Me and PD # 10

    Hello everyone, it's been awhile since I have blogged! There is a good reason for that and hopefully I can figure out how to upload some pictures to give you an idea of why I have been so busy! As most of you know from reading my previous blogs, we now have a puppy named Buddy. We received him on June 27th and my life changed dramatically on that day! It has been full blown puppy mode ever since. He has been a lot of work, but worth every bit of it. He is a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog and when we got him he weighed about 14 lbs., now he's around twenty and he's only thirteen weeks old. His dad weighed 155 lbs. They were originally bred in Switzerland for farm work, such as pulling carts and wagons. They are also used for mountain rescue. He is one of the sweetest dogs I have ever met and is already a mamma's boy. At first he required constant attention, but now is pretty much housebroken and is sleeping at my feet as I write this blog. He will be a good friend and loyal family member for years to come! He has forced me to exercise as we go on at least a couple of walks every day, which is good for my Parkinson's! There is one thing that I don't understand though, how can this dog poop so much!? Instead of a pooper scooper, I have to take a snow shovel and a 55 gal. trash can on our walks!!!
     Speaking of my Parkinson's, it has been a little problematic lately and my neurologist and I are playing with my meds, to try and get it a little more under control. I've been experiencing a little dyskinesia with my left arm and my head, (dyskinesia are involuntary muscle movements). This can be caused by taking too much of my medicine sinemet. I've also had a lot of anxiety lately, which is also a common symptom of PD. I seem to get overwhelmed easily, and don't like crowds. I also am more fatigued than normal. I'm sure a lot of this is because of the change in our daily routine due to Buddy and will work itself out as we all adjust to our new lives. I hope my PD allows me to train Buddy to be a therapy dog, as I would like him and I to maybe work with children. He absolutely loves kids.

      I hope to write more often as Buddy settles in to his new home and grows out of puppy hood, so thanks for listening and stay tuned!