Today, my blog received its 10,000th view this year. Before I get carried away, I acknowledge that this falls quite short of the 5 million views required to officially become a viral TikTok sensation. A mere 4,990,000 views short to be precise. Oh, and it took me nine months to achieve this, rather than the … Continue reading It All Adds Up
Tag: Living with Parkinson's
Jumping to Conclusions
I recently attended my local hospital for a test. Slightly anxious at the prospect and my medications not working their best, I sat in the waiting room, fidgety and shaky. I struck up a conversation with the only other person in the waiting room. Despite the noise of the television, the requirement to wear masks … Continue reading Jumping to Conclusions
‘Old’ Friends
Image Source: Bright/Kauffman/Crane I met a friend for coffee recently. Our conversation flowed easily, we were both relaxed in each other's company and we talked like 'old' friends. We shared a deep understanding of the many challenges we each face while living with Parkinson's before we had even started to speak. From a previous conversation, … Continue reading ‘Old’ Friends
Reflections of The Raid Alpine
Exercise, the only thing that has been shown to delay disease progression in Parkinson's, should, in theory, be easy to commit to doing on a daily basis. Yet at times it can still be difficult to find the motivation to exercise, particularly on a cold, wet, windy winter's day. In the autumn of 2019, signing … Continue reading Reflections of The Raid Alpine
Rory’s Reflections
Reflections - The Raid Alpine 2022 by Rory Chappell I was part of the support crew for a group of five cyclists as they took on The Raid Alpine. 770km long. Over 18,000m of climb. Geneva to Nice. I had never even heard of such a challenge, nor would I have thought it would be … Continue reading Rory’s Reflections
Thank You!
Time to say 'Thank You' to everyone who supported me to do the Raid Alpine challenge. A HUGE 'thank you' to John Anderson, John Wilkinson, Roland Valori and Claire Lehman for embracing this colossal challenge, all the training involved and for making it a wonderful adventure. To Callum Anderson and Rory Chapell, our fantastic support … Continue reading Thank You!
Pedalling with Parkinson’s
Feeling vaguely qualified to write about cycling with Parkinson's after the last ten days in the saddle, here are a few reflections of the impact of Parkinson's on cycling. Speed Slower than almost everyone I know. Maybe even without Parkinson's this would be the case but I believe it is mainly due to a combination … Continue reading Pedalling with Parkinson’s
Raid Alpine – Day 10
Setting off in already blistering sunshine, our last day proved one of the hottest. Perhaps a little blasé about having 'only' 834m of climb to do, by the time I was 15km into the ride, already on the wrong road, still leaning heavily on my right hand side in a very lop sided fashion with … Continue reading Raid Alpine – Day 10
Raid Alpine – Day 9
Distance 83km. Elevation 1700m. Our penultimate day saw us leave according to our speed. That was Claire and I setting off first for a ride that would take us 8 and 9 hours respectively. The others who are much quicker were rewarded by a slightly more leisurely breakfast and had still caught up with us … Continue reading Raid Alpine – Day 9
Raid Alpine – Day 8
We expected today to be our toughest challenge for many reasons. Longest rideBiggest climbSearing heatExisting saddle sores, blisters, aches and painsFatigue from the previous seven days hard cycling To add another challenge to the day, was for our support team, Callum and Rory when an erratic / maniac driver tried to overtake the van they … Continue reading Raid Alpine – Day 8
Raid Alpine – Day 7
Guillestre to Jausier. Distance 42km. Elevation 1154m. Our shortest day and we made the most of it. An early start saw the men powering up the hill by lunchtime whilst the girls took the same early start but a more leisurely approach. I'd like to say we did so from choice but my legs were … Continue reading Raid Alpine – Day 7
The Raid Alpine – Day 6
Col du Lautaret to Guillestre. Distance 81km. Elevation 1392m. What a fantastic day! Today we 'bagged' Col d'Izoard. 19.1km uphill during which we climbed 1173m. At a peak gradient of 11% and an overall average of 6%, it was tough. No nice pictures at the top as it simply resembled a building site. A huge … Continue reading The Raid Alpine – Day 6
Raid Alpine – Day 5
Distance Elevation Gain By Rory Chappell (Support Team) ‘Switchbacks are overshadowed by persistence.’ An early start for the cyclists to get a handle on the day ahead: the biggest climb so far. After breakfast, they hit the tarmac and pedalled along to the town of Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne. They waited for a top up of water from … Continue reading Raid Alpine – Day 5
Raid Alpine – Day 4
Bourg St ~Maurice to Lansleberg-Mont-Cenis Distance 83km, Elevation Gained 2,238m 'Over the Col and Far Away' By Rory Chappell (Support Team) The day started early high above Bourg Saint Maurice with a fantastic breakfast at our overnight stop, Montagn’Arcs. Joined by the fresh talent from Bolton, Neil and Jane, the cyclists set off up to … Continue reading Raid Alpine – Day 4
The Raid Alpine
Day 4 - 'Only' I desperately wanted to get to the top of Col d'Iseran, our 'only' Col of the day. 'Only' 2,200m of climb over 'only' 47km, with temperatures peaking at 'only' 28 degrees, with absolutely no shade. At every km on each Col, there is a marker depicting the distance to the top … Continue reading The Raid Alpine
Raid Alpine – Day 3
Day 3 - missing from our original blog series as exhaustion crept in and time ran out. For completeness, I've compiled this from a few scribbled notes to support my hazy memory, as Col after Col, the days seemed to morph into one. Today was to be our toughest so far. 75km, hilly from the … Continue reading Raid Alpine – Day 3
Raid Alpine – Day 2
Cluses to Notre-Dame-de-Bellecombe. Distance 63km, Elevation Gained 2,200m. '20%' By Rory Chappell (Support Team) Waking up this morning to grey skies after a night of storms isn’t what you imagine when you come away to Southern France for a cycling challenge. That said, it is perfect climbing weather. Today was the first chance some got … Continue reading Raid Alpine – Day 2
Raid Alpine – Day 1
First Time for Everything First Day Thonon les Bains to Cluses Distance: 81km Climb: 1913m First Team Gathering Lake Geneva First Climb Col de Moises First Celebratory Beer First Day Summary Hot, hot, hot, humid,, hilly, hellishly hard, hurting everywhere, happy it's over ....until tomorrow. Personal Perspective - Alison One of our 'lighter' days today, … Continue reading Raid Alpine – Day 1
False Start
Here's hoping our initial efforts at organisation are not indicative of how well organised (or not) we are going to be throughout the trip. John W, already proving his organisational skills, arrived at the agreed time, at the agreed location with all the kit that he'd agreed to bring and most importantly with the Campervan. … Continue reading False Start
!*?*@
It had been a long day. It was early evening and I was rushing for a train to take me home from Sheffield where I had been presenting the 'patient perspective' at a conference for healthcare professionals working with people with Parkinson's. Balance, gait and visual-spacial awareness can all present problems for people with Parkinson's. … Continue reading !*?*@
Shades of Grey
Having recently watched 'Belfast' and then 'The Tourist', I was reminded of the time I met the actor Jamie Dornan, originally from '50 Shades of Grey' fame. If laughter is the best medicine, this one photograph has done much good for my health and that of many of my friends. Enjoy a laugh at my … Continue reading Shades of Grey
The ‘F’ Word
I grew up being told never to use the 'F' word. It was for this reason that I couldn't bring myself to watch Gordon Ramsay in Hell's Kitchen with his prolific use of the 'F' word. Over time, however, I've developed an affinity with the 'F' word. Not just THE 'F' word, lots of 'F' … Continue reading The ‘F’ Word
Supermarket Sweep
I remember Dale Winton hosting the game show 'Supermarket Sweep' in the '90s. Contestants had to run around a supermarket, collecting shopping items in a race against the clock. When the time was up, the contestant with the shopping trolley filled with items of the most value, was the winner. My local supermarket is averse … Continue reading Supermarket Sweep
New Year, New Start
I've been pretty damned good at following a comprehensive exercise programme since diagnosis nearly seven years ago. The suggestion and indeed the emerging evidence that I may be rewarded with a slower disease progression is a pretty good motivator. Despite this knowledge it can be soul destroying to spend each exercise session acutely aware that … Continue reading New Year, New Start
Outpatient DisAppointment
The challenge at a previous outpatient appointment was being asked to rate how I was feeling on a scale of 1 - 10. The challenge for my most recent appointment was to quantify what percentage of the time I was troubled by the symptoms I had just been asked to describe. Another trick question! Last … Continue reading Outpatient DisAppointment
Body Language
Being cold and having Parkinson's is not a harmonious relationship. A couple of degrees below comfortably warm and my body reacts as though I was in the Antarctic. It displays a shivering that is completely out of my control. It is not particularly uncomfortable but it is obvious to me and to others. The fire … Continue reading Body Language
Deja Vu
I've been here before (Don't Blame It On Me) and I should have known better....... My recently purchased MacBook Air was a treat to myself. As can rightly be expected of expensive Apple products, I assumed it would work faultlessly. Except, the keyboard seemed a little erratic and the trackpad had a will of its … Continue reading Deja Vu
A Walk in the Park
Parkinson's - My Uninvited Companion Its a beautiful morning and I'm walking in the park enjoying the autumn sunshine and the stunning colours that this time of year brings. I stop and chat with people who over the past few years have become familiar and friendly faces. I have learned a little of their lives … Continue reading A Walk in the Park
Low Power Mode
When my mobile phone was new, a 100% battery charge would fairly reliably last two, sometimes three days. After a few years of regular use, I'm lucky if a full battery charge keeps my phone functioning reliably until lunchtime. Regularly running on red, I receive frequent messages offering the option of switching to 'Low Power … Continue reading Low Power Mode
BBC Breakfast
When asked if I was interested in taking part in a short film about living with Parkinson's, to be shown on BBC Breakfast television, I didn't hesitate to say 'yes'. Perhaps unexpected for someone who is very self conscious of their Parkinson's symptoms. In case nerves set in and I needed reminded of my rationale … Continue reading BBC Breakfast
Challenging Times 
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