Hi everyone..The weather is giving us some relief from the sub freezing weather that weve been experiencing for a while..Ive been able to get out and do some work on my boat recently..It supposed to be in the 50's for the next few days, and then the possibility of snow on Thursday into Friday..Thats New England for ya..It has felt good to get out and do something other than eat, watch the tube, and sit in front of the computer

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that my cat was sick, and was eating very little..She seems to have recovered well, and is finally eating cat food again..She would only eat people food for a couple of weeks, which isnt unusual, but she would always eat cat food as well..She would eat just about any can of cat food you put in front of her..I never thought she would get so fussy that I would be cooking for her..

I was talking to a friend of mine last night, and his father hasnt been doing well for a while with Alzhiemers..Now he was recently dx with pd as well, and is very tremory..arms..legs..So we talked for a while, and I dont know if it helped for him to talk about it, but I imagine its better that holding all the sadness inside


How are you all doing this week?

I've been enjoying your doctored pictures. Only problem is, now I think you've put me off of milk for life!

My week has been the usual I-wish-someone-would-tell-me-what-is-really-going-on sort of week. One minute it looks like the office is running out of work and going to fold, the next there are so many new projects I don't know where I'm going to find the people to do all of the work. Feast or famine.

I've been noticing lately a bit more of an on-off effect, which is worrisome. Things have been stable for the last 8 - 12 months, and I hate it when things start to change. For the most part I've been able to treat this whole PD thing as a big adventure, wondering what is coming next and what new things it may bring. But every once in a while, I think about where it is going in the long run - so I decide not to look at the long run, which is a combination of fear, happy-go-luckyness, and burying my head in the sand. And by taking this short-sighted approach, I have really not had to focus on all of the really useful stuff that Everett and Carolyn and all of the others have been bringing to the forum. Well, maybe when things get bad enough I'll pay attention to what my mother always said to me: "Pay Attention!"

Glad to hear you cat is doing better, Steve. Here in Pennsylvania, Casper the cat was provided with brand new toys this week and is loving his new window perches...sitting in the living room window and the front bedroom window watching the world go by while twitching his tail.
The exciting news this week is that my 9-yr-old, 3rd-grade, granddaughter received her first invitation to the National Young Scholars Program http://www.nationalyoungscholars.org/index.cfm. The excitement was palpable! I know many such invitations will follow over the years. Such an exciting day.

We are having the same weather Steve is having in RI. Yesterday was a beautiful day. It was hard to believe that on Weds we have six beautiful inches of snow...it hung on everything...looked like it was early January, not early March...and yesterday it was almost gone and the temps were in the low 50s.

Well last week I went to a meeting of medical device manufacturers. Because of dealing with the blood brain barrier, these companies will be important to PWP. Like Medtronic Neurological and its DBS, there is and will be a future need for medical devices to get therapies through the BBB in order to treat or cure PD.

I'm sure I was the only patient there. I chatted with the Exec. VP of the organization who said he liked working with PWP because they are informed and motivated.

There was a general session with Terry McAuliffe (Former Charman of the DNC) and Ed Gillespie (former Chairman of the RNC)
TOPIC: How the Recent Elections will Impact Healthcare Policies and Politics:
Terry McAuliffe spoke (constantly) about Hillary Clinton, and why she would get the nomination and win the next election. He spoke about John Kerry and why he lost the last election. And most importantly, he plugged his book shamelessly ($18.95 Borders and Barnes & Noble). He was amusing, but not nearly as funny as he thought he was. Frankly he’d have been better off simply regaling us with Clinton anecdotes. He’d have been more interesting and funnier to boot.

Ed Gillespie did try to stick to the topic. But the talk quickly reverted to the 2008 election and what would happen – who would win, and then what would happen with health care policy? Of course, no one knows what will happen in the next 2 years. And we have a loooooong election looming. All in all, I was very disappointed in their talk.

Well it's 10 deg above average here now - may hit 90 deg. today! YIKES! I'm not ready for hot weather yet.

I hope everyone has a good week.

We decided to flee from reality for a few days last week, to leave the ice and snow of Pennsylvania for warm and sunny Phoenix Arizona. It was quite amazing to spend three days in brilliant sunshine and to see green leaves and flowers. Southwest air sent us one free ticket, and we decided right away that a few days of sun and heat were just what we needed. The desert is fascinating, we spent a lot of time in the botanical gardens, looking at the cactus in all its variations and enjoying the birds, especially the many hummingbirds. The only reality we brought with us was my painful walk. I have good days and not so good days, and we walked too much the first day - it is so hard to stop when you're having fun - that I had more trouble than usual walking the next two days. But sitting in the sun drinking prickly pear ice tea is not a hardship, and we loved the food. I was even clever enough to ask for weak margaritas, and they taste better to me than the real ones.

We didn't mind missing the snow that covered Carolyn's part of Pa so beautifully, we have had quite enough of it this year. In the first snowstorm a veritable glacier gathered on the roof of our 2nd floor sun roof. Then it rained, and the glacier turned to ice which came crashing down in huge, murderous chunks, one of which smashed the roof of the back porch, knocking off all the slate and twisting the downspout out of shape.

I think it's best not to look ahead, and to enjoy the now to the fullest. The future is rushing towards us - why anticipate what we know will be hard and unpleasant. But it does pay to keep one eye open to the alternatives Everett and Ron Hutton discover. I know that taking Curcumin has helped me, and I am hoping Robitussin will help as well. I still, with half of me, am convinced that I will not let PD get the better of me.

I'm glad your cat has recovered, Steve. You must have cooked the right things for her.

birte

Ever hopeful.

Birte - so glad you had a nice visit here. The botanical gardens is one of my favorite places.

Jean B

Yes, Jean - we had a wonderful time. The botanical garden in Papago park is magnificent. I would go there often and often if I lived in Phoenix. It is so well laid out, and so beautiful.
On the way to Globe we found another Botanical garden, and that was where we saw the hummingbirds.
We made the right choice when we decided to go to Phoenix to recharge our winter weary batteries.

Please give my regards to Papago Park next time you're there.

birte

Birte - that is one of my favorite places. I spent a lot of time there when I was growing up.

Best, Jean

weather here in se north carolina, temps in the 60s and 70s yesterday today and through the coming week. wonderful. bulb flowers everywhere, maple trees and redbuds.this week at my organic farm i planted 6 dozen lettuce, 8 doz brussel sprouts, 5 doz kale, a couple hundred garlic cloves, and 20 blueberry bushes. i hope everything grows lol, i'm only in my second season so its all new and exciting.
thank you steve for this recurring thread.
i,m new at this pd thing, dx last fall, i guess nobody gets used to it and if we do then the pd changes again. some of my symptoms have worsened here of late and i trying to be as active as possible, i joned a gym but haven't gone yet. no dopa or other perscription pd drug yet. i take lots of suppliments, coq10, and iv glutathione. i can tell that allthe stuff i take makes me feel better, less depressed, more energy, but i cant tell if it is slowing the pd progression. or even if it help my symptoms
i know i can rely on the old stand by, one day at a time, and my favorite prayer (even though i'm not christian) god, grant me serenity to accept the things i cannot change courage to change the things i can and wisdom to know the difference.

Works for me!..