Do you know how Parkinson’s Disease get its name? Well it was down to a doctor named James Parkinson’s back in 1817. He noted what has became known as the classic symptoms of the condition tremor, rigidity, slow movements. Now days balance problems have been added to this list. There are other not so common symptoms.

Dr Parkinson first name for the condition was “shaking palsy”, I don’t know when it became more commonly referred to as Parkinson’s Disease.

Someone with Parkinson’s may not have all four of the main symptoms in fact some don’t have a tremor. However, from what I have read everyone with Parkinson’s has bradykinesia which is the slowness of movements. Generally speaking a person will not be diagnosed with Parkinson’s if they do not show signs of bradykinesia that said a person needs to have other symptoms in order to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

As mentioned not all suffers have a tremor and a tremor on it’s own could be something else. Tremors can be difficult to treat and may be disabling, even though usually the tremor can be treated with medication that either controls the tremor or eliminating it but of course they don’t always work. Around one in five Parkinson’s suffers have a treatment resistant tremor.

Then we have the issue with slow movements and smaller movements when being examined the doctor will have the patient tap the middle finger against the thumb so the doctor can see how big the movements are as well as how fast the movement is done.

Some other examples of this is small handwriting and taking more time to write the words from experience when saying handwriting they mean cursive writing not printing. Suffers also often find that their arms may stop swinging when they walk.

Then there is the problems with facial expressions which includes less blinking and have a mask like expression or may look like they are angry or upset when they are not either. They can have slurred speech spoken in a soft voice. Overtime they may find it hard to get out of a low chair and walk in a shuffling way.

Also under the umbrella of Bradykinesia comes a slowness in reaction time which is one reason why people with Parkinson’s fall over, as if they trip they cannot react fast enough to prevent a fall. It can also affect how someone gets in and out of bed, in and out of low chairs, and in and out of a car. Medication is good for this in the early stages of the disease.

Hello all time to step back till the late 1800’s and what the working life of people in Australia was like. According to a Victorian year book of 1894 something like 200,000 people were engaged in manufacturing work in the Aussie Colonies.

Items that started being made in commercial quantities such as biscuits and confectionery had been made in small workshops but slowly that faded out and the big manufacturing companies started to take over.

In the days before Australian factories things like boots, shoes, clothing and even cigarettes were imported from Britain or made in small local workshops. By the end of the 1800’s Australian factories would be competing with imported items.

In Melbourne boot and shoe factories were established in the inner city suburbs of Collingwood and Fitzroy. As I said earlier these items would have been made by a small family run business in which the man would cut, join and shape the leather.. His wife would have done the sewing while the children or another apprentice will do other tasks.

Even after the invention of the treadle sewing machine many still like to do the finishing work by hand.

It is Wednesday seems to come around every week, oh yeah it does indeed come around every week.

Well here are this weeks Aussie Slang words and phrases.

Tall Poppy Syndrome: The tendency to criticise successful people

Throw Down: A small bottle of beer easy to throw down (drink) it is only 250mls

Top End: Far north of Australia

Trackie Dacs/dacks: Track pants or what some may call sweat pants

True Blue: A patriotic or loving this awesome country

https://jamfn.blogspot.com/2024/02/waiting-not-doing.html

Time for another creature and this week we are in South America and the creature is the Glasswinged Butterfly, I have never heard of it till I opened my book and saw it.

Unlike other butterflies which have colourful, patterned wings designed to warn off predators these ones do not. Instead they are pretty much invisible as its wings are all but transparent.

If you thought that was cool how about the fact that their 6cm wide wings can carry around 40 times it’s own weight and it is also a damn fast flyer at speeds of up to 13km an hour.

The glasswinged butterfly is most commonly found from Central to South America as far south as Chile, with appearances as north as Mexico and Texas. This butterfly thrives in the tropical conditions of the rainforests in the Central and South American countries.

The adult glasswinged butterfly can be identified by its transparent wings with opaque, dark brown borders tinted with red or orange. Their bodies are a dark brown colour. The butterflies are 2.8 to 3.0 centimetres (1.1 to 1.2 in) long and have a wingspan of 5.6 to 6.1 centimetres (2.2 to 2.4 in)

Here we are at another Monday, which o f course means a day for some facts.

The thickness of the Earth’s crust varies between 5 kilometres and 70 kilometres, the thicker part forms the land and the thinner the oceanic crust makes up the ocean floors.

The crust is broken into irregular plates which drift over the upper mantle layer near the Earth’s surface.

The first landmasses appeared soon after the Earth was formed. They move, joined together and broke apart many times throughout history.

Many of the Earth’s fascinating features occur at plate boundaries, mountain ranges were formed when two continental plates collided.

Volcanoes, ocean trenches and earthquakes are all the result of the movement of Earth’s plates.

Another warmish day I had a little sleep in till 5.20am. A pretty damn warm if not hot day here but no need for the air con which is good.

Trying to get through to Tim that just because they disagree doesn’t mean they hate him. In fact on his birthday when he was in a mood Sam looked straight at him and told him he isn’t allow to die. Sam also said that went for me and Kathy who was here at the time but he was looking at Tim, who didn’t notice and didn’t take in what was said.

The laptop keeps freezing this morning but I got the shopping done took close to 2hrs but it is done.

Another warm to hot start to the day and another day of a laptop that likes to freeze. Kathy is dropping the girls off around 8.30am they are in our care for the day till Michael gets off work.

Tim has the female physio coming this morning, I have not seen him do any of the exercises she asked him to do.

Tasha took the girls with her when she went to the shops.

Bought the girls Maccas for lunch

Tim cut my hair and I had a shower before going to bed. However, after only a few hours I was up due to my legs shaking so much and me not feeling good, stayed up about 30 minutes then went back to bed.

TODAY WOULD HAVE BEEN MUMS 84 BIRTHDAY

A rough morning woke feeling not so well, I was retching while brushing my teeth after that I took my medication with a drink of milk. That made me feel worse and I ended up throwing up, I think the milk is going off after throwing up I managed to eat 2 slices of raisin toast and started to feel better but not 100%. I now have a headache.

Tim has a hand rehab appointment he says he has another appointment in a month or something.

Sandy went to the cemetery and she had Skylar with her, she looked at Skylar and thought something wasn’t right when she spoke to Skylar she said “Nana” was talking to her she then gave Sandy a really long tight hug she hasn’t done that before and Sandy asked why such a hug, Skylar said nana told her to do it. She then said nana told her that she loves Sandy so much.

I have felt off all day.

I am not feeling 100% this morning but not as bad as yesterday morning.

The cleaners came as they do, every fortnight.

After the cleaners left Tim turned the air con on as it is so very humid.

A new month and the start of another school year, Sam is in year 11 this year, Sydney-May is in year 9 this year and Summer is in year 6.

Sam walked in at 6.50, so no need to ring and wake him to come down.

Went to the doctor’s to have my medical form filled in form my disability parking permit renewal, the Tim and I went and handed in the form to Service NSW we walked in at 11,16am and walked out at 11.28am. Had to take a number and wait to speak to someone.

After that Tim and I went down to the lake to just sit and look at the lake.

What a terrible night up an down like a yo yo and tossing and turning this went on till close to midnight. I was still awake and up at 4.50am.

This morning my internet is playing up, I keep getting a message saying I have no internet but I do have it.

Asked Tasha to let me know if she was coming down to help me get ready for bed as I am having a shower before bed but of course she didn’t.

My new shorts came I will try them on over the weekend.

Had a good nights sleep up at 5.15am, it is a nice start to the day there is a slight breeze through the house.

Haven’t needed the air con on at all today which is nice but it has been a warm day.

Tasha came down for an ice block she has had a busy day with work and other stuff.

Tim is pissed off with the troubles of trying to set up a meeting at work with his advocate being able to attend, the company said Monday but she is unable to attend on Monday and Tim has a doctor’s appointment that morning but the company are saying to bad, to sad, don’t give a fuck.

There are no blood tests, or scans to tell one’s doctor that they have Parkinson’s, in 1967 some doctors developed a system of stages to determine how advanced the condition is.

There are five stages of Parkinson’s, here is a brief description of the stages.

STAGE 1: People with Parkinson’s have symptoms only one one side of the body, such as a tremor or some rigidity and slowness of movement in one arm or leg (or both if on the same side of the body).

STAGE 2: Symptoms appear on both sides of the body or in the midline of the body, such as decreased facial expression, drooling, stooping or shuffling while walking. However, there are no problem with balance. The first two stages are considered mild.

STAGE 3: As soon as the sufferer begins having trouble with balance they have crossed into stage three. In this stage they don’t need help walking or getting up from a seated position but their body movements are becoming increasingly slow. The disease is now considered mild to moderate.

STAGE 4: A person with Parkinson’s can no longer be completely independent, with symptoms including disabling slowness of movement and stiffness are moderate to severe. The disease impact on balance and walking is so great that them suffer usually needs help to walk. However, they can generally still get in and out of bed and in and out of a chair without help.

STAGE 5: Once the sufferer is unable to get up from a chair or in and out of bed without help they have crossed into stage five and will require help with pretty much daily actives and may soon find themselves in a nursing home.

Good morning, or afternoon or maybe it is evening where you are, anyway you may have noticed that there was no post yesterday as I was not feeling very well and even though I am feeling some what better I am still not 100%.

Anyway here are this weeks Aussie slang.

Strides: Trousers or pants

Tall Poppies: Successful people

Too Right: Definitely

Tea: Super or dinner

Tinny: Can of beer, or a small aluminium boat

THIS POST IS A DAY LATE DUE TO THE FREEZING CONDITIONS HERE YESTERDAY, NOT THE WEATHER BUT MY LAPTOP.

A new day, a cool morning but my 8.15am I was sweating although not that hot yet.

Sandy popped in yesterday to pick up Jeannie’s Christmas present she will see her today at Samantha’s baby shower. I feel she looks drawn and worn out and has lost too much weight.

SYDNEY-MAY’S BIRTHDAY SHE IS 14

Tim didn’t come to bed till 4am and I was out of bed at 4.45am. There is a nice breeze flowing through the house and not suppose to be as hot today.

Tasha’s first day at work will find out latter how it went. I saw Tasha briefly she said the job was ok and she has a second job of a weekend also as a cleaner.

Had to ask Tim to go to the post office for me and post my letters for me and get me more stamps.

Another hot day but not too hot there is a nice breeze coming through the house this morning.

We don’t need the air con on which is nice.

Sue came over just for a visit she was in a so so mood. While she was here she changed the sheets on my bed for me.

Tim took cans & bottles over to be cashed in.

Another nice cool start to the day but it will not last in for a pretty hotish day.

Tim washed the sheet and hung them on the line outside, last night he did a load of washing hung it on the clothes hoist and placed the hoist outside to dry overnight and today.

When Tim went to use the whipper snipper the motor packed it in so he has taken it back to Bunnings.

He also has to compile a heap of documents concerning his accident to send off to his personal claims lawyer.

We are in for another hot day with a top of 32 degrees it is only 5.30am and I am drenched in sweat. I turned the air con on at 9am.

Tim up before 9am he had a phone call which woke him, he had a 11.45am appointment with his hand rehab people. When he got home he said he doesn’t think there is any point in going although he has another appointment in a month but he said that will be the last, as the physio told him he isn’t making any progress.

TIM’S BIRTHDAY HE IS 63 TODAY

Another stinking bloody hot day ahead of us, it is already hot at 5am when I got up. I opened the house up and the breeze coming through the house is warm.

Tasha came down to wish Tim a happy birthday and things ended up with raised voices because we didn’t agree with something Tim he was yelling that he was right. After she left he said he didn’t want anyone to come over tomorrow he then went to his office to do whatever.

I am really pissed off myself because I feel that we are not allowed to disagree with him.

Kathy came over this afternoon to talk to Tim about what happened with me and Tash and he remained calm and I again explained to him what we had been trying to tell him and he didn’t agree but didn’t go off his head.

We also talked about his depression and I told him I understand he doesn’t want to take medication but we need to find a way to help him as he has pretty much given up on life and that’s not good. I asked him he would like it if I stopped taking my anti-depression medication, Kathy pop up and said no I am not happy when off it and I cry too much and feel like I am always being attacked and he agreed I am better with the medication well he kind off agreed.

A new day and hopefully a better day then yesterday at least it isn’t going to be as hot as yesterday.

I have cancelled Tim’s birthday lunch as he says he doesn’t want it and that is fine with me.

I told Tim I thought he need to apologise to both me and Tasha and he has done so. Tasha came down and had a chat with her dad and they have patched up their differences.