Thanks to the weather (overcast with occasional light rain), I really didn’t have to worry about staying cool. I took my extra Levodopa and I did a good job of staying hydrated and appropriately fed. But today, it wasn’t quite enough. I felt exhausted for most of the day. Around 3:00, I finally decided to go out to my car and take a nap. But when I got to the car, I felt like I really needed to just go back to the hotel and call it a day. I had spent about four hours in the park, and rode everything I really wanted to ride, so it wasn’t a bad day. Lightning Rod absolutely lived up to my expectations – it’s like riding a jack rabbit that’s high on angel dust. EXACTLY like that. Trust me, I know.
Month: November 2021
Gatlinburg, Day 2 (morning)
Today is my roller coaster day! I will be visiting Dollywood, primarily to try out the amazing-looking roller coaster known as Lightning Rod. This will be my third visit to Dollywood, which is a beautiful park with a surprisingly excellent selection of coasters.
Dollywood has also played an important role in my figuring out how to continue enjoying amusement parks as my age and my Parkinson’s continue to advance. I’m not full-on diabetic, but I have occasionally experienced what appeared to be low blood sugar episodes. During my first visit to Dollywood (which was before my Parkinson’s diagnosis), I learned the importance of staying “sugared”. After just a few rides, I found myself feeling quite woozy and sick to my (empty) stomach. But after a quick lunch, I felt great! For a while. Then I started feeling dizzy and weak. But after drinking enough water to fill Dolly’s bra (and she didn’t make it easy), I felt great again! My next visit to Dollywood (maybe 4 years ago?) was the first time I tried taking “extra” Carbidopa-Levodopa pills – three pills with each dose that day, rather than my normal two pills – again with excellent results. (This was OK’d by my Parkinson’s doctor, by the way.) Finally, it was three years ago at Silver Dollar City (Dollywood’s former sister park) when I first recognized my propensity to overheat, and quickly found out how easily it could be remedied. So as long as I stay hydrated, sugared, Levodoped-up, and cool, it should be a good day.
Gatlinburg, Day One
For my first attempt at blogging an actual trip, I left my dog with friends and headed to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. So, what’s the first thing I did after abandoning my dog, Bear? I went to Ober Gatlinburg to see… More bears! But getting here was … Continue reading Gatlinburg, Day One
GOCOVRI: It begins
A few weeks ago, I started a new Parkinson’s medication called GoCovri. This is in addition to (not a replacement for) the two other Parkinson’s meds that I’m already on. It’s supposed to reduce my “off” periods. Initially, it seemed like it was working quite well. I was feeling more awake and productive than I had felt in quite awhile. But it seems less consistent now, and I am also experiencing a nagging anxiety, which has led to me taking anti-anxiety meds far more often than in the past. I’ll probably try to wean myself off the GoCovri over the next couple weeks, to try to gain a clearer picture of the effects it’s really having (both good and bad). In the meantime, here’s some impromptu fiction:
My dog writes poetry. Some of it is serious stuff, but he mostly writes ribald limericks. Like the one about the young woman from Nantucket and her encounter with Lord Yuck. Mind you, these poems don’t adhere to classic limerick form. Many of them are 900 lines long and have no rhymes whatsoever. But, y’know, he’s a dog. What the Hell do you expect?
Introduction
If it’s true that you are only as old as you feel, then my age fluctuates massively throughout the day. This is life with the advance of Parkinson’s Disease. As each dose of Levodopa kicks in, I feel normal, sometimes even energetic. But as each … Continue reading Introduction
Voyages with Parkinson's 