Friday, February 18, 2011

Unexpected challenges

It's funny how sometimes when I think something will be hard to do, it turns out to be easy, and sometimes when I think it will be a breeze... it isn't.

I spent the whole week (including my Friday off) in a series of technical training courses for my work; useful stuff that I can apply directly to my projects.  I was looking forward to it, actually.  However, it was much harder for me than I had imagined.

First, I had to drive for an hour to an hour and a half (depending on traffic) to get there, and I'm not used to commute driving, so my knuckles were a little white by the time I got there.  Then, from 9:00 in the morning until 6:00 at night, I was sitting in a chair.  We had a couple of 10 min. breaks and about a half an hour of lunch time, but other than that, I was sitting.  It was hard.  I tried to keep still; I couldn't.  I was locked in unseen and silent combat with my body.  It was very distracting, making it difficult for me to absorb the information being presented.  In fact, it was so distracting that I was almost in tears a couple of times.  We had labs to do which required looking in the workbook, then at the screen to enter something, then back at the workbook, over and over and over.  I kept losing my place, so it took me about twice as long as it should have.  Then, when we finally finished for the day, there was that wonderful drive home; in the dark, in the rain, in the traffic.   Every evening I felt like I had spent the day digging ditches.

This kind of thing used to be so easy!  Next time, I guess I'll see if I can arrange to have a nice, relaxing normal work day in between classes...

4 comments:

energizer-buni said...

Wow I had a day like that yesterday too... I had to do a first aid course and I totally hear you on the 'at war with your own body' comment you made. It was exhausting trying to sit quietly and absorb the information. How long did it take you from the first symptoms you noticed until diagnosis? I have had a real bad day today with a strong pill rolling tremor, feeling really shaky and trembly internally and mixing up my words/speech. I feel exhausted and wonder if trying to supress it all day yesterday has triggered off todays lot. Thanks again for such a great blog and providing somewhere for the rest of us to come and ask questions (and for the 'real' answers).

Marian said...

Hi Buni! I'm sorry you had such a bad day. Good thing they're not all like that, huh? You know, I really think that there's a "budget" of feeling well; you only get so much, then eventually it catches up to you. I know that when we went to Hawaii this year, i threw caution to the wind, did everything i wanted to, pushed my body to the limit... and paid for it for a couple of weeks afterwards. it was worth it though!

Thanks for your comments, and for sharing your experiences

Marian

Unknown said...

I'm glad that I found your blog. I was just diagnosed in November after 4 years of active symptoms. I just turned 43. I get stiff really quick if I have to sit for too long...or do anything for too long.

I have also found that if I overdo it one day, I will really pay for it the next, but like you said, it is worth it at times.

Anonymous said...

Sweet, Sweet Marian...I am sorry to hear you had such a frustrating time...yet your courage and fortitude always come through elequently as usual. You have a gift kiddo...positive attitude!! Luv ya always b'nana

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I'm a lucky lady. I have a wonderful husband of 27 years, a fantastic 25 year old son (I'm so proud of him!) a loving and supportive family, the best friends in the world, a job that I love, and... Parkinson's Disease. I was diagnosed in September 2006. That was a jolt, but I'm learning to deal with it.