As of January 26, 2014
and for a man in my condition I'm in great shape. My weight is almost
exactly where it should be although it’s not distributed quite the way I'd
like. My blood pressure, pulse, and most other measurements are with
normal limits of normal standards. I do have sporadic sleep apnea, edema
of my left leg, bursitis in my left shoulder, peripheral neuropathy in my feet,
receding gums, cluttered vision, stiffness in my fingers, GERD, 20% hearing
loss. Oh, and did I mention I have Parkinsons Disease? That
supposedly explains why I can't walk or stand without assistance, freeze while
walking or moving my arms, garble my words or speak so softly that you can't
hear me anyway, am impotent and slightly incontinent, and have spells when I
fall asleep uncontrollably.
On the other hand I can
still safely drive a car under good weather and traffic conditions,
play the piano for
congregational singing, cook a simple meal or bake a batch of cookies, can ride
a recumbent tricycle 25 to 30 miles at an average speed of 10 mph, chair a
patient support group meeting, maintain a small web site, keep the books for a
branch of the Friends of the Sacramento Library, and publish a monthly church
newsletter.
My chances of dying are
only slightly elevated from an average man my age, the elevation coming from
swallowing difficulties associated with Parkinsons. With my poor swallowing
ability I could easily aspirate food or water into my lungs and drown within
minutes. They tell me that like most
people my age I will live for several more years becoming less and less capable
and more and more dependent, that my mental functioning will increasingly limit
my ability to interact with and enjoy friends and family. After I am finally, thoroughly, and obnoxiously
dependent I will die, probably timing my death for maximum inconvenience for
the family.
I had appointments with
my GP and with my throat surgeon last Wednesday so this is about as up to date as it gets.
Let's all have a happy year, okay?
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