Good morning lovely ones! Today is Thursday, September 3, 2020. Unfortunately, I didn't sleep very well last night. I am in the process of creating an Instagram account for pilates4parkinsons. I have so many ideas swirling around of what I want the page to look like that I totally lost track of the time. Not only that, but I was also on a mission to figure out how to add a second page since I already have my own personal account with Insta. There would be no rest for me until I figured it out. FYI.... I am a Taurus. Anyone who knows me well knows that I have quite the stubborn streak. When challenged, or better yet when told "No," the bull in me kicks into high gear. There is no stopping me until I get what I want. Little did I know that my stubborn nature would come in very handy one day That "one day" is now! I have made a promise to myself to do whatever it takes to stay physically, emotionally and cognitively strong. That resting bull has once again been awakened. I will continue to work hard everyday to stay well. PD...... You got nothin' on me.....
Speaking of challenges, I am having a rather challenging moment as I type. I say "moment" because it is a snippet of time, not a representation of my entire life. Let's review my morning so far. I did finally go to sleep but it wasn't until 2:45 am, (as I just couldn't rest til I figured the Instagram debacle out). I opened my eyes at 6:30 am this morning and that was that. As I have said before, it is crucial to get a good night's sleep. Forget about your old sleeping habits from your pre PD days. If you want to have a smoother, symptom free day (hopefully), make sure you stay on a strict routine when it comes to sleeping. I am mostly resting better these days, but I still take one Aleve PM about an hour before bedtime. My Dr. has ok'd this. My sleep schedule is basically from 11 pm until "7ish" am. You have to experiment to see what will work for you as far as your sleeping routine goes. If you are newly diagnosed, depending on what medications you start with, there will most likely be side effects, so try to roll with it. You won't figure out a sleep pattern on day 1, but I can assure you that when you are all set with the correct meds and have an exercise routine down, your sleeping routine will present itself. Don't forget the other two important pieces of this PD puzzle..... Taking your meds ON TIME and exercising/stretching DAILY.
It is now 2:30 pm. I am feeling rather rigid on my right side (no doubt a reaction from lack of adequate sleep last night). I took my first set of meds right on schedule this morning. Once the first dose of the day symptoms faded away, off I went to the market and then to deliver a gift for a friend who is having surgery on Saturday. I was really nervous that I wouldn't quite get home in time to take my second dose of meds. I can't have that, especially when I am driving. I can get really spacey if I hit an off period. Clearly, that would not be conducive to driving. Luckily I made it home with 20 minutes to spare. On a side note, the last few days have been really tough on my body right at 10:30 am (the exact time I am supposed to take my second dose of Rytary). Monday, Wednesday and Fridays, I have a Pilates Mat class from 9:30 until 10:30 am. I have timed my first two doses of Rytary around Pilates, so that I don't crash and burn before the end of class. I am making it through, but as soon as I rest for a second, my entire being discombobulates. It feels as though I am walking in quicksand, as I slowly walk from the living room into the kitchen to take my second dose of Rytary. Once symptoms have started, it's too late to stop them from escalating quickly. It is just like having surgery and then being told to take your meds on time to stay ahead of the pain. When that feeling of quicksand comes over me, it literally feels like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders A better description would be that I feel like I have run three marathons and have hit the proverbial "wall", so to speak As I walk very carefully into my bedroom (right after my 10:30 meds), I have to be extremely mindful of the fact that my body feels off balance. In other words, I am at risk of falling for no apparent reason. I only feel this way when I am symptomatic. I am super careful with each step until I get into bed.
So back to the last few mornings, which have been quite challenging for me.. All I could think about was getting into bed until it passed. Two days ago, the symptoms were so bad (right lower arm and hand tremors, heaviness throughout my body and what feels like labored breathing), that I actually called my Dr.s office for help. I feared my worst nightmare was coming true and that I would have to be pumped up on more drugs. The scars from the multitude of uncaring Movement Disorder Specialists and horrible reactions to drugs are still with me. I am working so diligently to stay strong. When I feel sick, I sometimes get panicky. Much to my surprise, the Dr. said that what I am feeling is Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). PD and low blood sugar symptoms feel a lot alike, so oftentimes, I can't differentiate between the two. When I first spoke with one of the nurses at my Dr.s office, I was crying and telling her that my right side was rigid and extremely shaky. It was now 11:10 am and this had been going on for 40 minutes already. As I was talking to her, the symptoms suddenly stopped. Gone! I told her about the symptoms disappearing. She asked me if I had any idea why they stopped. I realized that I had eaten a more substantial snack at 10:40 am than I usually do at that time. That snack (a corndog) saved my life, as it coated my tummy and brought my sugar levels right back up! So..... lesson learned. I need to eat a little bit heavier of a snack at 10:30 right before I take my meds. What a phenomenal day I had yesterday because of that discovery! I truly believe that eating something heavier made my body very happy! The rest of the day yesterday was fabulous for me.! It is now 6:35 pm and I am finally symptom free and feeling very zen!
🥖 Corn doggies are delish but not so much "nutrish". Now I want to go down to the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz and get a freshly fried corn dog with a slab of garlic fries. And..... If I am going to eat garlic fries, I must have vinegar to pour on top. Who is with me on this 🍭
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