New Normal

woman with red hair clutching a yellow pole and laughing

Last week I visited the neurology department at my hospital. I saw a different doctor (again) and two lovely medical students from the University of Otago. It was a visit I had not been looking forward to at all.  I am sorry to report that it met my expectations in that I left in a … Read more

Just Another Awareness Day

image of kitty fitton in a dancer's yoga pose.

It’s almost World Parkinson’s Day. It’s something big on my calendar yet I’m sure to most people it’s ‘just another awareness day.’ In the six years I have had this disease I have seen the Covid-19 pandemic sweep the world and an effective vaccination program created and rolled out worldwide.  Yet the drugs I am … Read more

No Thanks For The Memories

image shows facebook post

Good old Facebook, always there, ready to surprise you with that memory option. I was going to write about feminism, nothing to do with Parkinson’s at all. I can hear some sighs already. Don’t worry. Facebook put paid to that as it reminded me six years ago I visited the hospital for the first time … Read more

Going it Alone

blue skies with a small fluffy cloud and sunshine rays pouring in from the right.

I’ve put off writing about this for some time. It’s tricky. I have wanted to work it through in my head but I don’t want to upset anyone with what I say. I’m going to write about my recent decision to do something many people have thought is ridiculous, rash, stupid and completely crazy. You … Read more

Still Fighting

red haired woman in grey hoodie and glasses looking crossly into the camera with folded arms.

Remember I’d said that I’d written a piece about the way people with Parkinson’s (pwp) were depicted? I was worried about possible implications if I posted it, yet once again I found myself cut adrift, alone, and wondering what more could possibly come along to cause me strife. (Actually, there’s always more, you have to … Read more

Money is Everything

woman with red hair and plum shawl looking directly into the camera over red spectacles.

I had written a great piece about people with Parkinson’s (pwp) and how the media portrays them, however, I’m also worried it is a potential political nightmare. For now, I’m keeping it under wraps. Instead I’m going to talk about the struggle to know what the right thing is when you’re stumbling through the dark … Read more

I Forgot

image of tablets in a bottle and a blister pack

At times like this I detest Parkinson’s. I’ve been remiss. I forgot to take my tablets. I’m lucky, my tablets work well, but I took the last lot at 11.30am as scheduled and I forgot until now, 07.00pm to take the next lot. I was distracted, I was eating dinner with my family. It’s Easter, … Read more