Ian Stendhurst

Oops

Two weeks in, and I've not fallen over yet.

Part of this event is also talking about Parkinson’s and making people aware of what it is and how it affects people.  Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition that causes problems in the brain and gets worse over time. 

I have young onset Parkinson’s (which is a lot less common), so apparently I am still young in this context.  My brain is losing its ability to make dopamine and by the time I was diagnosed, I'd likely already lost about 80% of my brain's production capability.  Around 153,000 people live with Parkinson’s in the UK and it's the fastest growing neurological condition in the world.  We don't yet know exactly why people get Parkinson's.  Researchers think it's a combination of age, genetic, and environmental factors that cause the dopamine-producing nerve cells to die.

Dopamine acts on areas of the brain to give you feelings of pleasure, satisfaction and motivation.  Dopamine also has a role in controlling memory, mood, sleep, learning, concentration, movement and other body functions which goes some way to explaining why there are over 40 symptoms.  Fortunately, I don't get all 40 but everyone is different and it affects everyone differently.

For me, the main symptoms are stiffness in my whole left side causing me to 'drag' my leg when walking (sometimes called the ‘Parkinson’s shuffle’) and stumble sometimes which makes it look like I'm drunk. I'm not sure whether it's worse when I am drunk, but if it is, I don't notice it.  Being left handed, I also have problems doing things that require a bit of dexterity, such as shaving and playing the piano is getting more and more difficult, which is a bit upsetting.  Other physical symptoms I experience are balance issues, frequent dizzy spells and extreme fatigue which can come on very quickly making concentrating very difficult and if I'm out, usually means I need to go home.

Along with physical symptoms, I also suffer from sleep disorders and the mental health issues, which are common with Parkinson's.  Sleep deprivation makes everything crap and affects my mental health, which in turn affects my sleep. Which is annoying. 

There are also some strange symptoms such as experiencing very vivid dreams and shouting in your sleep, particularly with nightmares, which I get occasionally.  Others are hallucinations, commonly of small animals or people you know that have died, which fortunately I don't get, as that would really freak me out.

It's me again...

Almost two years ago I was diagnosed with Parkinson's.  Parkinson's is a progressive condition and there is currently no cure so last year it seemed like a good idea to raise money to help towards research to find a cure. I walked 200 miles in a month and with the generosity of my friends and family managed to raise loads of money. 

Unfortunately, a year on and there is still no cure, but…I haven't given up! So….I'm back this year with another challenge (I've decided to do one challenge a year so as not stretch the generosity of my friends and family)!

As we now have a new addition to our family in the shape of a loveable lab/retriever cross, Emmie, I walk a lot more these days. In all weathers. So I decided to try and run instead. I'll be running 50 miles in 50 days starting 1st March, which will be a challenge for me as I've never been much of a runner before, but now it's even harder.

My plan is to try and stay ahead of schedule as every mile I'm short will be added on to the next day, and I don't want to be left with having to do 20 miles on the last day.  I know you'll all be dying to come running with me but I have a treadmill so most of it will be indoors.  Also, I can't talk and run and I'm not sure how people do.

I'll add blog on the website to keep you updated with progress for anyone that’s interested!  Last time I also wrote a bit about Parkinson's and how it affects me, so I'll do this again. Please have a read as if it helps people's understanding of Parkinson's, that’s great and if it makes people donate more money even better.  I might cut and paste a bit from last year which is a bit lazy, but I'm running this time so I think that's ok.

So dig deep friends, I promise I'll only ask once a year and anything you can spare will be very, very much appreciated.