18. The Morning After World PD Day

Phew what a day yesterday.  World Parkinson’s Day.

I felt the need to blog this morning, in a similar way to the morning after the night before in the olden days after a few sherbets*.  Although obviously then blogging didn’t exist and I would be ringing people individually from a phone box.

A few explanations. a few thank you’s and a few sorry’s, are needed.

However, no sherbets*, passed my lips yesterday.

*I thought I should clarify I don’t meant the dib dab kind.  Sherbet is slang for alcoholic drink.

My day went something like this :

  • A bit of World Parkinson’s Day promotion on social media (including trying to work out how to put a twibbon on my profile)
  • A dog walk with friends.
  • A wonderful few hours shopping with middle daughter.
  • A wonderful Linner* with good PD friends.

*L(lunch)(d)inner (a bit like brunch but mid afternoon)

Day going well.

Then meds unreliable for the rest of the day.  Fine(ish) if all I had to do was watch a box set.  But I was going to the Parkinson’s UK annual lecture in Cambridge, including the pre drinks.  So swishing definitely required.

I will bullet point for speed and to hopefully cut the waffle and head tilting.

  • Walk from Linner to pre drinks.  Running, walking backwards and generally staggering with music on – I used all the tricks.  Arrive at the pre drinks walking backwards.
  • Thank you to my friends who helped me and ensured that today’s headline wasn’t ‘PD person injured whilst getting to a PD lecture on PD day’.
  • Pre drinks – standing and chatting was something I could do, my left arm was having it’s own separate party, but I ignored it.
  • Walk from pre drinks to lecture.  Backwards walking and running worked for a short while.  Then dystonia started in left foot.  I was so close the building was ‘just there’.
  • Thank you to all those who stopped to offer support and the lovely ladies at Parkinson’s UK who rustled up a wheelchair.  First wheelchair ride woohoo (not).
  • Staggered into lecture theatre.  I was exhausted and could walk no further and was told to sit in the nearest seat.  They were reserved, but I was assured that these people would be seated elsewhere.
  • So a million apologies and thank you to those two people who I never saw.  I hope you understand that I really couldn’t walk any further.
  • The lecture was extremely good, clever people talking about research.
  • Lecture finished, foot unlocked, but meds still not working properly.  I needed to get to the station.
  • Thank you to the lovely lady and gentleman for allowing this very chatty lady, who walked backwards, to share your taxi to the station.  It really was appreciated. Thank you so much.

Yesterday reinforced what I have said before about good friends and the kindness of strangers.  Thank you so much.

Phew – what a day.