G'day All,
Well I'm still above ground and to day is one of those days that the Parkinsons Disease (PD Terrorist Organisation) has me house bound away from my woodworking workshop so I thought I?d let you know what I been up to.
It?s been a hard last two months battling this Terrorist Organisation and I?ve found a few ways to help me do what I want to do with my power tools in the workshop.
Being diagnosed as a grade two PD sufferer has been very hard to accept but I?m slowly accepting and dealing with what it tosses up and if this keyboard would just stop making all those spelling mistakes it shouldn?t take too long to tell you what I been up to.
Firstly I've spent a lot of time in my woodworking shed of late sitting and looking at all of my power tools that just might pose dangers to me, I still have five digits on both hands and would like to retain as many of them as I can because I like to use them at times for calculating purposes and picking up things.
Table Saw: Well there is only so much protection one can have here and a sled I made for it some months ago does give me confidence and the use of clamps when cutting smaller pieces helps a lot. Ripping timber is a worry but I'm working on and idea that I have floating around in me head in relation to some jigs.
Drill Press: While not a big problem my drilling of holes has been for sometime been a hit and miss affair, so I've built a couple of jigs that have solved my accuracy problems and I very happy with the results I can now achieve as I shake, rattle and roll. Hasn?t been easy constructing these jigs but all in all I think I done pretty darn good.
Scroll Saw: I have had a good ole play with it of late and is best played with when I don't tremble so much. My biggest problem is keeping close to the lines of what I'm cutting out, while my eyes have been tested and I do wear glasses at times PD causes my eyes to strain and hard to focus so my time at the scroll saw is limited. I?ve read that by printing out your designs in Red rather than Black is a good help as Red is much easier to see, so I?ll put that to the test next time.
To give you an idea as to my problem with the scroll saw is best described this way. My PD has given me tremors on the right hand side of my body, thus my right hand (being my dominate) is in constant tremor mode. My left hand is my most steady but it does at times get a very slight tremor or causes my fingers to want to rub against one another, so at present my left hand is getting a real work out.
Sometimes my tremors are very slight and other times I suddenly get into ?Dystonia? mode. While I?m slightly effect at present with a mild case of ?Dystonia? the best way to describe it is. A movement which causes muscles to contract uncontrollably thus causing me some sudden violent movements, while it can eventually effect the whole body currently I have a mild version and only time will tell what my future Dystonia will be like.
I quite proud of what I have managed to cut out with the scroll saw at present and in time I hope to get better at it, while I have respect for the little cutting blade I haven?t as yet broken one with a sudden hand movement so I?m very pleased.
I?m not a fan of breathing in the fine dust so I tried to use those little white face masks that go over your nose and mouth and have a elastic band that gets tangled in your hair. Well wearing glasses no matter how I tried these little dust masks I just couldn?t stop foggin? up me glasses. Now I?ve resorted to wearing a green rubber type mask that has two filters either side of it, not a pretty look and while its gunna take some getting use to at least me glasses are fog free.
So that?s about it for the present, I?d love to be out in me shed but tomorrow is another day and the terrorist organization just might let me back there tomorrow.
While I?m no poet I have had at times thought much about that which occupies my life now and after returning from our once a fortnight shop down in our nearby city some weeks ago I put down some words that I?d like to yell at those who watch as I stumble along like the local town drunk. So I wrote this;
For years health wise I?ve had many a fight,
I?ve always bounced back feeling alright.
Diagnosed now with Parkinson?s Disease,
someone explain it to me please?
I aint had time to learn about this disease,
So currently I swallow Madopar to help fight this PD.
Now just a minute, let me catch me breath,
the Neurologist said it wasn?t terminal,
Hell I ain?t dead yet.
I drag me feet, walk with a stoop,
me bottom lip quivers and I shake quite a bit.
With a head sometimes fuzzy inside,
I drift off to places where only I can hide.
With hand and arm shakes I must look a sight,
yes I to get embarrassed at my plight.
I apologise if sudden movements cause you fright,
inwardly I?m in one of my life?s biggest fights.
Yes I?m yet to accept the diagnosis given,
So stare if you must your totally forgiven.
I?m trying to deal with this the best I can,
Remember what you see outwardly
Is Not Me - The Real Man.
How I'll go and see how to upload a few images.
Hooroo
Erewhon.
