Saturday, April 14, 2012

Help Grandchildren Cope

There comes a time when the youngest members of the family (my two grandsons are 12 and 9) will notice something different about their Papa.  That did happen while on a multi-day backpack trip in the Weminuche Wilderness of the San Juan mountains.

I had neglected to insure that I transferred meds from an overnight bag to my backpack before entering the back county.  The physical nature of hiking eight miles with a full pack, daily base camp activities luckily kept symptoms of PD at bay.

Until the last day of the trip.  On the return hike out of the Wenimuche, my left knee started to freeze soon after breaking camp in the morning.  The hike out of Chicago Basin was nothing short of painful and embarrassing.

I had always tried living life with few regrets.  This time, I really screwed up.  Over the course of a few hours, it all played out in front of my grandsons.  To this day, they have not asked me directly about that day. 

Looking ahead, the reality of answering direct questions about that day may be difficult for me.  So on the last visit with my neurologist, I asked if I could schedule an appointment with my grandsons and the doctor.  To my surprise, it is something they do all the time.

So the next time I see my Neurologist, it will be with my wife, my daughter and two grandsons, all together.

Keep watching for the results of that meeting.  

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