BLOODY PARKINSON’S: FATIGUE OR TIREDNESS OR BOTH?

A warning to readers: these are the ramblings of a Parkinson’s Disease sufferer who uses his blog to get back at this pestilential illness. Apparently every cloud has a silver lining, but in the case of PD I do wonder. The intention of the blog however is to take a sidelong glance at PD and to let the reader make up her or his mind.

This week we are mostly thinking about fatigue or tiredness, or both. Because PD is weighing me down and demotivating me. It’s as if I’m caught in a vortex. Sucked down a metaphorical plughole.

Parkinson’s UK has a very useful information sheet entitled ‘Fatigue and Parkinson’s’ which says that ‘fatigue can be caused by Parkinson’s, but it has other causes too’. It explains what fatigue is, how it can make you feel fatigued and how fatigue may be managed.

To paraphrase the information sheet: fatigue is more than a feeling of occasional tiredness and is separate from sleepiness where the latter means you may fall asleep at inappropriate times. Whereas people with fatigue need rest but generally do not drop off to sleep.....I hope you’ve got that?

I thought I was suffering from fatigue: an overwhelming sense of tiredness, lack of energy and a feeling of exhaustion such that I dreaded making a 10 minute there and 10 minute back walk to the all night supermarket. What I couldn’t get out of my mind was the impending return journey. This led to me avoiding walking the dog to and fro: a partial solution is to walk in circles or for longer excursions, catch a bus to a neighbouring borough and walk back because you have to.

We feel fatigue because of pressure at home or work; we feel it for physical, mental or emotional reasons. Writing about fatigue is sending me to sleep......zzzzzzzzzzz.

AT THE PUB

Racking my mind to remember what we talked about: I do recall walking trips, dead friends, Nicky Campbell, London Mayoral elections, Leyton Orient, Thailand, Hillsborough, policing football, snow, rain, Heart of Midlothian, growing a lawn, playing the flute, pub closures.

RESTORATIVE YOGA

My wife is a yoga fan and has introduced me to Restorative Yoga: warm, candle lit, comfy, sleep inducing, fab. I’m a convert. Only I’m falling asleep again......Wake me up for the next blog!