Blog 100: The future’s not ours to see

As it’s coming up to seven years since the day I was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson’s disease, this blog is about where I’ve been on my Parkinson’s journey for the last year or so, and what may lie ahead. When you’re on five types of Parkinson’s medication, taking more than 10 tablets a day, and…

Challenges, choices and keeping faith

Although it affects pretty much every aspect of my life, I generally try not to let my life revolve around Parkinson’s. However, this year Parkinson’s has brought me a new challenge in the form of dyskinesia. And I have been struggling with this, so much so, that my life has seemed to revolve around Parkinson’s,…

The truth about Parkinson’s progression

I have Parkinson’s and I know that it’s a progressive condition which means that it will get worse over time. But knowing something and experiencing it are two very different things… My Parkinson’s has been relatively stable for the last few years. For that I am very grateful. But my Parkinson’s has now progressed –…

Look carefully

A lost pair of glasses in a park. They could have so easily been trodden on and broken. But instead there they were hanging on a low tree branch. I assume someone found them and very thoughtfully put them on the branch to keep them safe and hopefully in view in case the owner might…

A blog of two parts: Time capsules… part 2 – medication

Several times each day, I take my Parkinson’s medication. Each one of these tiny capsules gives me a limited amount of time in which my Parkinson’s symptoms are lessened. A friend asked me how I was recently. I replied with my usual completely honest “up and down”. She asked if I had good weeks and…

Don’t stop me now… Fighting Fit – three months on

It’s been three months since I attended the *Fighting Fit pilot weekend. While it was a brilliant weekend in many ways, the main thing I took away from that weekend was that I need to be doing more regular exercise which targets my Parkinson’s symptoms. I made a resolution to myself to start exercising more….

Resolutions… Not just for new year

I’m not really one for new year’s resolutions. Some time ago, I read an article which suggested that rather than making new year’s resolutions, you choose a word to focus on for the year. I’ve been doing this for a few years – my chosen words have included: gratitude, bold and open. After attending the…

Fighting Fit

I would like to share my experience of the ‘Fighting fit’ pilot – a residential weekend programme for working age people with Parkinson’s – which took place this weekend. There was packed programme*, however in this blog, I’d like to focus on just a few aspects of the programme. While I have made connections with…

Parkinson’s symptoms – No need to apologise

I used to apologise a lot and not because I was always making mistakes. I would apologise constantly because I felt bad. ‘Sorry to keep chasing you’ (at work), ‘Sorry I can’t help you’ and the classic – always apologising when someone wasn’t looking where they were going and bumped into me. Some time after…

Living with Parkinson’s: A balancing act

I don’t like to admit it, but Parkinson’s affects pretty much every aspect of my day to day life. It affects my ability to carry out simple tasks such as writing and washing up, as well as my energy levels. Then there’s the fact that I have to take my meds every three hours. Like…