My wife and I are having a glassblowing experience at a Norfolk glass factory today. For her 50th birthday in December last year, we all clubbed together to allow her to select a number of “experiences”, ranging from a spa day through a ride in a hot air balloon to rally driving. Today is her first choice, and she decided that she wanted me to join her, so she paid for me to have the glassblowing experience, too, for my birthday present (in May).
I have a fair amount of tremor this morning, and I’m delaying switching my settings over to Group ‘B’ until we are actually at the glass factory this afternoon – I want to have the best possible tremor control whilst I am handling molten glass.
My wife makes the tea/coffee and Nutriblast, and then takes the dog for a walk while I simply sit and pass the time of day checking my email, catching up on the news, preserving what little energy and motivation I have.
We arrive at the glass factory in Fakenham – Langham Glass – just after 1pm. My tremor is much worse today, probably because I’m going to be interacting with people that I don’t know. Parkinson’s Disease is extremely reactive to stress. I switch over to Group ‘B’ settings when it’s my turn to handle some glass, and immediately the tremor reduces. Within a few minutes it returns, although not quite so severely, and my right arm and both of my legs are having a little dance. Our instructor is excellent and doesn’t bat an eyelid even though he can’t avoid noticing. For the next 3 hours we are kept busy making paperweights and bowls. Our instructor is so good that we almost (but not quite) believe that our items would have turned out just as perfectly if he hadn’t been there. Towards the end, dyskinesia forces me to return to Group ‘A’ – luckily my paperweight and bowl are finished.
By the time we get home I feel completely exhausted and it’s just about all I can do to join my wife in walking the dog. Dinner, a beer and House Of Cards follow, accompanied by another change of settings – at least until it’s time for bed.