Clean the house?

[Koko]

I don't let people come upstairs any more since my Parkinson has progressed.It is a mess up there. Clothes are hanging dipsy- doodle on the hangers, dirty clothes in one pile and hard to hang clothes in another. I have come to the conclusion that a person with Parkinson makes the mess worse by trying to get the house in order.

Case in point: I have a drawer full of zip lock bags of various sizes. I see one has fallen on the floor. I bend over to pick it up and bump my head on the drawer which sets my shaking into high gear. My hand that was reaching for the bags now throws them out and about,

and instead of having one bag on the floor I have four bags all around the kitchen.

So I proceed to the bathroom. I will scrub the area. I take my little pail of detergent and water and dip my rag into the liquid. I begin to wipe away the dirt on the floor.I reach out and turn around to rinse out the rag and my flying arms hit the little pail and spills it all over.

Evening comes and I volunteer to dry the dishes, We are moving in a perfect rhythm when I grabbed one of Great Grandma Johnson's fine dishes and immediately let it go crashing to the tile floor.

You can imagine what happens when I try to pour orange juice in the morning. I do manage to get some into a glass but most of it decorates the table with a soft yellow glow.

And Cheerios ! Oh MY grandson left a month ago and I am still finding those little circles all around the kitchen, one jerk and away they go.

So I have decided that the efforts I put forth compound the messy situations and I therefore retire from the cleaning profession.

We were guests for dinner at a friends house and I stood at the sink to be the chief washer.Panic was on everyone's face. What will happen to the good dishes?

I was asked to light the candles on the table and was suddenly was stopped by the hostess

We are on a different mission now with PD and it doesn't include knives, matches,fine dishes.or buckets.

Come to think of it....this just might be a blessing!

[ronn]

Welcome back!! It's good to see you writing again.. I still think "The Adventures of Koko and Parkie" would make a great comic strip.

[shall1019]

I'm aware of being watched when I attempt to be helpful. Folks are ready to swoop in and save me if I it looks like I'm going to drop, spill, knock over...you get the picture.

[Karen3]

I have a cleaning person every 2 weeks and a misc. task helper 3 hrs on wed- both worth every cent

[AAM2011 in reply to Karen3]

Where did you find your helper that comes in 3 hours on Weds?

[Hidden]

No doubt we shall all be busy soon Spring coming up and the great spring clean up.

I quite look forward to it to make everything bright after winter muck has taken it toll.

[jillannf6]

hI all

i have moreor less given up tryhing to keep things tidy

with the PSP i tend to fall over as my balaance jsut goes v unpredictably and esp when turning, carryign anythign or when stressed

so this a recipe for disaster!

i have a great carer who will tidy for me and does not mind doing so....

lol JilL

[Walhalla50]

This is hilarious and it is so true. I enjoy your sense of humour as it is a powerful tool to survive . I enjoy the shock and horror when I go out for dinner and offer red wine to those present.

Keep smiling.

[jernor]

Enjoyed your post! We can relate to all your trials. Thanks for sharing!

[tlongmire]

Great post and oh so true. I've had serveral falls in my closet trying to hang or retrieve clothes from the hanger. Because I'm short I seem to manage to get on my toes alot and we know what happens with that. Ka-boom!

[shall1019 in reply to tlongmire]

I used to be able to reach things on hanging racks that I can no longer. Did'nt know shrinking was part of PD.

[hunnypot]

I love reading what you post. i get to have a good laugh and i can relate to each adventure. i agree with ronn "the adventures of Koko and Parkie" would make a great comic but as i live in the states a book might be better for me. thanks to you i have been able to find some humor (after the initial pain) in my face meeting the floor. they are becoming good friends. again thanks and i will be anxiously awaiting for your next adventure.

[honeycombe3]

Koko,

Thanks for the humour & welcome to the club. I stopped cleaning upstairs a long time ago - it can take me 10 minutes to get up them sometimes & often once a day is all I can manage. We live in an old stone farmhouse in central England so we've always been the hosts for family & friends travelling the country & I have loved being the hostess. It hit me very hard not to want have people round because of the state of the place but they keep coming anyway. Like you I was a teacher working with children & families with special needs. It's so hard when you have always been the helper, the one on whom others depend, to adapt to being dependent & perhaps even worse to be seen by others as being in need. Ain't this site great?

[PatV in reply to honeycombe3]

Would love to visit -- I'm good at tidying up but have a hard time with stairs. So enjoy. Yes it's GRRReat!

[Koko]

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR RESPONSES.iT IS GOOD TO BE BACK.

[cabbagecottage]

I am the career and in the same boat when I leave the bedroom in morning after seeing to my husband it' s like a bomb has gone off . It continues for the rest of the day .

Have thought about getting someone in to help with the cleaning but would have to give a clean before they come lol..

[Koko in reply to cabbagecottage]

YES! and then I stare at the larger mess and am so tired I can't approach it. It is very discouraging. Comments are made about my messes....and I Iknow they bother me more than the on-lookers. Its a circle of frustration. Thank God my husband is patient and understands.

[Koko in reply to cabbagecottage]

I used to tell my children to ,"Pick up their rooms because the CLeaning Lady is coming."

[PatV]

I was serving coffee to my granddaughter and more than half ended up in the saucer and beyond. Mjf is starting a new sitcom playing a dad with PD. Maybe we could offer script ideas

[Koko in reply to PatV]

Great Do you know how to reach him?

[supermom]

ha u should c peoples faces when i offer 2 drive ,help ,when i want 2 pick up a grandchild the looks r quite priceless im thinking that taking pics of these situation would b hysterical,not of course as much fun as telling someone who looks at u in the elevator and tellas thier kid ,dont stand next to her,by the way its ecxtremely contaigeous,when i offer coffe i always say,hey ,can a get u half cup of coffe or half cup something cold?

[Koko]

Very funny! I have sat at a BLack Jack Table and was asked to quit moving so that the lady can concentrate\. I said I wish I could but

I have Parkinsons Disease. The people at the table got up and left. :*I told them it wasn't .contagious.. But they didn't believe me I guess.