At the moment I am away for a few days with my husband. After four years of pain both from my knee and my back it is sometimes difficult to figure out what causes each new bout of pain.
We were going for a gentle bush walk and I was feeling very tired right from the outset. However, even when I was much fitter, I always took a while for my legs to warm up and until they did they would feel heavy. After about 20 minutes or so, they would have warmed up and I would feel much more able to tackle the walk.
My husband and I were talking about where my body was at and I said that sometimes I get a bit confused due to the different conditions impacting on my body. I am significantly overweight from the four years of inactivity and that can’t help. My husband expressed confidence that with the increased activity that I have now, I would soon be noticing a difference in fitness and weight loss. This includes swimming three times a week and playing bowls three times a week, plus any walking I do with my husband. I am finding that I am quite tired at the moment too and sometimes wonder if I am overdoing things. However, I know that to get fitter and lose weight I can’t afford to reduce my activities and will probably improve in stamina when both things occur.
The thing is, I am not sure at times whether the tiredness and stiffness and sore back are because I am pushing myself a bit more and will therefore improve and I will not feel so tired as my fitness improves. Or is it, I wonder because my Parkinson’s is regressing and getting worse, which I know has as one of its effects stiffness and rigidity. Having Arthritis and Parkinson’s, both of them have similar effects. I sometimes feel that my Arthritis and recovery from my back operation and my Parkinson’s condition might meet in the middle and recovery from the operation may not be complete for that reason.
This Parkinson’s life is a challenging one at best and with the best will in the world, it is not something that can be ignored. As I have always said, I do my best to live in the now and not focus too much on the future. However, I find myself wondering what is going on with my body and whether this stiffness will improve or be a sign of deterioration? All I can do really is to try my best to get fitter and to lose weight and hope that in doing so and trying to be healthier in general it will ultimately give me a better outcome.
So, at the moment I am just going to carry on with my bowls and my swimming and walking with my husband. Eating sensibly and trying to avoid too many treats should all help to make me healthier and be better for my body.
As my husband always reminds me, I have come a long way from the knee pain I had prior to having my knee operation and then the pain caused by my back. It was not long after I had recovered from my knee operation that it became necessary to have an operation on my back. The recovery from the back operation has taken over a year now, but that was what was predicted by my surgeon.
It is a lot to throw at a body, two operations and two recoveries close together and all inflicted on a Parkinsonian body. Really, you would think having Parkinson’s would be enough for one person, wouldn’t you? I certainly think so! Oh, well all I can do is work with what I have and make the most of what I can do and not focus too much – if possible – on what I can’t.
The following sums it up pretty well, although I am not inclined to be religious, they are wise words indeed.
” … grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”
My journey with Parkinsons 
I don’t live in your body, but my gosh you say yourself you have had two major surgeries, your body or anyone’s body who has had two surgeries needs a break. It’s not regression, it’s post operative fatigue, frustrating, but real..Parkinsons is not a kind disease,it does not like anything else coming along and mostly makes recovery harder.I spent many years researching PD extensively. I had skills as a Legal researcher, but soon drowned in bits of information, nothing really collated. I won’t start sharing now, but in general NZ medics are not well informed about the affects of PD. In Keith’s case his Mum had PD, but the genetic testing he has done, shows that what Keith has does not come from an inherited gene or is an age related form, this while interesting is more hopeful that our children or grandchildren won’t inherit PD from him and if at all,it would be from their Grandmother.As Keith’s disease symptoms take over, we do find our day/life is ruled by PD and other parts of our lives fit around his needs. Not sure if we are crazy or not but we are trying to get our ducks in a row to start a bathroom renovation which will see us with a wet floor shower (disability/accessible) this may be for me more than Keith as his mobilty is better than mine.Just wish we had commenced this a few years earlier, but we didn’t.Best get on, Keith has his exercise group tomorrow which he loves, and I have my seated band class (free to our community and funded by ACC) need to get the outfits sorted!!RegardsRobyn.PSReally enjoyed your poetry..Sent from my Galaxy
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