May '05

5/28 5:24pm: It’s been a pretty crazy month! I was back down in Florida visiting family and working a bit and then helped my friend “J” and her daughter Madison move out to the Cape. I then headed back to Florida because my Dad was going in for surgery and my Mom had just gotten out of the hospital.
Well, I headed down to help get Dad excited about this procedure and into the hospital, and just before Dad was ready to head into surgery, the surgeon decided he’d feel more comfortable if we waited 10 days or so! Some tests were a bit inconclusive and he just wanted to be 100% sure. We were all disappointed and a bit drained (Dad and I got up at 4am to get to the hospital for 5a.) However the resilience of my family is nothing short of legendary! We got Dad dressed and my mother, sister, father and I all headed out for a delicious breakfast!! Some families drink when under duress. Others do heroine or crack. My family eats Lox & Eggs!! At the moment my crew seems to be just putting one foot in front of the other. Sometimes life just works like that. We’re all still here…
My Dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease about 10 years ago and he has been slowly physically deteriorating. The sense of humor is still there, but his condition has been worsening every year.
About six months ago my sister was watching the Today show and saw a report on something called “NPH” which mimics Parkinson’s a bit and is responsible for a 10%-15% misdiagnosis rate in Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and mild Dementia patients. We started looking into it and we are so far very fortunate that Dad has been diagnosed with NPH. This disease is VERY treatable. The main symptoms of NPH are 1) Trouble Walking (as though the patient’s feet are stuck to the floor), 2) Incontinence, 3) Mild Dementia. I want everyone I know with older parents or older people you love, to be aware of this disease. It is very curable (or at least a major comeback!) and the procedure is at it’s best when caught early. Here is a link to a very comprehensive site about NPH. Please check it out so it’s a part of your knowledge base, in case you ever need the information. http://www.lifenph.com
My Dad’s surgery is scheduled for the beginning of June, and my brother’s headed down to lead the charge. I’ll keep you posted.
If your parents are lucky enough to still be around and you were lucky enough to have been raised by two exceptionally loving people as my siblings and I were, treat them like gold while you still got ‘em.
I'm writing this on my laptop while I'm sitting and waiting for my plane to board here in Ft Lauderdale. I'm also watching the Mets game on my laptop as I discuss the game with my brother on my cell phone.