My journey with Parkinson's

Some thoughts on ageing and peoples' reaction to those of us with grey hair. For some to be aged is to be reduced in worth and not seen as a person with a life lived who still has much to give.

Despite some technical hitches - I sound like I'm in a tunnel at times - this is a great interview. Greta is passionate about the work that she does and that shows. Well worth a listen.

Greta was a wonderful source of information about the services Age Concern provides. There will be another interview to follow in relation to Age Concern's involvement with Elder Abuse and how they can support people in this regard.

Just checking in with myself today in this my fifth year post diagnosis and looking at what symptoms I have.

Just a wee poem I wrote the other day about my inability to get back to bowls just yet. I can't wait till September when I am recovered and fitter and can play once more.

For those of us whose lives are affected by Parkinson's, the trips to see the GP, Specialist or Allied Health are very important. It can sometimes be difficult to remember the questions we have for them. This podcast is about strategies to help with that.

Support is incredibly important when you have a condition such as MS or Parkinson's. This is a conversation with Linda who works at MS & Parkinson's in Canterbury. She talks about her role and the supports and services the organization provides in Christchurch. Make sure you check out what supports are available in your area if in NZ, or in your country if listening to this from other countrie...

Just some thoughts of how various health conditions - including Parkinson's - impact on us and whether we are an 'old 64 year old' or a 'young 64 year old' as in my case. The number that is attached to us chronologically does not necessarily reflect our true selves and our age as there are a number of factors that come into play.

Well, today was the sad day I said goodbye to my shiny red e-bike. I so enjoyed riding it, but I need to minimise risk. The sadness was lessened somewhat by the new owner's absolute joy in having bought herself my lovely bike. So nice that I could make someone else so happy.

Some thoughts on my Parkinson's after my operation. I wonder if the anaesthetic impacted on my Parkinson's.

Just a few thoughts about the culture I was brought up in where it was not done to 'blow your own trumpet'. I think with the complexity of this life with Parkinson's, we should celebrate when we have done well!

As I called for other people with Parkinson's to come forward for an interview and to be heard, to start things off I interviewed my husband Ade. It was a great experience to hear from him publicly supporting me in my endeavours and also heartening to hear he acknowledges he needs support too! It was fun to do this interview and I would love to do more.

Following on from my blog I have written for the past four years and which I have now written over 600 posts, I decided to try my hand at podcasting. One of the reasons was I wanted the opportunity to interview people. Have a wee listen and see what you think.

I am at home now recovering from back surgery. It's hard to sit, or stand, or lie down or basically take any position for too long, so writing this is done in snippets! Feeling in a reflective move today.

Thank you for checking out my podcasts. This is a relatively new venture for me and an expansion of my Blog 'Parkies and me - my journey with Parkinson's' I started writing the blog about a month after my diagnosis and I look back now and I am so much more settled than I was at the beginning. So, if you are new to my podcasts and would like to check out my blog - which has probably about 300 posts...

I have talked about this before in my blog. Discussing how we made the decision that the time was right to move into a single storey smaller home. For me, there is so little that I/We can control in this journey, even if we exercise etc, that I felt that I needed to have input into when we changed houses and to be fully involved in the choosing of a new home. Time and my health have proven that th...

A bit of a sad, reflective post today. But that is what this podcast and my blog have been created for. Not just for the happy times, but also the bare reality of being a person with Parkinson's and other health issues. It is also my acknowledgement, that it is not just me that is affected, it also profoundly affects my husband. He is my rock and my life and I wouldn't want to be without him.

This title may sound defeatist or downbeat at first reading. It is not meant to sound that way. It is, however, my acknowledgement of what my body needs from me to carry me through the rest of my life. To take unnecessary risks and worry my husband and all who love me, would be irresponsible. I want to be able to spend many years yet with all of them and therefore am prepared to modify some of my...

Some musings from my time in hospital

Woohoo! I have made it to 50 podcasts. Pretty good going I say! I hope you enjoy this one. It is the first of the podcasts that came to me whilst in hospital for an operation on my back. I had lots of time to think and lots to experience, so have a few lined up. Hope you enjoy this one.

Just a few thoughts on memories and what can spark them for me. There are lots of things, music, smells, tastes all sorts of ways that memories can be triggered.

Just returned from surgery and just on a week in hospital. Working things up gently, so short podcasts in the interim, as pain permits. This one is about my cousin and I and shopping of course!

Thinking about my operation on Monday and getting ready. Hair done. Shaved my legs and pits. New Pyjamas purchased. All coming together. There is a possibility that I may go to the hospital where I was working up until May last year. Just checking in with myself about how I feel about that.

I don't know why I have never in all these years thought to write a poem about the nightmare that is my giving a blood sample. I have defeated many a cocky phlebotomist (nothing rhymes with that) and I smile quietly to myself when anyone rocks on up expecting to get blood off me. I hope you enjoy this poem. It made me laugh!

Another silly poem to lighten my mood as I nervously await my surgery on Monday. Feeling a bit stressed, I admit. The Harrah bit is after a term my husband and I use, which is 'the last Harrah'. This is when we are starting a diet the next day and so we might treat ourselves to 'a last Harrah' before we diet! I hope you enjoy it.