 |
 |
Thanks for the travelogue. Perhaps someday when it's sufficiently far in the past, I could write about a two week trailer trip in the heat of Yucatan with a Parkie! Miriam L. Denham [log in to unmask] On Thu, 20 Jun 1996, J. McHutchison wrote: > 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! > > ------------------------------------------ > 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 > [log in to unmask] >