Grappling With PD

DBS stands for deep brain stimulation. It is a well-established surgical treatment option for Parkinson's Disease.  For more details, see https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21088-deep-brain-stimulation My DBS journey began nearly a year ago, in the spring of 2024.  Prior to that I had heard about it, talked about it, and learned about it for a few years, but that is when I began to have serious discussions about it with my neurologist.  There are several steps to complete in order to determine if you are a good candidate for DBS.  Some of them can be completed just by looking at medical records--for example, determining how long it has been since diagnosis. Others require action, and we began to plan those action items in May 2024.  Among other things, I had to be tested for cognitive decline and get an MRI of my brain.  The final check was a series of standard PD tests--walk, stomp your feet, stand up from a chair, etc--without and then ...

Hyrox Las Vegas, Feb 1-2, 2025 Just like in Anaheim in December, my initial registration was for the men's open division, but it needed to be Adaptive.  I had changed it for the race in December, but I did not know whether that change was saved in some central database, or if I would have to make it again.  I did have to change it for Las Vegas, since each race stands on its own.  No problem--just a quick trip to the Puma Flagship store near Planet Hollywood. I was in and out of there in less time than it took to park :) They really were quite efficient at that store, and while I was there I learned that the race director was Yusuf Jeffers, the same guy I worked with in Anaheim two months ago.  Talk about a class act . . . he has a hundred things going on all at once during an event, and he still took time to meet with me, answer all my questions, prepare his coaches for my appearance . . . you name it, and it got done.  On top of that, there was the award Sund...