I have not yet done any investigation into any possible tie to my current condition or a virus or pure random chance, but today saw one of the funniest experiments I have ever taken part in, and I have to thank my neighbor—let’s call him Dr. Y. A.—for his brilliance of thought and use of alcohol.
It ended the Sabbath with the hint of a ‘Bright Side of Life’ experience, which I’ll carry into the week. Last week was tough for me, and it pulled through in my posts. I take a more positive reflection into the coming weeks. Don’t misread me. This ‘appears to be’ diagnosis is not good, and I welcome all and any prayers, but I must not turn it into a self-fulfilling prophecy. I need to dig deep and deploy the same tactics as when diagnosed with PD originally—fight, see the positives, and enjoy as much as possible the hopefully many good times ahead. I will no doubt blog on the ups and downs as we go on, but this is my reboot!
To the experiment:
On Friday night, we had a nice bottle of red wine, but it tasted completely off to me—highly spicy and peppery. It was horrible. I thought the wine was off, but everyone else said it was great. It was a bit upsetting. On Saturday morning, I decided to have a whisky (a small one) and chose a peaty variety. Again, similar taste—possibly worse. So I had to try a completely different type of scotch and went for a totally different whisky (Macallan). Same!
I was devastated—first driving, and now alcohol… that’s all I need.
Enter the brilliant experiment. We went to friends, and we repeated the whisky test in a controlled environment (alongside my doctor friend). Same result for me (not for him).
So he suggested vodka. I loathe vodka. I tried some Finlandia. I’m serious when I say it tasted superb—like a sweet drink. Rum—also neat—tasted slightly different but wonderfully sweet.
This will make the planned trip later in the year to Scottish distilleries a bit of a waste so maybe The Caribbean or Russia….I wonder which my son will prefer? Me too!
So, I have no idea why, and no doubt I’ll learn more, but for now, alcohol is back on the table. Just a completely huge shift to a totally different range (not that I’m meant to really drink too much with the amount of medication I’m on).
Broader picture: As I mentioned above, last week was possibly the most surreal of my life. Sorting out details of my family’s financial future after receiving a potential diagnosis is not an everyday occurrence, and it really depressed and forced me into overdrive as I sorted out the finer details of a life without me. On top of big changes to my career and a stop to driving, it was horrific. It has taken a little while to rebalance. Over the weekend, we had some time to digest, discuss, laugh, and cry, and it was a welcome step back.
So, as Jews all around say when they drink alcohol—L’Chaim. Interestingly, in English, this translates to ‘To Life’: That is perhaps the key. The critical thing I need to focus on is living, especially now that a lot of the planning is in place.
I’m not a natural party person, and don’t expect me to be Mr. Rosy in my condition, but I’ll do my very best to enjoy life for the blessing and gift it is.
Have a good week.
