Sandra Price
Sandra's 50Miles50Days
Fundraising for Parkinson’s UK
Story
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Parkinsons Disease is a nasty thing to live with. Imagine the frustration of losing the ability to do things you’ve been doing all your life. The sinking feeling when acquaintances avoid
having to talk to you because they find you difficult to understand, the chagrin at strangers avoiding you because you look drunk when walking and the discomfiture going to the cinema or travelling on a plane when you can’t sit
still in your chair. That's not to mention the difficulties of living a normal life with insomnia, pain, difficulty in turning in bed and in simply getting dressed.
However, a diagnosis of PD is not a sentence of death,
therefore it doesn’t receive needed support from the National Health or the general public.
`The scientists actually know the drug which is effective against Parkinsons it’s the difficulties of getting
it to the correct part of the brain that is holding up the conquering of the disease. A couple of years ago a large experiment was carried out in an attempt to solve this problem. It had some success but not enough to win further funds to continue the research, I believe that as well as the obvious need for a cure, we owe it to those brave people who had a portal inserted in their brain to allow the experiment, to raise the funds to carry on the research in finding
a cure for this antisocial, isolating disease.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
Well I’ve completed my first
week I’m still getting used to the watch and it didn’t record two
days. Fortunately, I did the same route
every day except Saturday. On Saturday
we went out to Nott Cutts and I found myself feeling the effects of walking and
put on my watch, in the rest of the visit I walked .4 of a mile. I was feeling the effects in the afternoon
and took a shorter route which turned out to be .8 of a mile, so I hope this is
acceptable. I hadn’t thought of any
rules about breaks in the walk. It’s
been very windy, which is a shame because the trees were in full bloom and
really lovely on Tuesday but are almost finished today.
Update:
Tuesday 11th
A very hard day I went out
whilst I was on my down time because I wanted to be back home before my husband
had to leave. Both my PD and painkiller
tablets should have been at their optimum, so I went for it and only got to the
park before I had to sit down and I didn’t think I was going to make it but I
plodded on and worked my way out of the downer and improved on my time! I must have been a weird site though because
a little dog walking across the park saw me and stopped and waited, he wouldn’t
follow his owner till I’d gone past.
Wednesday 12th
A beautiful day weather
wise, the first time I walked without a
jacket, I went out at about three and met all the school children walking home,
all being very good and keeping social distancing! It was my quickest time yet – 40.01
Thursday 13th
What peculiar weather we’re
having, yesterday I was in a T-shirt today I’m walking wearing my winter
jacket. I went out at 12 today and
it was very quiet but the Driving schools were out they like to use the estate
to practice parallel parking and three point turns. Are some of the schools using electric
cars? Some of them seemed really
quiet.
Friday 14th
We had some rain last night
and it must have brought the worms to the surface because I was serenaded the
whole way round. This walk was
straight forward but slower.
Saturday 15th
Bryn was out all day and when
he came home at half past four it was raining but I took a chance and by the
time I got to the end of the road it had stopped. Unfortunately, in all the dithering over
the rain I forgot to start my watch until I got to the end of the road. So the watch says .95 of a mile in 38
minutes. Difficult to compare but seems to be a good time.
Somebody has laid an oil
painting – still life of three vases against, a bush in the front garden. I wonder why, it’s not displayed and there
is no note with it.
Sunday 16th.
I’m obviously in favour
because we had a real downpour at 1.30 but it had stopped when I went for my walk…It was a bit slippery
particularly where there was blossom underfoot and the watch showed one of my
slowest times 44 minutes.
The picture Is now up against
the front wall under a window. I have a
feeling that someone took a lot of trouble painting it and was determined that
someone was going to see it covid or no covid.
Monday 17th
Another week done and ended on
a high note, watch says 1.04 in 36.59 mintues, will try and take a film
tomorrow. Went out about 3.30 and saw
lots of school kids on their home, glad I’ve done with all that! Otherwise very quiet.
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Week 3
Tues 18th
Nothing much to report today.
Just the normal plod round.
Wednesday 19th
Decided to try a different walk because I know what I can do on my normal walk. So we went down to Millenium Park. I knew a mile usually took me about 40 minutes so I took my ordinary watch as well because if I touch the smart watch it stops recording. I walked over some bridges in a kind of loop and when I’d done 25 minutes I followed the path round to go back a little higher up the bank. The gate was visible long before I expected it, I had inadvertently missed out the circuit with the bridges! I thought I would be short but actually the watch says I did 1.19 miles in 50 minutes!
Thursday 20th
Tried to take a video with a camera attached to the trolley but it is a very bumpy path and when I got home we discovered the camera hadn’t recorded anything. A shame I had given a running commentary and everything.
Friday 21st
Bryn came with me to film a video on my phone. It was very windy and I was wrapped up in a scarf and was wearing a skirt because I’d been to physio in the morning. However, we’d hardly got half
way when Bryn excused himself and rushed back home because he got caught short. Well that’s his story but I’m going to make the most of the fact that he only managed half of my walk! Incidentally I think he’s a bit of a Jonah, It drizzled after he left and that’s the first time I’ve got wet.
Saturday 22nd
What a contrast, today I had to stop and take my coat off and I still got very warm and took a long time to recover.
Sunday 23rd
The wind is back with us but it wasn’t cold. Every time I do this
walk I think today’s the day I’m not going to make it but so far so good. I’m going to see if I can get a cleaner to do a spring clean in my kitchen. I manage to keep up with the daily chores, washing, washing up, the floors even the ironing but It’s beginning to feel that cupboards need turning out, shelves need dusting etc.
Monday 24th
It’s getting so that if Bryn wants to do an outside job he asks me to go for a walk because then he knows it won’t rain. Honestly, we had rain at 1.30 and hail at 4.30 but when I went for my walk at about 3.00 it was sunny. Working out very well for me but not for my shoes. My ankles are so swollen I only have one pair that I can get on for walking, otherwise its sandals. Today I stepped on soaked fallen tree blossom and felt the damp right through my shoe.
Week 4
Tuesday 25th – Day
22
I went out later today and
most of the school children had passed there were only some secondary children
socially distancing gathering in the park.
It was so quiet it was surreal, it felt like the calm after the storm.
Wednesday 26th –
Day 23
Black mark today I forgot to charge
my watch so I have no record but I did my usual route and we know that is just
over a mile. A beautiful day, ground
drying out just one patch of wet tree blossom.
I have a feeling that the weather is settling and I’m going to risk
putting some of my seedlings outside.
Thursday 27th – Day
24
Things are really looking
up. When I started this challenge everyone
I met scurried past with head down.
Today people look so much more relaxed and smiling. The smart watch doesn’t like me and is doing
funny things it doesn’t matter all the time I stick to the same route but it
would be more of a challenge if I tried another route. My shoes have died and I’m having trouble
finding a pair that I can wear with these swollen ankles. The strap is too short to do up so I held
them together with a bull clip it worked pretty well.
Friday 28th- Day 25
Half the way through the
challenge, it still feels a bit daunting, my Parkinsons has gone into another
phrase and I can’t walk without falling over so I have to use my trolley indoors and struggle with it on the sloping
paths. Today a neighbour came out to
talk to me and a lady I met at aquarobics before lockdown stopped her car for a
natter. It’s lovely to be able to do
this again but I find standing uncomfortable.
Too many negative comments, sorry, things are really going quite well,
much better than I expected.
Saturday 29th – Day
26
Very exciting today. There had been an accident I don’t know how
on earth they did it but the car was tipped up on its side a few yards from the
road. The area was cordoned off and
there was a police car attending. The
ambulance and another police car arrived as I went stumbling past.
Then when I turned the corner
I saw a man drive his van out of his
drive, park it and go back to his car.
I’d often wondered how they managed to park because they have 3 cars on
their forecourt a small car pressed up against the garage crossways and the van
and big car side by side longways in front.
It’s quite a manoeuvre believe me.
They were blocking the corner so I took the opportunity to sit down and
have a drink – first time I’ve ever done that.
Sunday 30th- Day 27
A beautiful summer Sunday
people socialising in the gardens, the sound of a lawn mower and children
playing. We’ve had a breakout of
trampolines in the gardens, a very good idea for exercising during lockdown.
Monday 31st – Day
28
I went out earlier today and
it was very quiet not much traffic but a lot of cars parked on the
pavement. So far I’ve managed to get by
but there is one car that gets closer
and closer each day and if it moves again I shan’t be able to get past. I met a family walking home with children’s
toys. I said it looks as though the
little girl is going to have fun. They
smiled and said they hope so because tomorrow is her birthday – so happy 1st
birthday, little girl.
Week 5
Tuesday 1st – 29
A really special day
today. It was perfect weather and Bryn
decided to go to Dover to paddle on the sea.
I went with him and did my mile walk along the promenade. It was really lovely there were quite a few
people around but it wasn’t crowded. It
would have been very hot but there was a warm breeze which gave the paddlers
and swimmers a hard time.
Wednesday 2nd – 30
Back to the old route, it’s
amazing how much easier it is doing a route you know and know that you can do
it. I always like to know the target.
Thursday 3rd – 31
A lady chased after me and
asked me about my walker. She said a
neighbour admired the way I got on with it and where could she get one? So I guess I’ve got some witnesses to the
fact that I do go walking every day.
Friday 4th – 32
Good job it wasn’t the 13th
it was a pretty rotten day as it was. It drizzled all day and my feet were so
swollen I could only get sandals on my feet. I had ordered my medication last Thursday,
27th but when Bryn queued up to collect it yesterday the surgery
still hadn’t sent it down. Link said
they would send an Email reminder but when I phoned this morning it still hadn’t
arrived so I phoned the surgery and explained that I had completely run out and
I was due to take a tablet at 1.30.
They assured me that the prescription would be with Link by 1 o clock
but of course it wasn’t now I was panicking, if the doctor went home without signing it I
wouldn’t be able to get them until Monday.
Bryn phoned the surgery again and was holding on listening to the
message ’your call is important to us, please continue to hold’ for half an hour. In the meantime I phoned Link and they told
me that if the doctor went home without signing I could contact 101 and they
would liaise with Link to give me the tablets but not to worry the surgery sometimes
took an hour to answer the phone!!!! . However when they eventually answered Bryn
told them that he wouldn’t hang up until someone assured him the prescription
had been sent and then he went out again in the evening to pick it up.
Saturday 5th - Day
32
It was really funny because
missing my medication yesterday didn’t affect my walk but today I’ve been
unable to walk at all without holding onto something, I dragged myself round
leaning heavily on my trolley.
Sunday 6th – Day 33
Did my walk at about 2 ‘o’
clock. All very quiet Sunday afternoon apart from one silly young man sitting
on his leg which was laid across the seat of his motorbike while he did a
wheelie!!!
Monday 7th – Day 34
My feet have swollen again and
I can’t do up the strap over by foot because it’s too short. A very uncomfortable walk.
Week 6
Tuesday 8th - Day 35
Bryn has tackled the Velcro and
the shoes are working fine, what a relief.
Wednesday 9th – Day
36
The council have cut down the
grass areas which were very bush like.
It’s a bit of a shame because the verges were vibrant with daisies,
dandelions and a little blue flower that I don’t know (they’re not bluebells).
Thursday 10th- Day
37
Walking very badly today the
ankle has swollen again and if I can do the strap up the foot slips forward and
my toes are touching the pavement. I’m
afraid I missed out the last lap and I’d been so slow that Bryn was on his way
walking to meet me. I was actually
walking for 50 minutes and I usually do the full mile in 40 minutes.
Friday 11th – Day 38
Shoes repaired, I was walking
a bit better than I had been doing lately.
But just under half way round (at the end of Hampton Road) the strap
pulled apart, my ankle had obviously swollen a bit more because I couldn’t do
it up. I didn’t fancy walking with the
strap flapping and the danger of tripping over it so I called Bryn and he walked
to me armed with the Velcro. Getting
home was pure torture and we just took the quickest way.
I have regrettably decided I’ll
have to take a couple of days off to sort my shoes out. I’ve bought two more pairs of these strapped
sandals and they’re at the cobblers having the half inch sole added,
unfortunately, they can’t lengthen the strap so we are going to have to have to
be initiative. Hopefully this time will
allow the Parkinsons to settle down so I can walk without holding on. Can I be really greedy and hope it will ease
the pain as well?
Watch this space I’ve done 36
days of the 50 I was aiming to do and I hope to try again within a week to take
up the challenge again.