Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - There's No Day Like A Snow Day

We've been living here in North Loburn, Canterbury for just over 4 years and we've just experienced our biggest snow day since we have been here.

And then the day after....

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - My Little Bottles of Hope... NEURALLI

I've made the decision to try Neuralli MP Lactobacillus Plantarum PS128, in an attempt to help reduce and slow down my Parkinson's Disease.

This researched probiotic in theory works to help restore the gut to brain pathway. See Bened Life for more information.

"Parkinson's disease was recognized as a neurological disorder that was caused by and affected the brain. However, many researchers and physicians are beginning to point to a clear connection between the gut microbiome and PD. This has led researchers to wonder if getting ahead of gut health could not only help manage GI difficulties but also possibly slow neurodegeneration processes that start in the gut".

Given my other health issues and general poor gut health, I'm more and more thinking that perhaps this is the source of my health issues. So my thinking is to fix my gut health first and see where that leads me.

Neuralli is shipped from the U.S, and it took 12 days from placing the order online to receiving my order. There were a couple of hiccups at NZ customs which slowed the shipping process. Lessons learned: 1. Spend less than $1000NZD to avoid extra paperwork.  2. The shipper needs to include the full probiotic name and strain on the documentation.

It's not a cheap probiotic, so for value I have ordered 6 months supply. I checked with the manufacturer and the probiotic has a long shelf life when refrigerated. When kept unrefrigerated the probiotic has only a 30 day shelf life.

The little bottles were exceptionally well packaged, including 2 ice packs. The bottles arrived chilled. Also included was a temperature indicator card, which changes colour if exposed to heat.

I'm not expected to see any benefits for a couple months but I am really hoping for the reduction in my akinesia issues. This is the loss of power in voluntary movements which affects my right side. This is really becoming a real disability in my day-to-day life. If I can restore some of my normal movements that would be great.

For now I am not on any other Parkinson's medication and I am taking my probiotic capsules in the evening. 

Below I will track any noticeable changes.

Day 1 - 30JUN24

Less than 24 hours from taking my 1st 2 supplements my right hand tremor was noticeably significantly reduced.

We were out at a large lunch today, which with a large social situation would normally set off my tremors, but today they were vertialy non existent. 

My fingers are crossed 🤞 that this is a good sign of things to come... but it's way too early to draw any conclusions.

Day 3 - 2JUL24

Today I've noticed that my right hand/arm has regained some freedom of movement. 

I was using a hand saw to cut some timber and today I was able to use my right hand. I haven't been able to do this task with my right hand for more than a year. I have been unable to sustain the push/pull motion due to my Parkinson's akinesia. 

So just 3 days after starting on Neuralli I am able to use my right hand to cut timber!

It's not perfect but it's better than it was. 

I'm naturally right handed, so the loss of movement in my right arm and hand has been a challenge having to rely on my left hand.

DAY 7 - 6JUL24

It's been 1 week since I started taking Neuralli. During the first 3 day I found significant improvement in my symptoms, or a reduction in them. But since about Day 4 I have slipped backwards,  back into my normal Parkinson's self.

My takeaway from this is that initially the Neuralli has found and depleted all the dopamine available in my system. What I need is new dopamine producing cell regrowth to replace what Parkinson's has killed off. I guess this will take time, if at all?

The Neuralli Parkinson's study had Parkinson's patients take Neuralli in conjunction with their Parkinson's medication which resulted in great improvements in their motorsymptoms. 

I've not been taking Parkinson's medication due to side effect issues. 

So my plan is to try Neuralli un-medicated for the first 2 months and to see what improvements are experienced. If there's little to no improvement, then I will introduce myself again to my Parkinson's levadopa medication but at a reduced level, to hopefully minimize the side effects problems I have previously experienced. 

My hope is that Neuralli will help to reduce my Parkinson's issues with the least amount of Parkinson's medication possible.

DAY 30 - 29JUL24

Honestly little to no noticeable improvement in my Parkinson's symptoms. Possibly feeling a little clearer in my head and thinking process. Also I still seem to be losing weight albeit slowly and with no real change to my diet. I first noticed weight loss when taking Yakult. My normal weight for years has been 92-93kg but I'm now down to 87kg. 

DAY ? - 18AUG24

I have been feeling positive and happy about life over the last few days, and that's despite ending up in hospital last Monday due to my EoE issue. Also I feel there's improvements in my walking stride, in that my right leg that drags isn't dragging as much.

So a little improvement to report.

DAY 60 - 28AUG24

I have reached the end of my 2 month trial of Neuralli MP with out any other Parkinson's medication and I would conclude it's been a mixed bag. Somedays I feel great and get excited and start dreaming about the possibility of going back to paid employment... and I haven't felt like that for a very long time. But that sense of hope is quickly taken away.

So what's next?

My plan now is to introduce Parkinson's medication at the lowest dose possible.

When I was taking Sinemet 100/25 three times a day, which contains 100mg of Levadopa per tablet, which made me physically vomit.

So inconjunction with Neuralli MP I will take 1× Madapor tablet per day which has 50mg of Levadopa. I will take the probiotic and medication for a month and evaluate at the end.

My hope is that Neuralli will help to make the most out of such a low dose of Levadopa, giving me the much needed dopamine, all the while hopefully avoiding any of the side effects that comes with Parkinson's medication.

I don't know whether I am doing the right thing... but I am hoping that I am taking a cautious approach to obtain the benefits without the negatives.

More Evidence that there's a link between gut health and Parkinson's Disease....Upper GI Damage Linked to 76% Higher Parkinson’s Disease Risk so I will continue on my path of trying to improve and restore my gut health while taking the smallest dose of Levadopa medication to reduce and keep at bay any side effect issues.

Day 90

It's been 3 months since I started my Neuralli journey, and 1 month since I restarted taking my Parkinson's medication and to be honest I am disappointed in the little if any improvement in my Parkinson's symptoms. I feel my thinking and thought process is much better without the brain fog. My walking stride is probably getting worse,  my partner noticed that I tend to lean forward when walking... which I find that's something I do when I am walking trying to keep up with him. I think I need to see my GP about an intense but short stabbing pain I'm experiencing at very random times, isolated to the lower left side of my lung area. Feeling very old and tired.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - My Nemesis & Hope

It's been over 4 years now since my Parkinson's Disease diagnosis and one of my greatest challenges has been a source of hope.

From very early on in my journey I was resigned to the fact that I am now just waiting for my eventual death.

Parkinson's is a slow progressive degenerative disease with no cure and therefore no hope. 

The condition robs you of a normal life. I truly miss my working life. I certainly miss the paycheck and I miss the people.

What medication there is available, only helps to ease some of the symptoms but that comes at the cost of some nasty side effects. From what I have read about the Parkinson's medication, it does not slow down the disease but merely gives you a brief honeymoon period before the effectiveness starts to wear off. For myself, to date the Parkinson's medication has not been my friend. So I have decided to take the medicine free approach for now... it seems like a lot less hassle living this way.

I have no scientific knowledge to base this on, but I feel my Parkinson's and Esophagus Esophagitis issues stem from poor gut health. I've been reading a lot, gone down a few rabbitholes... but there are some similarities about the possible origins. 

So if my issues start within the gut, I have come to the conclusion that perhaps I need to improve my gut health.

I've started on a safe, affordable and well researched probiotic,  Yakult, in an attempt to restore the natural balance and order of my gut microbes... if that is the right term.

After about 3 months of downing a bottle of Yakult every day I am seeing some positive health outcomes. These include reduced constipation, reduced sore/sensitive stomach issues, reduced sweet tooth, weight loss and I have regained hunger pains. I didn't know that I was missing them until they resurfaced. I think I am perhaps digesting food better... I'm not sure.

So probiotics has been good. So can I take it further?

Well it appears I now can! 

Parkinson's research tends to be now focusing more towards gut health and the pathway from the gut to the brain. This has lead to a discovery, with research behind it. See the following article...

Probiotic for Parkinson's Disease article

This new probiotic PS128 can help with Parkinson's and possibly slow the disease. It's reassuring that there's some research behind the findings.

I now have a regained feeling of hope. It's not a cure but HOPE!

Benedlife

Unfortunately, for this little bottle of hope, at well over $200 a month, so it's well out of my reach.

I have sent an email to the company with a few questions and concerns. But if their reply alleviates my concerns should I somehow make it happen, find the money? 

Should I give this PS128 a go?

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Gates # 355 & 356

Gates # 355 & 356

A planned 1 week job turned into a 2 week job... mainly due to my Parkinson's slowing me down. 

A lot of cuts, sanding, painting and a heck of a lot of bolts that I'm finding more difficult to install these days. My hands just don't seem to have the strength in both hammering the bolts into the holes and then tightening the nuts.

But I didn't sucumb to my nemesis and got there in the end.

The job... new gates for this entrance, essentially the same gates but higher.

The finished gates...

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Preparation for Arapawa Lambs Sale

Our Arapawa Lambs are now 4 months old and it's time to get them ready for sale and rehoming.

We've already weaned off and separated the ram lambs from the main flock as they had started to annoy the Mumma ewes. The Mumma ewes are also starting to walk away from the ewe lambs when they try to feed. The Mummas have had enough.

Before we Iist them for sale they all will be drenched, feet checked and bottoms tidied up if required. 

I also like to introduce the lambs to sheep pellets and hay. So when they are rehomed it's a bit easier for the new owners.

Today it was back to school with the Mumma ewes showing the lambs how it's done! 

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Maybe Volunteering

Since Parkinson's joined my life, I'm now pretty much retired at 45, so I spend a great deal of time by myself... and to the annoyance  of my sheep, a lot of that time is spent trying to be their best friend.

Recently our council has been advertising a volunteer expo and I thought what a great idea, so I would pop in to see what is on offer.

I rechecked the details this morning... 8th March, 8am to 7pm at Rangiora library. 

What a long day for the volunteers to be at an expo, so I decided to go about 3pm as hopefully it should not too busy then. 

So I arrived at 3pm and it was dead quiet. There was nothing there but a sign advertising expo from 5pm to 7pm. 

Of course it is! That makes a great deal more sense!

I was 2 hours too early. Parky brain has been at it again. 🙄 

I'm blaming Parkinson's, whether it is or not, I don't know,  but this sorta thing happens to me a lot these days. Seeing and miss reading or interpreting things.

I decided I might as well head home...as I wasn't feeling that charitable to wait around for 2 hours.

I haven't completely given up on the idea, and I will keep looking.

Life Down Wattle Lane v2 - Parky Brain Discounts

I've been kicking myself all evening.

A customer collected his gates today and he got me when my brain wasn't sparking on all cylinders.

When I finish a gate, I type up an invoice with all the gate specifications and the price quoted and the amount due. More for my own benefit as my memory is terrible.

Once I have done that,  I message the customer to advise their gate is ready. I send them a photo of the gate, along with directions for collection and I advise them that I have eftpos available for payment.

Eftpos comes at a cost, but it would cost me $15 in petrol for a trip to the bank and I don't like having cash about incase I lose it, so the cost for convenience, is really a saving.

Today's customer took me by surprise when he said that he would pay by cash. Normally 99% of people pay on eftpos. 

I said to him that I couldn't remember what was due so I ran inside to get the invoice. I advised the customer that $430 was due. He said "here's $450". This again took me by surprise as I didn't have any change, but he said I can keep the change.

So here I am... confused as fuck, as I was still trying to work out what the difference in my head. So I thanked him, still confused and I then thought to myself... just put the money inside before I lose it. So I did that.

When my brain shuts down... things become very singular.

So I farwelled the customer and then decided to mow the lawns.

Have you realised what I have forgotten to do?

At this point in time I was still none the wiser until a couple hours later...as I was finishing up outside it dawned on me... COUNT THE MONEY YOU DICKHEAD!!!

Yup... he only gave me $250. 

He was a Facebook customer, so I have messaged him and he said he will fix me up. My fingers are crossed that he does, as there's not much I can do if he doesn't.

Thanks Parky Brain... that was a $180 discount I really couldn't afford... 3 days labour for free!! You stupid brain.

UPDATE.... CUSTOMER PAID! THANKYOU 🙏😊🙏😊

Drama over nothing... phew!!