I felt the need to write a brief (??) note, and let everyone know that
we have survived our vacation. I hadn't mentioned that we were going
anywhere, because if my parents were found wandering along interstate
95, I didn't want to have anyone trace them to me!
My husband (bless him!!) agreed to taking my parents on a nearly 2-week
vacation to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. . . a wonderful family
vacation spot, and one my family has visited for nearly 30 years.
Two weeks ago tomorrow, we drove from home, here in New Jersey to their
home in Pennsylvania -- about a 3 1/2 hour drive. We loaded our rented
mini-van (good idea! our pickup truck would have been far too crowded,
and Mom would have objected to riding in the truck bed!), and early the
next morning we started on our adventure.
In an attempt to adjust to Mom and Dad's lifestyle, we planned
sit-down be-waited on meals. Dad (68/4+) eats very slowly, and by
dinnertime was becoming increasingly frustrated with everyone. Next
time I think we'll do meals "our" way. My husband and I tend to grab a
burger, gulp it down, quick bathroom trip, and back on the road in 15
minutes, not the 1 1/2 hour that it took for the sit-down meals.
Lesson #1. Do not attempt to travel more than 8 hours in a mini-van
with one's husband, mother, and father. Regardless of who has PD (if
anyone), this is not a recommended practice. By the eleventh hour, you
will wonder if it is possible to commit homicide with the package of
saltines that were kept from lunchtime "just in case we get hungry along
the way".
We checked into the hotel some 15 hours after we left their home.
Lesson #2. Inquire early about the availability of ground floor /
handicapped rooms. We had, and it worked out well. Mom and Dad were
beachfront, and able to walk out from their "porch" onto the sand. We
were on the 4th floor.
Lesson #3. Besides the obvious reasons mentioned before, 15 hours in
the car will have detrimental effects on the behaviors of the PD
patient. Dad had a very bad night after the trip. It took him a day or
two to settle down, and back to a more normal routine.
Lesson #4. (At least in the case of my dad.) Pack plenty of snacks.
Since he was waking up at 4 in the morning, he figured that he might as
well do something productive. Like eat. He devoured the bag of potato
chips one morning. Mom could hear him while she tried to sleep, and
figured that as long as she could hear the crunching, he was safe.
We rented our beach umbrellas and chairs from the friendly lifeguard,
and spent our mornings warming our frozen bodies (remember 3 feet of
snow in January?). Afternoons, while Mom and Dad rested or sunned, my
husband and I trotted around the golf courses.
Lesson #5. June afternoons are almost too warm to play golf in South
Carolina, but with plenty of water, it's possible to have a good time
anyway.
Most evenings, we went back to the hotel, cleaned up, and took Mom and
Dad with us to dinner. Evenings are not Dad's best times, but he
enjoyed his dinners, as did the rest of us.
A couple of evenings we even wandered some of the local shopping
establishments, with Dad walking around fairly well.
Lesson #6. Set realistic expectations for the day.
We split the trip home (to Mom & Dad's) into two days. (See Lesson #1
for why.)
We got Mom and Dad settled in their home yesterday, and then came the
rest of the way to our house today.
All in all, it was a good trip. Concessions on both sides, but we've
all agreed that we would consider doing it again. That's an
accomplishment, to my mind!
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Now, a couple of questions. . . .since I saw more of Dad in the past 2
weeks than I had in the past couple of years.
1. Dad walked quite well on the beach, both the hard sand, and the
softer stuff. He didn't manage too well down by the water's edge. The
shifting sands, and the movement of the waves seemed to be very
disconcerting. Is this common?
2. Dad's always been a snacker, but lately it seems he's trying to eat
them out of house and home. He's not heavy (160 lbs, on a 6'3" frame).
He's taking Sinemet and Vitamin E, with a minimal dose of Permax.
Would any of these contribute to the munchies?
3. He seems to have some significant depth perception problems. For
example, his ice cream was served in a footed dish. He struggled to eat
it until it was transferred into a low bowl. He does wear bifocals,
that Mom constantly reminds him to push up, but they didn't seem to be
helping that night. Could it be his posture, combined with the
bifocals? Even as I type that, though, I think he has the perception
problems without any glasses on.
------------------
He's off tomorrow for a day of testing. It seems that his blood
pressure drops significantly when he stands up, and they're now thinking
that is the reason he looses his balance (he's getting light-headed).
Maybe something will come from these tests that will help him with his
stability, and will give my Mom some peace.
Well, hope our travel lessons will benefit someone else, and that there
might be some answers to my questions floating out there on the net.
Thanks for putting up with this long post.
Diane McHutchison
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