DOGS KNOW STUFF: LIVING WITH PARKINSON’S

Some of this story of living with Parkinson’s is true. I’ll leave it to you to work out which bits...Dogs do know stuff, I’m convinced they do. At least ours does as this picture shows.

This week The Guardian had an article ‘The rat detectives’, which states that ‘the African giant pouched rat can be trained to sniff out tuberculosis more accurately than lab tests’. Guardian 23 February 2016. Well if the giant rat can do it, and my dog knows stuff, then perhaps my dog can detect Parkinson’s?

Anyway she, the dog not the rat, has detected as a consequence of PD, less walks, shorter walks, repetitive walks, more ball throwing, less accurate ball throwing, slower pace, less long grass sniffeling, shaky pouring of dog biscuits, and all the rest of the stuff PD delivers.

By the way, I’ve been prescribed a small pill that energises my day and gets me walking when previously I might not have bothered. And I’m not collapsing back in to my bed at the first excuse. So the dog is happy about that, as am I. The blurb says the new medicine is used to treat PD by improving muscle control and reducing stiffness, shakiness and shuffling! Hooray! OK to take pre 2pm or it stops you sleeping.

The PD Warrior circuit training still goes well with the physios guiding us through the 10 stations, although it seems at times like herding cats. They like to get us chanting lists so our cognitive functions are functioning in tandem with our physical abilities. Subjects for chanting include names of airlines, of which we soon ran out, names of birds (I resisted the great tit and giant booby), and words beginning with the letter ‘s’. The letter ‘s’ went along quite well until the word ‘sentipede’ which, after much debate, was disqualified on a show of hands. I continue to try to recommend flavours of crisps, but to no avail.

Meanwhile a friend sent me a link to a story on Twitter about a glove you can wear to deal with PD shakes. Apparently it has something to do with gyroscopes. There are few other details. I suppose it’s ‘watch this PD shaped space’ again, although the shakes can be the least of my problems.

MEANWHILE, AT THE PUB....

We talked about: walking boots, shop sales, the lottery, flat tyres, football, haircuts, why the earth is flat, accents, panama hats, Lord Lucan, the character of Wishie Washie in Aladdin, buses, hangmen and gibbets. As well as other things that I have forgotten.