I’ve discovered over the past (nearly) twenty-four years of Parkinson’s Disease that I really don’t know what to expect next. Well, that’s not entirely true. I have learned in the past couple of years that old PD people get the same ailments that every other old person gets. (As an aside, on getting old and feeling old … I felt great (and I do mean great) until about when I hit 60 (two years ago). Ever since then, I’ve done more unraveling than Betsy Ross would if she were to fall and roll down the hill in the middle of a sewing project. Or something like that.
Back problems, arthritis problems, and more skin problems (just a bunch of basal and squamous cells, a couple or three Moh’s surgeries, and some blue light treatments) coming in at a rapid pace. I’ve gone from being able to run a 5K two years ago to being lucky if I can go half-a-mile today, some days less than that.
But God’s taking care of me. I’m getting plenty of exercise playing with the grandkids and the granddogs, my wife does a great job of keeping me stretching constantly and continually searching for ways to keep me going. I still cook … I want to fish and play tuba, but there’s just not enough time. I do have a lifetime fishing license though, which is cool (NC Wildlife issues it for us old folks on disability).
I don’t drive a lot. I can drive down to the (very nice) Apex senior center, where I’ve been taking Tai Chi, art lessons (drawing), and a writers’ club that meets weekly. I view myself as a good driver, but not everyone in the household agrees. It’s easier to get lost in eastern Cary than it used to be. This area (the whole RTP area) is still in a phenomenal growth pattern.
Still doing the clinical trial (it’s my third year into it) and it’s going very well. Having the dopamine delivered subcutaneously is helping immensely. My best is not any better, but I have very little Off time. It’s great. I wake up and I’m on.
I can tell there’s some cognitive decline. It’s not just forgetting things any more. It’s not understanding how to do things, or how to respond in certain situations. I can tell you what Hank Aaron hit in 1959 (he batted a .355 batting average that year). In ’57, he led the Braves to a World Series win over the Yankees, hitting 3 home runs to help the Braves. Just in case you needed to know that.
One thing I couldn’t imagine until it happened was hallucinations. It’s only happened to me once so far, but it lasted around one week and it was bizarrely scary and weird. I knew stuff wasn’t real but it sure seemed real. Strange people slipping into our house — somehow — and staying hidden so that when I wanted to reveal them to my wife, they would suddenly disappear. I saw writing on the walls and on the floor and on the ceiling … and I saw them on the airplane when we were flying to Alaska last January.
Okay, enough about that topic. Maybe I’ll talk more about it, someday. I’m happier if I don’t.
There’s so much in life to enjoy, and there’s so much that I do enjoy. I can still write pretty well, though I’m slow at it. I can’t read my hand-writing (nobody can). Hey , I taught my seven-year old granddaughter how to play chess, and she’s become a good player quickly. We try to play online, the two of us, and today she beat me two out of three. She’s up in Alaska where it is gorgeous right now. I still enjoy cooking. I’m working on learning how to make good gluten-free breads, pizza dough, and stuff that Michelle can eat and enjoy. I tell you, having Ciliac is tough. I’m hoping they can find a cure soon.
I haven’t done much with my web presence the past dozen years or so. I’ve figured out that I’m not very good at web site setup stuff, and I really DON’T enjoy doing it. In a sense, it’s just an extension of my main hobby, which is writing. I’m not making a profit, but neither am I losing too much.
I haven’t advertised the Johnny Stevens Pioneer Adventures series too much because I was waiting to get the third book done, but it took me seven years to get that book written. It’s just days away from going public (well, maybe a month and a half).
I have two large crates of stories, letters, and family historry from my great-grandfather (my mom’s grandfather), who grew up in Iowa and moved to Nebraska when he was a child (well, he went with his family, not by himself). Anyway, they had a situation involving a large tribe of Northern Cheyenne Indians, and that’s what the new book is about. It’s real history. I have a couple of fictional plot lines going orthoganally to the main story line just to make it more fun for the kids, but it’s a neat story. My great-great grandfather was a bit of a hero. He was in the Nebraska state legislature once upon a time.
Okay, that’s enough for now. Just wanted to say Hey to y’all. Cheers!