Month: February 2017

Uncategorized

Catch the Davis Phinney Victory Summit March 3

gthelen

The Davis Phinney Victory Summit returns to Southwest Florida March 3, 2017, in Punta Gorda. I did not know about last year’s well-received Summit event in Sarasota. I wish I had. Parkies who attended called it excellent.

The all-day 2017 Summit is a bit of a trek, probably 90 minutes from downtown Tampa. My wife and I plan to attend. Registration information for this free event can be found at http://www.davisphinneyfoundation.org/events/victory-summit-southwest-florida/

We can take 5 normal-sized, additional passengers  in my SUV, the now famous  Soul Red Mazda CX-9.

You must, dear reader, remember the December post about Soul Red running afoul of road construction, plunging down two feet into a “pit.”

Next day, enroute to my dealer, she was broadsided by a deer.

A quite big deer, judging by the damage to the left rear door.

Red was laid up for 30 days and cost 7 grand to repair. She is good as new.

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Parkinson's Disease

Bringing The Wily Old Editor To Heel: Taming Hotspur

gthelen

I retired from (and was retired from) most aspects of organizational life Saturday.  That took adamant superiors 53 years to accomplish.

I was replaced (fired) as co-facilitator of a dynamite, leadership development program for Parkies named PD SELF. Simultaneously, I resigned my other duties with the Parkinson’s Foundation. The parting was far more amiable than these ruptures tend to be.

All cards on the table face up…..……     

I can be a Hotspur to manage, especially when it comes to things really, really dear to me.

Just ask my former newspaper bosses: Rich Oppel, Mark Ethridge, Mike Pate, Frank McComas, Bill Baker, Clark Hoyt, etc., etc.

I will continue my wonderful association with fine Florida newspaper editors, tend my blog www.shufflingeditor.com, work for my church and contemplate a book. Its tentative title is “Taming Hotspur Subordinates.”

 

Parkinson's Disease, Parkinson's exercise, PDF, Support Groups, Uncategorized

WORKAROUNDS: Counterpunching 14 PD Indignities

gthelen

pd-walkaround

I treasure the work of the late Dr. Tom Graboys, esteemed Boston cardiologist.

I reread his memoir about PD (“Life in the Balance”), and was riveted by two words: diminishment and control.

Graboys’s major PD undertakings were managing his diminishing capacities and keeping control of his life.

Those are my issues, too.

I give you a sampling of my tactics to counter PD’s relentless drive to diminish, and wrest control, of my life.

  1. Loss of sensation in dominant right hand: go left-handed. (Neuroplasticity at work)
  1. Clumsiness when eating (dropsies): substitute spoons for forks.
  1. Can’t remember where I left keys and like valuables: tether items to a constant in life. In my case, a small leather pouch that’s always at my side. (Boy Bag)
  1. Leaving home without vital documents (wallet, driver’s license): always have them in shoulder bag (Man Purse), which contains Boy Bag in marsupial fashion.
  1. Driving uncertainty: get technology loaded car (GPS, blind spot displays, radar and cameras everywhere); stick to middle lane; U-turns rather than left turns into four-lane roads; care partner drives in unfamiliar areas.
  1. Emotional volatility (emotional incontinence, in a Parkie friend’s unforgettable rendering); think twice (maybe 10 times), before acting on impulse (binge shopping, gambling, etc.).
  1. Thanks to a nOH-like condition, peeing every 30 minutes, urgently: always know (and plan around) location of nearest toilet; wear quick-exit gym pants; stow your pride and employ adult diaper for trips.
  1. Difficulty moving from sitting to standing: use chair with arms rather than deep sofa; employ booster toilet seat.
  1. Life in the slow lane (bradykinesia): add 30 minutes (or more) to a planned task (packing for trip, gym date, doctor visit).
  1. Unstable balance: forget cane or walker; use balance sticks. Sexy and pleasantly eye-catching (“Cross Country skiing in Florida! How neat of you!”)
  1. Forgetting must-do tasks: place visual reminders in front of you. For example, monthly investment report as reminder to call investment advisor.
  1. Loss of multi-tasking ability: KISS principle always. (Keep it simple stupid) Rely on care partner for help.
  1. Leaving stuff in and around car: rigid discipline to ALWAYS check roof, door locks, rear hatch and ground around vehicle.
  1. What-to-wear-today dilemma (due to not remembering your calendar obligations): choose clothes night before. For this once well-dressed guy, this is a new challenge. I need garb that fits the day and is quickly and easily removed, thus assisting me in avoiding the ultimate public embarrassment: pissing in one’s shoes.