The hardest thing each day

I think there are certain things that only another Parkinson's patient can fully appreciate and understand, one of which is, simply getting out of bed in the morning. This has to be the hardest action of the day for me, and probably to a healthy individual, sounds pretty pathetic. But trust me, if you were in my shoes (or should I say house slippers) one morning, you would immediately comprehend how incredibly painful and difficult it is to get out of bed after a night's sleep. If you could magically experience this for just one day, I  don't think you would ever again take for granted, how you simply get out of bed each morning without a second thought.

  

Getting dressed is pretty difficult too, and requiring help from a family member is a little demoralizing, but I don't dwell on this and have to accept it and move on. My sister-in-law took me out the other day and it was a very welcome enjoyable outing. We stopped at a café for a break, where we chatted non stop. Popping into a clothing shop, my sister-in-law was of invaluable help. Firstly she assisted me in finding the right size and colour of long shorts I was looking for to wear around the house when it's especially hot weather. (Let's face it I'm no longer 21, so I wasn't about to buy short shorts that leave nothing to the imagination!) Magically she came across a pair with Velcro instead of a zip and the right length that modestly cover what should not be exposed at my age! A more perfect pair of shorts I doubt she could have found. There was no chair in the changing room, as so often is the case, but being tuned into my needs, she immediately got an assistant to bring one over. I find shopping for clothes is extremely exhausting and difficult to manage alone. It was a lovely morning and I appreciated her thought and understanding, not to mention patience. It's not easy taking someone out who is in my condition, but I can't tell you what an outing like this means to me. If you have a relative or friend who is housebound, it may not be your first choice of how to spend a morning, but believe me, that person will benefit far more than you can possibly imagine from you giving up a little of your time.