Parkinson's disease (PD) Awareness month

April is Parkinson's disease (PD) Awareness month.  I live with PD every day....no I don't have PD but my mother does and she lives with me. Over the past year I've learned a lot about PD. There is no cure for PD but there are things that can be done to slow PD if you are diagnosed early.  Below are 10 early warning signs of Parkenson's Disease, Content from the National Parkinson Foundation: www.parkinson.org.

10 Early Warning Signs of Parkinson’s Disease
Sometimes it is hard to tell that you might have Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is when your brain stops making an important chemical called dopamine. This chemical helps your body to move, and helps your mood. If you do have Parkinson’s, you can feel better by taking a pill that helps your body to replace that  chemical. Parkinson’s disease will get worse slowly over time, and your doctor can help you stay healthy longer. Some of the problems listed here could be signs of Parkinson’s disease. No single one of these signs  means that you should worry about Parkinson’s disease. If you have more than one symptom, you should  make an appointment to talk to your doctor. Early diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease gives you the best chance of a longer, healthier life.

What you can do if you do have Parkinson’s disease:
• Work with your doctor to create a plan to stay healthy. This plan might include:
• A referral to a neurologist, a doctor who specializes in the brain
• Care from an occupational therapist, physical therapist or speech therapist
• Meeting with a medical social worker to talk about how Parkinson’s will affect your life
• Start a regular exercise program to delay further symptoms.
• Talk with family and friends who can provide you with the support you need.

1. Tremor or Shaking. Have you noticed a slight shaking or tremor in your finger, thumb, hand, chin, or lip? Does your leg shake when you sit down or relax? Twitching or shaking of limbs is a common early sign of  Parkinson’s disease. What is normal? Shaking can be normal after lots of exercise, if you have been injured, or could be caused by a medicine you take.

2. Small Handwriting. Has your handwriting suddenly gotten much smaller than it was in the past? You may notice the way you write words on a page has changed, such as letter sizes are smaller and the words are crowded together. A sudden change in handwriting is often a sign of Parkinson’s disease. What is normal?   Sometimes writing can change as you get older, if you have stiff hands or fingers or poor vision, but this happens over time and not suddenly.

3. Loss of Smell. Have you noticed you no longer smell certain foods very well? If you seem to have more trouble smelling foods like bananas, dill pickles, or licorice, you should ask you doctor about Parkinson’s disease. What is normal? Your sense of smell can be changed by a cold, flu, or a stuffy nose, but it
should come back after you are better.

4. Trouble Sleeping. Do you thrash around in bed or kick and punch while you are deeply asleep? You might notice that you started falling out of bed while asleep. Sometimes, your spouse will notice, or will want to move to another bed. Sudden movements during sleep may be a sign of Parkinson’s disease. What is normal? It is normal for everyone to have a night when they “toss and turn” instead of sleeping.

5. Trouble Moving or Walking. Do you feel stiff in your body, arms, or legs? Sometimes stiffness goes away as you move. If it does not, it can be a sign of Parkinson’s disease. You might notice that your arms don’t swing when you walk, or maybe other people have said you look stiff. An early sign might be stiffness or pain in your shoulder or hips. People sometimes say their feet seem “stuck to the floor”. What is normal? If you have injured your arm or shoulder, you may not be able to use it as well until it is healed; or another illness like arthritis might cause the same symptom.

6. Constipation. Do you have trouble moving your bowels without straining every day? Straining to move your bowels can be an early sign of Parkinson’s disease; talk to your doctor. What is normal? If you do not have enough water or fiber in your body, it can cause problems in the bathroom. Also, some medicine will cause constipation, too. If there is not other reason, such as diet or medicine, that would cause you to have trouble moving your bowels, you should speak with your doctor.

7. A Soft or Low Voice. Have other people told you that your voice is very soft when you speak in a normal tone, or that you sound hoarse? If there has been a change in your voice, you should see your doctor about  whether it could be Parkinson’s disease. Sometimes you might think other people are losing their hearing,  when really you are speaking more softly. What is normal? A chest cold or other virus can cause your voice to sound different, but you should go back to sounding the same when you get over your cough or cold.

8. Masked Face. Have you been told that you have a serious, depressed, or mad look on your face more often, even when you are not in a bad mood? This serious-looking face is called masking. Also, if you or other people notice that you have a blank stare or do not blink your eyes very often, you should ask your  doctor about Parkinson’s disease. What is normal? Some medicines can cause you to have the same type of serious or staring look, but you would bo back to the way you were after you stopped the medication.

9. Dizziness and Fainting. Do you notice that you often feel dizzy when you stand up out of a chair? Feeling dizzy or fainting can be signs of low blood pressure and can be linked to Parkinson’s disease. What is normal? Everyone has had a time when they stood up and felt dizzy, but if it happens on a regular basis, you should see your doctor.

10. Stooping or Hunching Over. Are you not standing up as straight as you used to? If you or your family or friends notice that you seem to be stooping, leaning, or slouching when you stand, it could be a sign of Parkinson’s disease. What is normal? If you have pain from an injury or if you are sick, it might cause you to stand crookedly. Also, a problem with your bones can make you hunch over.

Tickled PINK!

I'm tickled pink, because I tried a few new things (crafts and a recipe) and they all turned out as good or better then I'd hoped.  Last night I made a strawberry cake, the recipe I got from the Food Network's Sandra Lee (here is the link). Today, I was in a sewing mood, made the following:
1. A Valentine bib for mom
2. Two Valentine kitchen towels from one towel
3. Two "Burp Cloth"
4. Decorated a Onesie with tulle and made it into a tutu ( had enough fabric to make two).
Did I mention that they are all PINK!!!!

Onesie TuTu

Onesie TuTu

Burp Cloth

Kitchen Towels

Adult Bib

Too many UFO's

I have too many UFO's .....a UFO is an UnFinished Object.  I have a self imposed challenge for the month of February, to see how many UFO's I can complete.

So here we go!

February 1  UFO's

1.  Santa Apron
2.  Santa Apron

I also started a new project!  I redesigned a blouse for my good friend Jan who broke her arm.  She cant left her arm and therefore can't wear normal cloths, so I took a blouse, cut it open in the back, finished the raw edges with bias tape and added velcro.  I'll post pictures later!

February 1  New Projects

1.  Redesigned a blouse for Jan

Carmen's crock pot pot roast

Ingredients

2 lbs beef chuck shoulder
1 package of dry onion soup
1/4 cup water
4 red potatoes, cut in half
4 carrots, peeled, cut into 3 inch chunks
4 celery stalks, cut into 4 inch chunks

Directions

Heat a skill on medium, spay with Pam spray, brown the roast on each side for about 2-3 min; place meat in crock pot. Mix onion soup and water, pour over meat. Place into crock pot, in this order, potatoes, carrots and celery.  Cook on low for 8-10 hour or on high for 5-6 hours. Feeds 6-8

Carmen’s crock pot chili

Cook time: 4-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low

Ingredients

1 pound chuck roast, cut into ½ inch cubes

1 pound Italian sausage, removed from their skin

1 medium onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 green bell pepper, diced

2 cups celery, chopped

1 table spoon ground cumin

2 table spoons chili powder

1 package chili seasoning mix

2 (14 ½ ounce) cans diced tomatoes

2 (14 ½ ounce) cans of stewed, tomatoes

2 (14 ½ ounce) cans pinto beans, drained

1 (14 ½ ounce) can kidney beans, drained

Garnish

Shredded, cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped green onions.

Directions

In a skillet brown the cubed chuck roast, drain and place in crock-pot.  Brown the Italian sausage, drain reserving dripping for next step, place cooked sausage in crock-pot.  Without cleaning the skillet return the drippings from the sausage to skillet, heat skillet to a medium low. Place the onions, garlic, bell pepper and celery in the skillet and sauté about 3-5 minutes.  Reduce heat, stir in cumin, chili powder and chili seasoning mix until well combined; remove from heat and place directly into crock-pot. Add tomatoes and beans to crock-pot and stir to combine all the ingredients.   Cook 4-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.  Serve topped with cheese, sour cream, onions. 

Panic

At the office one of our clients gave us tickets to see the AirHogs game (minor league baseball) in a suite complete with food, so I called several family members  and  friends,  asked if they wanted my ticket since I wasn’t planning on going because I didn’t have a sitter. My friend asked why not take mama, I replied that it would be difficult for us to get in vehicle after the game, getting her there would not be  difficult since I could ask V (mama’s caregiver)to help me get her in the car.  My friend assured me that if I took mama to the game they’d help me get her in the car to go home.  Needless to say I decided to go.  

  

I called V and asked how mama was doing today; mama slept through the night on Sunday and was very alert when I went to check on her in the morning.  V said she was going pretty well except she’s been a little panicked today; she told her “Un hombre estaba golpiando ha Carmen”, that a “man” was hitting me.  She has also been asking about my brother John, she’s very worried about him.  Once I get home I assess her and decide its okay to go to the ball game. She asked me if I was okay because a “man” had been hitting me, she kept looking at my face to see if I had any marks on me from the beating.  At the game she did pretty good, she wasn’t too confused; she didn’t know where we were, but she did enjoy the food.  We sat out on the balcony, watched the game until 8pm and then we went home.  For me it was nice to do something “normal”.

After struggling to get her into the house alone, I got her into bed by about 9:30…a little late for her, but she seemed okay.  Sometime about midnight she started calling out in a panic, she was calling for her mama. It took me about an hour to calm her down enough to fall asleep.  About 4:45 am today she woke up calling out in a panic again, again I went to check on her, this time she went right back to sleep.

When I got home, my sister MT was here, putting color on mama’s hair, mama seemed okay, she was alert enough to follow directions when she got the color rinsed off and during her comb-out.  After MT left, MJ arrived to help me get mama in bed.  She wanted to know what we were planning, why did we want her to go to bed.  We explained it was bed time!  We waited about 10 minutes, asked her again, now she was ready.  She was able to walk to her room, which was good.  She fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.  12:30 am, she’s awake talking about “handan los muchachos en el baile” (the boys are at the dance), she’s trying to get out of bed.  It’s a little after 1 am, she’s finally asleep. Good night!

Crock-Pot Chicken with Mushrooms

Crock-Pot Chicken with Mushrooms

Cooking time 5 hours

Serves: 4

What you need to know before you begin (about crock-pot cooking):

• Once you put the lid on the crock-pot DO NOT OPEN IT, when you open it that stops the cooking.
• Meats go on the bottom, layer with the next hardest ingredient (like carrots), ending with the softest (peas).
•  Cut vegetables no smaller or larger than 1 inch for even cooking.
• Turn your crock-pot on high while your prepping your ingredients.

What you need:

• 4 chicken skinless, boneless chicken breast
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 can of condensed mushrooms
• 1 cup of fresh carrots, peeled and chopped into 1” pieces (you may also use whole baby carrots which I like to do since it save me time [I like easy])
• 1 cup of fresh celery, chopped
• 1 cup of fresh mushrooms
• ½ cup onions (I like to use red onions; you may use pearl onion too!)
• 1 cup frozen peas (don't thaw)

Instructions:

• Rinse your chicken and pat dry with a paper towel, sprinkle with salt and pepper, place in the crock-pot in a single layer (if possible).
• Open the can of mushrooms and pour over the chicken, place all of your vegetables in the crock-pot in the order I have them listed above.
• Place the lid on the crock-pot and let this cook for 5 hours. DO NOT OPEN the lid during this time. Alternative cooking would be to set the crock-pot on low and cook for 10 hours.

My personal notes:

I love making this Crock-Pot Chicken with Mushrooms because it is so easy and I can fix it and forget about it.   I will usually make this in the morning about 7am and by noon it’s done which allows me to run errand and return home to a hot meal I didn’t slave over that taste great! Yes, I leave the house while my crock-pot is cooking.  This is one of my mom's favorites :) God bless the woman who invented the crock-pot!