A sense of humour is vital

Living with any chronic condition, can sap one's energy and literally drain the very spirit out of a person who once was the life and soul of the party. Staying positive is absolutely the ONLY way to fight back any serious disease. My husband and I both have a good sense of humour, dry and British it may be, but never short of a pun or a quick play on words, we always find something to laugh about.

I seem to be a constant source of amusement to my family for I still manage to get up to many antics despite poor health. My husband was beside himself with laughter the other night as he stood watching me in the garden. Why, you may very well ask? Well now that I've got your curiosity, I'll let you in on the scenario he found so funny.

We have a Dogue de Bordeaux, and if you are unfamiliar with this breed of dog, let's just say, one of their outstanding features, apart from being extremely large and imposing, is that this breed is notorious for a rather unappealing characteristic, which is their constant slobbering and drooling. It is for this very reason, we feed our dog outside in the garden, for a delicate eater, she is not! No one would want the slobber and drool that ensue during a meal in their home, making the floor slippery and a danger zone for everyone, in particular someone with Parkinson's.

I took her bowl of food outside and she dived straight in, but as she did so, it began to rain. I didn't want her dry dog food diluted by rain water turning into a sloshy thick soup, so I fetched an oversized umbrella. It's the kind of umbrella under which you could huddle half a football team! So there I stood in the rain, dutifully holding the large umbrella over myself and our dog whilst she finished her dinner. My husband could not believe his eyes, watching me lovingly keep my favourite four legged friend dry whilst she gobbled down every last morsel. Of course we both hurried inside as soon as the bowl was empty. I guess there isn't much I wouldn't do for our devoted dog who loyally is always by my side looking after me.

I didn't write an article this week for The Huffington Post, but instead submitted a letter regarding living with chronic pain. I came across this letter by chance and unfortunately it is anonymous, but felt compelled to share it with you, for it expresses living with chronic pain so plainly and well, I hope you'll take a minute or two to read it.

The Long & The Short Of It

I had a visitor last week, and spent a most enjoyable few hours in the company of a fellow Parkinson's sufferer and her parents who are young at heart and a delight to be around. Sharing much in common, both of us young-on-set British born ladies, I only had to look into her face, to see she mirrors my thoughts, hopes and fears. Her eyes still twinkle for underneath the Parkinson veil, I see a tall athletic beautiful woman. There was so much to talk about, and yet our voices no longer strong, and the extreme fatigue dulled our otherwise enthusiastic conversation. But a deep feeling of communication and fellowship was very tangible, which almost eliminated the necessity for words. Simply being in each other's company was without doubt a dose of medicine and a feeling of support like no other. I presume she pretty much felt the same way. When living with any debilitating on-going disease, support from fellow sufferers is extremely important.

I keep myself occupied with writing, although this has considerably slowed down since my hand writing is very poor now, and typing extremely difficult, therefore cooking and baking, my passion in life, has become a large part of my day. My special visitor however, spends several hours each morning in a wood workshop creating beautiful tactile toys for children, and other useful items, some are simply for fun out of re-claimed wood, ingeniously utilising recycled interesting objects that might otherwise have been discarded but now given a second life. My friend makes gorgeous oversized dragon flies that adorn the walls of her house and the fences of a nearby local pre-school. She thoughtfully made one for me and it now hangs on our garden wall amongst the pretty pink roses in a place of pride and joy, so whenever I look out at my "enchanted garden" (as I've come to call it) I see a huge wooden dragon fly and I know I'm not alone. 

The visit was over all too quickly, but both of us were by then exhausted. We almost had a race shuffling to the garden gate arm in arm, but I declared a mismatch since she had an unfair gain over me for being rather tall (I'm a little short). With those lovely long legs of hers, she had a distinct advantage!

So the long and the short of it is; one thing I've learnt (well I've actually learnt many things) but one particular thing is that you never know what tomorrow will bring or what's around the corner. Live each day to the full and don't waste your time and energy on things that aren't important or cause you stress. Life's too short - so take a step back and take time to smell the roses and enjoy what life holds in store.

My HuffingtonPost article this week reveals some exciting news about a webcast (that is more like a CNN television programme) and is a breakthrough in empowering patients which I have taken part in. Please take a look at the article and help me spread the word by simply passing it forward to others in the hope of reaching a wide audience, or merely click "like" and I'll know we've been heard. Everyone needs support when ill health strikes - but there are many around the world who have none, and this needs rectifying. 

The Message We Send To Children

Waiting for my appointment at the hairdressing salon, I was watching an enchanting little boy having his hair cut. Sitting on a very high chair, especially for young visitors, the boy couldn't have been more than five or six years old. He sat bolt upright, confident and watched closely in the mirror facing him, as the locks of soft brown hair fell to the floor with every careful snip of our very skilled hairdresser.

A young woman beckoned me towards the washbasins to wash my hair, and this was the first moment the boy noticed me. His eyes intently followed my slow shuffled movements in the mirror. Once my hair had been washed, wrapped up in a towel, I made my way to the chair next to the little boy. I looked towards the boy and smiled, but was appalled to be met by a disdainful expression, and from his now uncomfortable composure, he was quite anxious to finish his haircut as quickly as possible. As soon as the plastic cloak was removed, he slipped off that high seat with the speed and agility of someone who was intent on making a quick get away. He clung to his mother's side for safety whilst keeping a watchful eye on me, as they hurriedly left the salon.

I didn't feel hurt, for how can you be hurt by such a young child who lacks the education and understanding that his parents are solely to blame for. Teaching children to accept and treat everyone as equal, no matter what religion, race or in my case someone with a disability, is an important lesson a child carries with them through life. So even if we give the parents the benefit of the doubt, in unwittingly passing on their own prejudices, what an unhealthy and unsavoury inheritance.

This was a most unusual incidence, as normally I'm met with straight questions from curious children with healthy inquiring minds, which I am more than happy to answer. Once a child understands a situation, reassured they are then at ease. Children can teach us many a thing with their honest view of the world, uncomplicated by adult thoughts and the baggage we all carry. Looking at life through a child's eyes everything looks so much brighter, boundless energy, hope, endless inquisitive excitement and an innocence that once lost is sadly never regained. We should teach our children well for they are the future!

If you'd like to read my latest article, it's up on-line at The Huffington Post.

Beware Herbal Remedies

Seemingly innocent herbal remedies, that don't require a doctor's prescription, allow the general public the ability to purchase treatments across the counter with no professional medical advice. Many herbal therapies, openly on sale to everyone, misleadingly have additional ingredients and may surprisingly cause some serious side effects. Just because it says "herbal" doesn't mean it is completely natural, safe and harmless.

Where do our present day medications originate from? Plants have been the basis of medical treatments for thousands of years through human history, many of which are still used today. From the beginning of mankind, people have relied on plants for food. Through trial and error discoveries were made; some plants were found to be good to eat, others poisonous, and there were those discovered for their qualities in producing bodily changes such as increased bowel movement, pain relief, hallucinations and healing. Observation and information was passed orally from generation to generation, each generation adding and refining medicinal knowledge. Every culture in the world has in this manner developed a body of herbal knowledge as part of its tradition.

Modern medicine, is based on scientific  gathering of evidence, and many compounds are plant derived upon the basis of evidence-tested pharmaceutical drugs. It therefore stands to reason, why people are often drawn to herbal remedies, believing they present no danger, as they are simply from plants.

If you are taking any additional herbal medicines or are thinking about it, I urge you to be well informed about the particular remedy in question and discuss with your doctor the ramifications if any that may arise. This is especially important if you're taking Parkinson's medications, as so many holistic medicines are not compatible and can throw your entire system out of whack.

One such medicine that is not legal in many countries is medical cannabis. Although there has been widespread proof that it can help relieve some symptoms of chronic patients, this "plant" also can present serious detrimental effects. My article this week for The Huffington Post is about the issue of medical cannabis.