Living Well – Exercising the Mind – or - Keeping the Marbles Intact

It really is use it or lose it, and this is the one part of the whole mish mash of who I am I'd really like to keep healthy and in good working order. This means keeping it lubricated and making sure I give it frequent tune ups. I was more than pleased when my doctor said she no longer thinks brain surgery is the best option for me. They have yet to perfect the electrodes so they can up and down like My Favorite Martian. I have my standards.

Since an overhaul is not in the forseeable future, this means I'd better take regular maintenance seriously. My husband approves of this, so I'm learning to eat fish, using olive oil, and exercising my brain. Opportunities abound for sharpening the wit, inspiring the imagination, encouraging creativity, and convincing the little gray cells, and white cells, to keep on working. Here are some suggestions:

Audit classes at a local college

You can take classes for credit, of course, but auditing is much less expensive and less work. You don't have to write papers or take exams. If I have to miss a few days, it's not such a big deal.

http://www.cualum.org/services/senior-auditors/

At the University of Colorado in Boulder, any Colorado resident who is 55 years old or older may audit classes for a nominal fee. This year (2012/2013) the fee is $25.00 per semester.

http://www.ucdenver.edu/prospective-students/Pages/SeniorCitizensProgram.aspx At the University of Colorado at Denver, Colorado residents age 60 and older may audit for free.

In both these programs, acceptance is dependent on a space available and permission from the professor. There are a few other limitations, but there are plenty of opportunities. Last semester, I took the class, “Introduction to American Political Processes”. Considering we also had the presidential election last fall, this class was relevant, practical, and taught by a master teacher who had us laughing while we learned. This semester, I am taking a class on World Religions.

Learn a language

After getting to know a Spanish speaking family in Chicago last April, I was determined to brush up on my skills so conversations in Spanish would be easier for me. This was the second class I audited last fall. Unfortunately, I had to drop the class. Two classes were just too much. Fortunately, there are other ways to learn languages which are free and fun.

www.saysomethinginwelsh.com

I'm not sure how many people out there want to learn Welsh, but this is the best language program I've ever experienced. It's auditory; the teacher gives you certain words and patterns, then will speak English phrases, which you will say in Welsh, using the tools you've been given. I was hooked after the first lesson, possibly because I had been saying “I like speaking Welsh”, “I want to speak Welsh”, “I'm going to speak Welsh”, for twenty minutes.

www.duolingo.com

I'm working on German and Spanish with this program. It's fun and easy, though I don't remember the vocabulary as well as I do with the Welsh. They also have French, Italian, and Portuguese.

There's also: www.learnalanguage.com, www.word2word.com, www.123TeachMe.com, www.digitaldialects.com, www.mylanguages.org, and www.omniglot.com. This last one is very useful, especially if you want to learn some very practical phrases like “My hovercraft is full of eels”, “How much is that doggie in the window?”, or “Could you send for the hall porter? There seems to be a frog in my bidet.”

I figured I'd learn Welsh so I could impress my friends. I also figured it would be safer than most languages. How many people in Colorado speak Welsh? Not even everyone in WALES speaks Welsh! I could impress my friends and they'd never know if I made a mistake. That's when I found out I have a friend whose husband is a fluent Welsh speaker.

Learn to play a musical instrument – or SING

Suggestions for easier instruments to learn: Ukelele, guitar, bodhran, mountain dulcimer, autoharp, rhythm instruments, and tapping your feet. Don't forget your voice. It's the easiest instrument to access and it's always with you.

Brain games

Crosswords puzzles, Sudoku, Cryptograms, Scrabble, Clue, Solitaire, there are many choices out there. There are brain puzzle sites on the internet which claim to tell you your “brain age”. If you take these tests, make sure you have a mouse. Some of them are timed and trying to trace your finger around the pad and put things where they need to be can age you quickly.  I really prefer games to play with my family, but there is one internet game I am addicted to.

www.wordsqared.com – this is a must for scrabble fanatics, but don't attempt to play it on a notebook computer. You need a large screen. 

Read books, write real letters, write stories

Take a holiday from email and write a real letter to someone, in your own handwriting. Write down some of the stories you remember from your childhood or from when your children were small. Write poetry. Write songs. Don't worry about whether or not it's good. That doesn't matter. It's yours.

Have grandchildren who visit and a puppy in the house

This is the best game of all. See if you can remember where you put your cell phone, laptop, purse, glasses, and anything else you put up while the grandkids were visiting and/or the puppy was playing. After several hours of entertaining the above, see if you can make a phone call and speak coherently. Deduct points if you introduce yourself as Gwampa or Gwamma.

After I've done all that, I reward myself: a glass of wine, a hot bath, some good chocolate, and then I forget everything for awhile – guilt free!

Living Well - Getting the body in gear

Q. What's the best kind of exercise?

A. The one you will actually do.

(from the Davis Phinney Victory Summit Symposium)

Last week, I had my regular appointment with my neurologist. She asked me a lot of questions about how I was taking care of myself. What was I doing for physical exercise? What was I doing to exercise my brain? And was I getting out into the community and being with people?

In other words, what was I doing to exercise my body, mind, and soul. I'll tackle the first one today. One thing at a time.

I was happy to tell her I was continuing with yoga and dance. I know I could also use more aerobic exercising, but at least I'm doing something regularly. She emphasized the need to do stretching exercises to keep limber. I get it. Keeping limber won't prevent dystonia, it just makes it less painful when it happens.

Yoga or dance, aren't just exercises for my body, they also challenge my thinking. I have to remember things like right and left, forward and backward, grapevine... which foot do I start on? Oops, sorry. We're going the other way? Oookaay. Dancing is also a social art.

When I was first diagnosed, we bought a recumbent exercise bicycle. It's a wonderful idea. I can ride for 30 minutes while watching a movie or listening to an audio book. I can program the bicycle to whatever difficulty level I want, and the little screen alsways tells me I have done a

Great Job! 

After we bought it, I was religious about my bicycling. Every day I upped the time slightly and in those first months, I never missed a day. I still ride it at least three times a year.

When I qualified for Medicare, I also qualified for another program: SILVER SNEAKERS! This is a great program which allows free access to the recreation center. I can use the treadmill and other exercise machines, play basketball or raquetball, and use the pool. I prefer the lazy river walking followed by a nice soak in the hot pool. Again, when I first got in the program, I went several times each week. When I go back again, I'll probably have to ask directions to the pool.

Exercise studies are also a good motivation to get physically active. There have been any number of exercise studies for people with Parkinson's in our area. It's like having a free personal trainer for anywhere from six to twelve weeks. I was just called last night about another study. This was a backwards walking treadmill study. Talk about playing to my strengths! I walk backwards well, whether I want to or not. I signed up quickly

I signed up for this study, but after thinking about it, I called back and declined. I am doing enough now. The last time I over extended myself, I ended up exhausted for weeks. Being exhausted for weeks means I fall – a lot. Too much is too much.

The best advice I've received is from Paul Zeiger, my yoga teacher. He constantly reminds us how we can turn any and every daily living activity into exercise. Before getting up in the morning, I can do simple stretching exercises in bed. When I am sitting, I can sit up straight, doing a mountain pose from the waist up. Working in the kitchen? I can still watch my posture, practice shifting my weight from one foot to another, and even balance on one foot, a modified tree pose. Before getting up in the morning, I can do simple stretching exercises in bed.

Having our grandchildren visit provides unlimited opportunities to exercise.

My posture has improved dramatically from before I was diagnosed, or rather, from before I started in yoga class. My overall coordination has improved since starting dance class. Another yoga teacher, Carol Fisher, insists we can still move gracefully, no matter how old we are, even if we have Parkinson's disease.

That's motivation.

Living Well

Next month, I will celebrate an anniversary. I'm hoping for a party, of course, but would settle for presents and a bottle of champagne.

Hmmph!

I startled. I'd know that hmmph anywhere. Mo was back, standing on the narrow space above my keyboard and craning her neck to read what I was writing.

Mo: And it's blasted uncomfortable, too. It's like trying to watch a movie while standing on the floor right in front of the screen. Could I have a chair, please?

Me: Who says you can read my writing before I'm finished, anyway?

Mo: I do. It's about time you got back to writing more often. I've had to take an extra job, just to stay in business.

Me: An extra job? What else are you doing?

Mo: I've got my own column now, didn't you know? It's an advice column called, “Ask Mo”.

Me: This I've got to see. Who in their right mind would ask you for advice? Opinions, maybe, but advice?

Mo: Just listen to this, “Dear Mo, I am 88 years old and still like to go shopping. I do just fine, but invariably some young woman will come up to me, put her hand on my arm, ask if I would like some help, and call me dearie. What should I do?” JP

Me: What was your response?

Mo: I told him to turn to the young woman, wink, and say, “Sure Sweetie, you can help me anytime”.

I think Mo will do well.

Me: Okay. How about if I ask you a question. Dear Mo, next month I will celebrate a special anniversary. It will be six years since I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. I would like to have a party with champagne, but my husband would prefer a quiet dinner and some beer. What's your advice?

Mo: As long as you don't drink any champagne or beer, I don't give a .... uh.. I don't care what you do. Why do you want to celebrate anyway?

Me: Why not? Any excuse to celebrate is good.... but I know what you mean. Why even acknowledge the anniversary of being diagnosed with a progressive illness? It's a good question. I try to celebrate every day, in some way, since my diagnosis. There's a lot to celebrate, when I really think about it.

Mo: Like what? Your amazing superpower abilities like being faster than a speeding tortoise? Your ability to scorch your husband with a single hot flash?

Me: Yup. And that's not all! I can do Mountain pose, Tree pose, and Warrior 2. I can do the grapevine, fl-lap step, Cha-cha, and dance to the Pink Panther song. My posture is better than it was before I was diagnosed. I feel better than before I was diagnosed. I'm not really celebrating a diagnosis of an illness, I'm celebrating the anniversary of when I decided to live well. Heck, I can even bend down and touch my toes now.

Mo smiled. She did a little twirl on the top of the table and started humming the Pink Panther song. I couldn't help it. I joined in. Soon we were doing the grapevine across the living room.

Me: You're not bad! Maybe you can come to dance class with me one day?

Mo: I'll think about it. What about your celebration?

Me: What's your advice?

Mo: Don't forget to invite me!

Note from Terri.... Mo is determined to continue her advice column. If you have any questions, please write to her c/o terri@studiofoxhoven.com. She promises to reply.

If I was a car, my husband would have traded me in by now

Today is the official last day of the year. Everything, even the planet, is a year older. Time is taking its toll on our household. During 2012, our washing machine went out on us twice, our dishwasher gave up completely, everything needs to be painted, and my doctor tells me I need my electrical works rewired.

If I was a car, my husband would have traded me in by now. Let's face it, would anyone keep a car around if the shock absorbers were shot, the heating and air conditioning came on by themselves, often getting mixed up as to which was which, and the transmission had gone haywire? It's not as if we get rid of cars when the ashtrays get dirty, but there comes a point.

Our old Toyota had a sticky valve in the carburator. When it stalled, I immediately turned on the hazard lights and popped open the hood. Our son, John (age 10), got out, took off the air cleaner and stuck a pencil into the valve to keep it open while I restarted the car. Then he put everything together and jumped back in. We kept that car going like that for a long, long time.

Another old Toyota had problems with the ignition. If we took the key out, we had no assurance we could get it back in and turn it. We had the same problem with the door lock. No problem. We simply drove the car and left it unlocked with the key in the ignition where ever we went. Either we got lucky, or it was actually stolen many times, driven around the block and returned.

Our Ford van had a lot of miles on it, but we still kept it – until the transmission went out. At first, I would put it in first gear and rev up the engine for several seconds before suddenly it would kick in and jerk forward. Gradually it gave up and refused to go anywhere. By that time, it had over 200,000 miles.

And me? I have to warm up my engine a lot longer these days. It takes at least a couple cups of tea with caffeine. Of course, there's always the chance of flooding the engine. Then we're delayed while I make several trips to the bathroom. Once my engine is running, I try putting myself in gear; however, the transmission is faulty and I often end up going backwards or sideways.

I tend to veer toward the right, which ordinarily means the tires need to be rotated. As I don't have tires, I just keep veering. I think it's my electrical system. At least my mechanic, I mean my doctor says so. She has decided it would be best to get a system in place so I could be hotwired. This would be the DBS or “Drive Better with Science” system. It is run by the “Darn Battery System” which would be implanted in my chest, turning it into a “Durable Boxy Square” 3^rd breast.

The fact that the real name is “Deep Brain Stimulation” doesn't help me in the heebie jeebie department. That I've talked to many people who've had this done and speak very highly of it, doesn't really help, either. I'm not ready to do the complete overhaul. For now, I'll make do with the jalopy veering and stalling and crashing.

The crashing has been happening a lot more lately. I won't make any comments on my exterior shape, except it would be worse if I hadn't added larger bumpers in recent years. I admit, from time to time, I worry a little. It's a pain to put up with a beat up old car. Will my husband continue to put up with a beat up old wife?

Not to worry, he says. I'm an old classic and he's sentimental about old classics.

On the town - Terri's first and probably only Society Column

The night I received the invitation to dance at the Dazzle and Delight Gala to benefit the Parkinson's Association of the Rockies, I went to sleep with I Could Have Danced All Night going through my head. What fun! I felt like Cinderella, Eliza Dolittle, and Angelina Ballerina, only older. Not in my wildest dreams would I have ever imagined going to this fancy gala in evening dress and actually dancing on stage in front of people. Not ... in... my ... wildest ... dreams...

The next morning, I awoke with Beatle's songs going through my head. It was a medly of Sure to Fall, Help, and Hold me tight. What had I gotten myself into?

For better or worse, I was committed, and couldn't have refused anyway. How could I say no to having Brandon (Private) Freeman as a dance partner? Private dances with Ballet Nouveau and is one of our Parkinson's dance teachers. It really wouldn't matter what I did on stage, everyone would be watching Private. We practiced a few times and by the night of the Gala, we were ready.

It was worth it! It was worth getting dressed in fancy clothes, worth talking my husband into wearing a nice suit, dress pants, and tie instead of his usual evening wear of sweat pants and t-shirt, and worth wrestling for 20 minutes trying to put on nylons with control top panties. This last one almost did me in. I slid off the bed several times and looked like a contortionist before accomplishing the seemingly impossible task. I blame my Parkinson's.

Our daughter took photos of us and fussed with my hair a little. Then, looking us over, she finally gave her approval, and we left for the Ritz Carlton Hotel in downtown Denver.

It was beyond elegant. We walked in the front doors, greeted by no less than 4 doormen and another man who made sure we knew where we were going. When we arrived on our floor, we checked in and perused the silent auction items while being offered hors d'oeuvres and wine. There were many lovely auction donations; the beautiful water color painting by Carolyn Zeiger was my favorite.

I stopped in the restroom before going into the dining room, you know, to powder my nose and stuff? Wow. Wow. The bathroom was bigger than my last hotel room. They had real cloth towels to dry your hands; tiny ones rolled up and stacked in a basket. There was marble everywhere and even a place to sit by a mirror and... powder your nose. I took a photo.

Cheryl Seifert, director of the Parkinson's Association of the Rockies gave a lovely talk about their work and told us of all the wonderful donors who had contributed to the evening.  We are lucky here in the Denver area.  If you're going to have Parkinson's, Denver is a great place to be.  There is so much support and such a great community. Thank you Cheryl!

The highlight of the evening was when Sue Feingold's son spoke about her experience with Parkinson's disease and how much the Parkinson's Association of the Rockies had helped her and their family. I remember Sue so well from our dance classes. She had a lot of trouble with walking and balance, and very little facial expression. This did not stop her from taking part fully in the class with a delightful sense of humor. The twinkle in her eyes more than made up for any other lack of expression. Sue passed away in May and we will miss her sparkle!

Live auctions are always fun, especially with an auctioneer who is really enjoying himself.  Add to that, a cow walking onstage and a delightful game of heads or tails, and it made for an interesting evening.

The dinner was fabulous. The dance went well, too. At least I can say, I didn't fall and I think I sort of looked like I knew what I was doing. It was about two minutes long and we were accompanied by the wonderful Parkinson's choir, The Tremble Clefs. After the dance, I learned that Private was just as nervous as I was. His boss had accompanied him and so, we had Dawn Faye, co-director of Ballet Nouveau, watching us dance. Dawn is a beautiful woman who reminds me of Audrey Hepburn. She complimented me on my dancing, mentioning my posture, in particular. I blame.. I mean, credit Paul and Carolyn Zeiger, my yoga teachers, for that.

I actually had it easy. If I missed a step or two, no one would have even blinked. I can always blame my Parkinson's.