Parkinson’s Disease Grabs Everything It Can

Today, I took my brother to our favorite restaurant, Zales Pharmacy, to eat lunch, as we had to pick up a refill for him. He walked in like an old drunk, staggering and tipping to one way and then the other, but his smiles were on full force, and the hand was waving to all he saw. He had a great appetite, and told the waitress that he just knew his stomach wanted dessert today. She laughed with him. All the employees at Zales think Al is pretty terrific. They have known us since we were tiny tots and have followed Al all through his years and his PD.

On our way home Al was laughing at me because I was stopping anywhere my eyes could catch a photo to shoot with my new camera. He said geesh, Terry, do you have to stop in the middle of the street? What if a car comes? I told him, I will move on then, no biggie.

We stopped at the grocery store and I got just a few things to keep all in stock, which came to $56.00 for two bags! I need to go into production management, where the money is being made. LOL

Then we came home and he had a therapist that was to come at 3:00pm, and she ended up being fifteen minutes late, and that set him up for smiles be gone attitude, why? Because it was his nap time, and he likes to take his nap at the same time each day, so when she got here, he was not very happy.

She made him walk outside on the ramp to her car and back, and she noticed that he does not pick up his feet, that he shuffles them. She said this was from the PD and there was not much she could do about that. She made him use his cane for balance and then he had to move his arms, holding the cane for balance, back and forth, trying to move only from the waist, but then he could not do this and she said his body was too rigid and stiff, and that his head did not move with the waist.

I watched as Al struggled through this, and then had to turn my back to the two of them, because all it did to me was show me how stiff his body was becoming.

She tried to get him to do some dance steps, simple ones, but his legs did not want to move. Finally she could get nothing else out of the work out, and his face was moody and full of blank staring. She kept talking to him and he was not talking anymore.

I felt sort of bad, because I had worn him out taking him out, but I needed his medications, and also he was a little ruffled at the thought of his nap being late. She left and told him she would be back on Wednesday, and he got up and headed for his bed.

I was a little ashamed of him because he should not show this kind of behavior just because he is not getting his way, but I did not say anything to him because he is a child in a man’s body, and his body was sore and tired from being out and his work out.

When he got up from his nap, I fixed him bacon and eggs for supper, yes, it was an easy supper for me tonight. I just don’t enjoy cooking anymore, especially when I am not hungry. He said he did not want any pain pills and then after coming to the living room, he asked when he was going to take his medications. I said you just did bud, you took them with your supper. He said oh, I didn’t see them or remember taking them, and then he asked me when is he going to have supper.

I find this confusion happening more often than not. Not with any memories of the past, but with the present living. Just think one year ago, he did not use a cane, or a walker, and he did not have a scooter. One year ago, he was continent, and he used to fill his own medications for the week. Now I hide the medications because he doesn’t always believe that I gave them to him and will try to find them. One year ago, he could tell me what he read years ago, and what happened in a chapter. Now the only thing he reads is his big print bible, or he looks at his coco cola books or he watches  reruns, because he remembers them from before and does not have to figure out the plot.

I am so glad for the smiles for these two days, and since they are back, can we send the other things that are progressing to the returns department?