my presentation before I get to the Endo... I'm working on getting a 6 hour glucose tolerance test now to see if my Sugar issues are Hypo or Hyper glycemic. Going to do the homemade version of a 6 hour glucose tolerance test with my handy glucometer and if I get into trouble I'll have to bail...but may be very interesting. There's just no end to the experimentation ...unless I fall off the edge of the earth. See ya later troops.

[Jaye]

Foot dystonias are a common precursor of PD that go away once the patient is on medications that permit free movement of the tissues. As I said, I have experienced this, and no less than SEVEN doctors on three continents failed to see the PD for 10-12 years. Once I was in treatment for PD, one of my doctors told me the foot thing had been --for me-- PD. Dr. Langston of the Parkinson's Institute spoke to the PAN Forum yesterday on the matter of other systems besides the brain evidencing PD for a long time before the "parkinsonism" shows up, and this was one thing that came up in the Q & A session. The looks of "aha!" appeared on faces all over the room. Again, I'm not saying this is the case for you.

Since I do not have the stamina for the Capitol Hill visits (still recovering from hip surgery), and since the storm now underway threatened to strand me downtown, I have returned from DC to my home in Maryland. The young and enthusiastic team slated to visit our Maryland reps will do a great job, I'm sure.

Jaye

[one n dona]

Glad your home safe and sound and unlike most of us got to see some of it.
I totally agree with you on pd symptoms showing up way before any brain evidence. Our neuro is pretty sure hubby had pd at least 10 years before being dx.d leading everyone to believe he was lazy, had a stroke was suffering from early alzheimers or just plain didnt give a dam about his work. He worked a min 16 hours a day with a 3 hour commute included and when he was calling meetings that he forgot to show up with his employess just put it off to the fact that he loosing his marbles. He would also feel ill for weeks at a time and just take his vacation time to sleep. It wasnt untill i noticed the shuffling gait and arm swing at mid waist that i insisted he to to a dr and within 30 min he was on his was to a neuro, so yes a lot of things seem to he hidden but are defenitly pd related take care and again glad your home safe

[Stitcher]

We missed you both Charlie and Steve
Better be there next year...LOL

They were the usual very, very full days. The Hill day, yesterday, was a bit treacherous, as it sleeted all day. Sorry to say that many PWPs were stuck in D.C. due to flight cancellations. Hope they can get out by the end of today...once the snow and ice are cleared from the planes and runways, and the roads are clear.

I came home yesterday
There was so much icy/sleet on the sidewalk I couldn't walk the three blocks to the Metro...had to take an expensive taxi trip
From Shady Grove, MD, to Gettysburg...ugh...usually 75 minutes...the battle between sleet and the salt on my windshield the whole way.
So, I got home just before the worst of the storm hit.

Over night several inches of snow are now on top of the ice...
The schools are closed, as are the colleges and universities.
Suffice it to say...most of the NE is paralyzed I would assume.

[stevem53]

I would have liked to have met you and Charlie..Next year hopefully..Im happy to hear that you made it home safe..You drove?..God Bless You!

[ashleyk]

Hi Steve, I have a friend who has PF. He wears arch support inserts in his shoes and says they work for him.
Ashley

[Stitcher]

Steve, I don't live far from D.C. or Baltimore...I drive into Baltimore or half way and then take the Metro the rest of the way in...when I see my MDdoc. So, when I go into D.C. I drive one hour to Shady Grove Metro Station in MD and then the Metro ride is about 40 mins.

So, yes I drove part of the way.

Good thing I did return yesterday or I would not have gotten home today.

BUT TODAY...

I spent almost two hours unburying the front and back sidewalks from 3-4 inches of ice...frozen sleet from yesterday and last night...then spent about an hour digging the ice out from under and around part of my car...returned an hour or so later to continue the job on the car.
36_1_26[1].gif
Tomorrow I will finished digging my car out, after then 4-6 inches we are suppose to get tonight. But I don't know that I will be smiling like this guy.
78.gif

I should clarify the word dig...actually it is beating the ice to break it up and then shoveling it to some other place out of the way. So, all day you could hear people outside beating on the ice on their sidewalks.

Only ONE of the perils of living alone with PD. There is no one to do these jobs for you, and can't afford to pay someone

[jeanb]

Hi all,

The forum was great - and we had an exhausting visit to 7 of the Arizona members of Congress. We actually met 4 members of Congress, and one Senator (John McCain)! It was great.

I hope folks were able to get out of DC after the PAN forum. I had tried yesterday, but the taxi driver refused to take me to Virginia (my destination to a relative's house...) So back to the hotel I went to re-check into my room.

The PAN staff were at the hotel today to help us and make sure we were taken care of. I saw Peggy, LindaH, and Paula_W catch taxis for Reagon airport, so I hope their flights got out OK. Carolyn - i'm glad you got home ok.

I hope the folks whose flights were cancelled got out ok on later flights.

Steve - hope we can meet next year.