”
Cassi Creek: 128 inches of rain fell here yesterday and this
morning. The creek is roaring, the air
is heavy and mist-filled.
We are
supposed to go to a concert and potluck dinner tonight but are worried about
being able to get up the very steep, unpaved driveway to the site. We have made the trip once before and were
unable get to the upper parking area on a dry day. What we do remains to be determined. It proposes to be a good concert and we’d
both like to attend.
The
Pathfinder should come home today. At
what cost and at what status also remains to be seen.
On another
front, after taking carbadopa/levadopa since last October, I notice some
improvement in motor control of my left hand when using a keyboard. There has also been some slight improvement
in my ability to form the chord patterns necessary to play guitar. There’s some muscle memory returning but the
process is incredibly frustrating and the positions required are painful.
Since
reduction of symptoms by medication is one of the diagnostic markers for Parkinson’s,
I feel this supports my open VA Agent Orange claim. Parkinson’s disease is a frightening
diagnosis. The alternative “atypical
Parkinsonism” diagnoses are even more so.
This is not a road to face without excellent support and a will to
survive. Fortunately, I have both.
I have yet to hear of any action to resolve it. It has been 6 months since I opened an Agent
Orange Fast Track claim. The VA is
underfunded and understaffed, and will likely remain so. While Congress is willing to expend military
manpower, they are consistently reluctant to provide care for the men and women
who make it home again. This is an old
and familiar story. I’ve been dealing
with some of these symptoms since 1979. I
had the good luck then to be included in the Agent Orange Registry. Small victories.
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