Ups and Downs

It has been a quiet week by my standards with no experience of a hospital and I have not seen a doctor, nurse or anybody else from the NHS.  What a relief for them and me!  So I have had time to reflect more than usual.  I have been thinking about how my elder brother from Australia, who has not seen me for three years, reacted when he stayed with us.  He said I was not as bad as he thought I would be.  He didn't say what he was expecting to see.  I suspect that the lack of shaking took him by surprise.  That’s the most visible manifestation of Parkinsons and what most people associate with Parkinsons BUT I have MSA. I have come to the conclusion that if I don't shake now.  I will surely shake later - there is no escape. I wonder what I will be like in three years time.

Another moment to ponder on was a planned walk near Haworth with old friends who all know about my condition.  When we enquired about the length of the walk and whether there was any climb, we were told that it was over rough ground with a climb at the end.  I could not possibly do that so Liz   went off for the day whilst I stayed at home not least because I don’t drive any more.  This is hard to take when I have walked all over the place, the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, the Pindos in Greece, the Tatra Mountains in Poland, the Pyrennees, the Taurus Mountains in Turkey the White Mountains in Crete, the Alps and of course in the beautiful Lake District and Yorkshire Dales.  I love being outdoors so the question is how do I do anything other than sit when everything is shutting down around me?

There have been some brighter moments with a trip to Sheffield, Liz to see her university pals and me to spend time with Ray, a long standing friend and business partner.  Ray has a terrific sense of humour, so I laughed most of the day which can’t be bad therapy for MSA.  I also felt valued as a professional too.  The travelling was no problem although a long day as we took the slow train through Rotherham and Barnsley.  You get to see the Yorkshire underbelly on this route, no purple heather moors here.  We are so lucky to live where we do .I have to find ways to make the most of it but I have not found them yet.

Finally, I have been touched by a kindness.  Now that I don’t drive any more I can’t go to the gym on Mondays because Liz, my chauffeur is in Harrogate looking after Eve’s two boys Adam and Daniel all day.  So Sue, a long time friend and fellow church goer put her Christianity into practice and offered to take me and pick me up whenever I wanted to go.  I only have to ask and she has even organised backup too!  She has a heart of gold.  This human behaviour gives me a real lift.  It seems that adversity draws out the best of people.

So mixed feelings and ups and downs this week.