Parkinson's Diary, Episode Nine--Handicap Travels

We just got back from a weeklong cruise to Bermuda, which began a few days after we got back from Ireland. I thought I’d start with a Parkinson’s update; I will begin with a report of how I fared on our recent trip to Scotland and Ireland:

Nirmala and I just came back from a trip to Europe. The purpose of the trip, other than having a good time, was to see if I could travel anymore. When we traveled to Europe in May, our trip to Amsterdam and other places, people came to me and said Sir, you need a wheelchair, sit down’ or you need a walker in the museum; this was something completely new to me. I never had difficulty. I didn't injure myself, I just couldn't walk anymore. When I came home. I went to a mobility specialist who performed several tests and diagnosed me with Parkinson's disease.

I have a walking stick with me, which I used on the trip.  I give myself a C minus or maybe even a C plus. I kept up with  the group as best I could. The tour director knew that I had Parkinson's disease and slowed down a bit.  I am on medication now and can tolerate walking a little bit better and I did keep up reasonably well. (This   review for my blog was written by my wife and me.) One of the other issues besides Parkinson's disease is that I'm just about legally blind and can't see anything; it's very difficult for me to type. So she typed a lot of it.

We just got back from a trip to New York and a cruise to Bermuda. We had a good time. Again, I graded myself regarding mobility and sight; this time I give myself a D or D+.

 I was handicapped and was viewed as a handicapped person by everyone on board. Regarding sight, I was walking along with my cane one morning and walked full-force into a glass partition. Ouch! No fun being nearly blind and suffering from Parkinson’s, I told a nearby person, more as n excuse to hide my embarrassment. He offered to help me—so many were so kind—but I told him all I needed was to find my wife, who was waiting for me on the other side of the partition., (She continues to do a wonderful job of dealing with me.)

On another occasion during the cruise, I fell flat on my back while climbing stairs after exiting  a theater performance. People around me gasped; did I break my hip? No, I didn’t; I rose quickly, (Nirmala noticed several bruises that night.) I was, however,  ok.

On still another occasion, I fell in our room in the middle of the night and couldn’t get up. Nirmala helped me get up, but it took a long time.

I walked about the ship with the help of a cane. I am definitely a handicapped person now. My mood, however, is quite good.