#puckfarkinsons on tour
While I was still processing my diagnosis (and I think I still am) I decided to get involved with as much research as possible. I’ve already been to Queen’s Square in London for some scans and cognitive tests which form part of a long term study into the development of the disease. Today it’s a visit to King’s College Hospital to take part in a study about sleep problems and Parkinson’s.
One of the many symptoms of Parkinson’s is sleep disorder. It’s a bit of a double whammy – Parkinson’s interferes with sleep, and sleep is needed to help the brain recover from daytime activity. Not good with a neurodegenerative disease.
So I’ve had more blood tests and am now wearing an activity tracker for 2 weeks as well as having to fill in a sleep diary. And this will be repeated in 12 months’ time.
It takes years for research to get through the system so I hope that whatever I do can help those who get hit with this disease in future. (The bonus today is that I can visit my eldest daughter as she’s studying just a few minutes away.) Thanks for reading, and please share the fundraising link in my bio.
#parkinsonssucks#cureparkinsonstrust
#parkinsons
#parkinsonsawareness
#parkinsonsdisease
Part 1. K is for knee
(Apologies for the bloody content). Today’s blog is in two parts and brought to you by the letters K and D.
Part 1.
K is for knee. My left knee. On 12th October 2016 I fell on it while running. It was my own stupid fault for not looking where I was going (my watch beeped at me – doh!). I still finished my run, after all, why not? I was feeling pretty invincible at the time, having just finished my first 50 mile race and was signed up for more. The knee really, really hurt. Even over 2 years later I can’t sit with it bent for long periods without it complaining after a while.
When, after a couple of weeks rest, I started running again something wasn’t right with my leg (and not just because it was my left leg 🤪). It was pain free, but not working properly. However the knee proved to be a bit of a distraction while trying to find out what the problem was. (More to follow in part 2). (And apologies to my friends who’ve heard this before but I’m starting from the beginning, which according to those who know, is a very good place to start)
Wot no dopamine?
To quote Joni Mitchell:
“Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
‘Till it’s gone”
Well in my case I didn’t know I had dopamine. Until I didn’t have enough of it any longer.
On 10th January 2019 I was told I had Parkinson’s. At 49 that’s not exactly the best news I’ve ever had.
Parkinson’s. To me the only connection was that Michael J Fox had it. I’d read his autobiography years ago and promptly forgotten about it. Why should I worry? After all, isn’t it a disease for old people?
This is a blog about Parkinson’s (or my take on it anyway), research that I’m helping with, and my fundraising. It takes years to get drugs from lab tests into the public domain, and the likelihood is that any treatments that do come along will halt the progression rather than cure it, so I aim to raise funds to help those who follow me, and to raise awareness about the disease now.
Watch this space 😁
#puckfarkinsons
#parkinsons
#parkinsonsawareness
#parkinsonssucks