Dix coups de pinceau 2013 show, Watercoloir

Prairie paintings

Some new paintings, mainly of prairie scenes, maybe for the next show.

sunset at the lake

sunset

Ice on the shore of Lake winnipeg

Sunset on the dock

Manitoba flatlands

Benefit for

The voices of Parkinson's in movenent, the class for Parkinson's patients to maintain their voice by singing, is holding a fundraiser.  

5 à 7 le 9 avril
Admission $10
Concert, bar payant et bouchons
Griffintown Café
1378 rue Notre Dame ouest

Et vente de peintures
tous les bénéfices au profit des classes
de « Parkinson en mouvement »
(voir d'autres peintures et liste de prix à
'pandorasboxinthegardenofeden.blogspot.com')




The following paintings will be on show:

     Tree, 14x18 inches oil on canvas stretched , $300

 Tree, 18x24 inches acrylic on stretched canvas, $500

Gulls, 12x14 inches acrylic on paintboard, $340

Retreat, 10x14 inches watercolour on paper, $140

Sunset, watercolour on paper, 15 x 22 inches, $330

Better control for Parkinson's symptoms

Dosing carbidopa/levodopa in later Parkinson's disease with motor fluctuations.

After the first five years with Parkinson's disease, motor fluctuations become common. There are no longer enough dopaminergic neurones remaining to store the dopamine from the levodopa doses, and you go from an “off” state to a “dyskinetic” state over and over during the day. You are either not moving because there is not enough dopamine, or you are moving all over the place and tipping yourself off balance from too much. The very short half life of levodopa is at fault.

Dr. Ahllskog in his book The Parkinson's Disease Treatment Book (2005, Oxford University Press) explains how to deal with this.

1. Find the dose of levodopa that gets you motor improvement but not dyskinesia. (For some this is not possible because the two responses occur at the same dose.)
2. Match the interval doses to the duration of the response. Then reduce the interval between the doses so that the effects overlap. Eg, if you expect to go “off” 3 hours after a dose, and it takes 30 minutes to kick in, you need to take the next dose after 2 1/2 hours. You can take as many doses as you need to to maintain the response.
3. I found that the first dose of the day had to be a little higher, because the duration of response to that dose was very short. This is likely due to the fact that while sleeping you tolerate a lower level of dopamine, and so it takes a little more to saturate.

I ended up with a program of

7am 1 1/2 tabs

9:35 am 1 tab

12:10 pm 1 tab

2:45 pm 1 tab

5:20 pm 1 tab

7:55 pm 1 tab

1 tab at bedtime and when I wake in the night (usually after 3-5 hours).

And with that I am “on” all the time (well at least for 3 days)! I need to evaluate how I do when I am at the gym, since I may need an extra 1/2 to 1 tablet to prevent fluctuations after workouts. It is a miracle!

I have to add that at the same time I am adding a dopamine agonist, but I am still at a dose of that medication too small to be expected to make a difference.

Gladys Mary Spurll, in memorium

My mother, Gladys Mary Spurll (née Peart) died August 27, 2012.  We held a memorial service for
her at Christ Church Cathedral in Montreal September 4, 2012.  Some of the pictures we showed at the reception following.

For some of these pictures we are not sure of the dates or the other people in the pictures, so feel free to send these as comments.

 On the beach.

 With daughter Barbara and grandson Welland.

 With daughter Gwen and grandson Henk.

 With Jan Dijkman baptizing grandson Geoffrey, grandson Henk in the foreground, daughter Gwen at the side.

 With Geoffrey at daughter Barbara's wedding.

 On the beach.

 In front of one of the churches in the Pembina Hills area.

 With her sister Winifred's family.  Left to right, daughter Gwen, grandson Henk, Gladys, Winifred and her dog, nephew Stephen, niece Val, and brother-in-law Frank.

With grandson Gem.

 Reading at daughter Gwen's wedding.

 With daughter Rosemary.

 With Henk Sr, and grandson's Gem and Sean.

 At daughter Rosemary's wedding.

 At daughter Vanessa's wedding.

 Christmas dinner with daughters Rosemary and Vanessa, and son David.

June 10, 2012, Flowers at the Fulford residence

June 9, 2012 Peonies from the garden.