Indoor Bowls or any sport, me & Parkinson's

About me Introductions and personal stories
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I’m 71 years old & got diagnosed with Atypical Parkinson’s in June 2023 following a positive datscan. I also have Spinal Stenosis with a bit of arthritis thrown in & I am being checked out for possible but very unlikely Bladder Cancer. I have quite a few [Parkinson’s] peeing problems with no prostate to blame as I had it removed
12 years ago. So undergoing tests as they say. I don’t feel at all ill.

About 18 months ago I had to give up golf completely. I had recently been a
10 handicapper. Had to give up because of Parkinson’s.

So I started playing Indoor Bowls for the first time 18 months ago & once I got my Parkinson’s medication sorted I was good to go & could play most days. I am quite a good player, I would not play if I was not. I played on Friday & played very well.

My disability is “Gait Freezing” which brings on shaking & loss of balance & I can’t move my feet. When not playing bowls I can walk normally. My range is about
80 yards before heavy legs & discomfort in the lower back kick in.

Indoor Bowls is not an energetic game. I know quite a few men & women in their 90’s that play & play well. There is even a guy called Rocky at our club who plays & he is over 100.

So yesterday I was representing my bowls club in a mixed sex match away at another local Indoor Bowls Club. So I drove myself 10 miles to this club & met up with the rest of my team & met our opposition. Each club had 6 x 3 person teams
[18 players in each team].

You place the yellow bowls mat, stand on the mat, bowl the jack
23 minimum to 38 metres maximum [target ball] & then I as the first bowler stands on the mat & bowls my first bowl. I then sit down. Our opposition first bowler bowls their first bowl. I then bowl my second bowl & sit down. Then they bowl & then I bowl my third & final bowl & sit down. Our second bowler & their second bowler then bowl their 3 bowls each. The four bowlers then walk 50 yards to the other side of the bowls rink. I sit down while our third bowler & their third bowler bowls their 3 bowls. When all 6 bowlers have bowled 3 bowls that is called an “end”. There are 18 ends in a game. You score points by which team’s bowls are closest to the jack. So if 3 of our bowls are closer to the jack than our opposition’s nearest bowl we score 3 points.

I hope that makes sense … as I said it is not an energetic sport.

Now I have “gait freezing” so I cannot spend long bowling my bowl. I have maybe
20-30 seconds before I get into difficulty. So stand on the bowls mat, bowl my ball & go & sit down & repeat.

Yesterday was not a good day, almost instantly I was having trouble getting my feet to move, then came the shaking & the loss of balance. I am told I fell over 6 times, the last fall being particularly heavy. I lay on the ground unable to get up & was helped up by two big guys but I could not move my feet, so someone got a wheelchair for me & I was wheeled off the bowls rink. My game was over for the day.

We had played 13 of the 18 ends. So I sat in this wheelchair for an hour. I was incredibly thirsty & drank a lot of water.

When the game which my club lost narrowly was over I was driven home by one of our team & another team member drove my car home.

What I would like to know is why did my gait freezing / loss of balance / shaking kick in as soon as I started bowling today ? I have never fallen over before in a bowls match.

I have cancelled bowls today & tomorrow & am going to try to play again on Tuesday.

I am extremely upset about what happened today. Indoor bowls is all I do without it there is nothing.

Best wishes
Steve2

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Hi Steve2, we’re sorry to hear this happened to you.

We have some information on our website which you may find useful: Freezing | Parkinson's UK

You may also want to reach out to your healthcare professional for advice, or you can call our helpline on 0808 800 0303 for more information and support.

Best wishes
Parkinson’s UK Moderation Team

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Good evening fkendall … Thanks for your post. I did take your advice & phone the Parkinson’s UK helpline. I spoke to a charming, incredibly knowledgeable lady who had read my [boring] “Indoor Bowls” post above before phoning me back. She did ask what medication I was on & started typing as I began the very long list. I am on a lot of medication for different ailments & quite a lot of pills to counter the side effects of other pills I am taking.

I do wonder if some of my health challenges I have are caused by some of the medication I take.

I am back taking Clonazepam & Melatonin at night to help me sleep after 3 nights of abstinence, where I had some poor nights sleep. I am seeing a consultant next Thursday about my sleep problems & this will lead to my doing a Sleep Clinic I’m told.

If I have a good night’s sleep I am less likely to have mobility issues the following day.

Tuesday I’m seeing a musculoskeletal physiotherapist.

After my bowls disaster on Saturday & 6 falls but no knock out, I played on Tuesday & today [Friday] without mishap. The good days bowling may be because of the 3 day gaps between each game.

I have taken the advice given & am going to take a large bottle of water with me each time I play. On bad day Saturday I was dehydrated & I did have to drink a lot of water after I had stopped playing.

Thanks to all.
Best wishes
Steve2

1 Like
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Hi Steve

I read your post but chickened out of replying because I felt a bit unqualified to comment, but just wanted to say I’m glad to hear you were able to play again, and thanks for sharing your experience -

Best wishes
Ali

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Good morning Ali 7 … Thank you so much for replying [twice]. Apart from the moderator you have been the only person to reply at all. I really appreciate your interest. I live alone & don’t have many people I can share my experiences with or get some feedback from.

I did read your first post & was going to reply later but when I came back to reply your post had gone. I think you mentioned blood pressure which my Parkinson’s Nurse also mentioned when I emailed him, so good point !!

I find sharing my life’s experiences relating to my Parkinson’s & other medical adventures helps me deal with them. I hope others here find them to be of help or of interest.

Yesterday I saw Helen a musculoskeletal physiotherapist. It was the second time I had seen her, previously I had done a 6 x 1 hour course at my local Conquest Hospital with a specialist Parkinson’s physiotherapist which I found helpful.

Yesterday was not a good day for me as I had done a 200 yard walk before seeing her.
Helen got me to demonstrate how I bowled, using a heavy ball she had. She could see the difficulty I had & understand the problems I have on a bad day.

She is referring me to a Neurological physiotherapist, who she says is very good.
Getting me off her books me thinks as she cant help me.

I am bowling later today with one of my social groups, so lets see how that goes.

Best wishes
Steve2

2 Likes
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Hi Steve2 I was a flat green bowler summer season and winter bowler season indoors, also did Tai Chi for 12 years, you did a realiy good job of explain how to bowl, I find that my PD is now showing me who’s boss, when first told in 2010 that I had PD it did not bother me, I am now at the stage where I know longer Drive so limited to where I can go, can not use public transport due to having that drunk feeling, My hubby is still with me he is my nurse/helper / bank-manger/ but he is 5 years older that myself and he has problems with his spine, so we try and work together. I am just putting you in the picture, Now 2 years ago did all the things above but like I say just can’t do it any more, showing my brother have to deliver his bowl (indoors) ended up going half way down the bowling lane with the bowl’. Tai Chi just doing warm up ended up on the floor,
Realy, Realy miss my car but after having to wait 6 months for licence to be renewed as consultant on holiday then secretary holiday I lost confidence to drive I know if GP says your ok to drive most insurance cover you but i wounder what would happen if say you ran down a child so to make it safer on the roads for people i sold the car and no-longer drive, So what i say to you try and bowl as long as you can, even if you are not in a team there are lots of social bowls clubs./people around you can bowl with and believe me even though there is no winning trophy the bowlers are very competitive. So keep up the good work I have spoke with you before (Posting on site) and you have always helped me so please don’t lose heart.

2 Likes
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Hello mary1947
It’s beeen a while since we ‘spoke’ but I just wanted to say what a lovely response you posted to steve2 especially the all important ‘…don’t lose heart’ I accept I am known on the forum for my positivity and I also accept I tend to be a glass half full person. It is also the case that having spent much of my working life with various disabilities and age related problems I know these have all contributed to my belief that those that did best maintained a positive outlook as far as they were able. Over the years it has become as much part of me as anything else so why would I think otherwise about my own diagnosis? However that doesnn’t mean it is always easy, I work hard to stay positive on less good days - it’s why I started ‘tpdau is a good day’ to remind myself that I ws still here, still getting on with life etc even though oveer the years I have had many up and downs as we all do. I know I am ‘lucky’ to still be ok-ish with Parkinson’s - although I also know I work hard to try and keep that going - but it also the case that it won’t last and Parkinson’s will as you said show me i’ts the boss. at some point Will my positivity help. I honestly don’t know but whatever happens I hope I don’t lose heart, see some value in my life however hard that life may become until I am ready to let go or it is ready to release me. A year ago Mum died she was 93 and ready to let go. She had good health until her last few months. 8 months later police came to my door to tell me one of my sisters had been found dead at home. She was 64, not been ill it was a total shock. Turns out she had a brain tumour - no symptoms and death was sudden and swift, If I ever thought life would get so hard I wanted to give up these dearhs have shown me otherwise - Mum’s time had come, my sister’s was decided by life itself or whatever your beliefs may tell you if that makes sense. So whatever the future may hold I will do my level best not to lose heart, and keep going until it’s my time or life decides that for me. Thank you for summing up my need to stay positive so succinctly in that short powerful phrase. I hope it inspires steve2 as much as it has me.
Tot

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Good morning Mary & thank you for your kind reply & support. I’m pleased to see another bowler on the BB.

On bad bowls day Saturday it was not a case of my giving up, I was told I had to stop playing by my club’s captain. He had been told by the home team captain that I was going to hurt myself and for the club’s health and safety and Insurance to be valid, they had to take due care etc …

Having played sport all my life I have learnt how to fall over & not hurt myself. But obviously my falling over puts off the all the other players.

Yesterday & today was the last competition for the Winter Indoor bowls season. The Summer season starts in about two weeks time.

Thursday night I woke at 3am & could not get back to sleep. Last night I woke at 4am & have been awake since then.

In this competition each 3 man / woman team plays 4 games. Each game has 6 ends which takes an hour. So 24 ends in the day, that involves walking 24 x 50 yards to change ends 1200yards walked during this 4 hour period. So bowls is good for exercise.
My team won 1 & lost 3 of our 4 games. I played quite well despite being tired. Today we have another 4 games to complete the Easter league competition.

So Mary it’s not necessarily me giving up bowls its more likely that I will be told I cannot play due to the likelihood of my hurting myself. But anyway if I’m playing badly & not enjoying myself what is the point in playing anyway.

Best wishes
Steve2

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Just a little more Steve2 Well from your comment meet the bowling team’s There was 2 OAP playing in a team down south, they nearly had a fist fight on the bowling green. Some Captain’s think that they own you. You get use to it though, One match that I was playing in the were playing a son in law and father in law’, now the eldest one due, to old age had difficulty in Bowling/mesureing / the son in law kept shouting and telling him off. I felt so sorry for him I was playing against the son in law so to get him to stop telling the other gent off, when we had finished each end I ask to have the bowls measured, These people don’t like it when you say any thing. When you play 18 ends there’s a lot to mesure. Like i said there are a lot of social bowls clubs out there, and there is also short mat bowling, some thing for you to try, Well steve2 you have made my day talking about bowls. nice to be in the link again, but a lots of clubs are closing due to no new members, I did 3 bowling comp’s for PD and raise about £600 Going back to PD it was 2010w= when i found out that I had pd but its only been in the last 2 years that i can’t play bowls or tai chi. also like you I have Spinal stenosis and have arthritis both knees and also in my fingers. but i am 7 years older than you steve so I can say that I have had some good years, As for sleeping this was how my PD started now I will put the flag out if I have a good nights sleep, SLEEP 7 nights in a week 4/5 nights up at 3 00 /4 00./5 00, My hubby is taking Clonazepam he started having very very realistic dream, he had my neck in his hands would not let me go/ kicked me out of bed/ then he jumped out of bed and ran straight into the wall. it took us 7 years to find out what he had, its called REM most people with PD get it you live out your dreams. but it is me that has PD not my hubby. Since takeing Clonazpam he has been ok. You say that with out indoor bowls you have nothing But you do there is still a lot of life in there ? you have to keep looking ? my grandson one day ask, gran what did you do as a little girl and where did you live ? So i decided to write my life story, At the time my grandson was 10 now he’s 28 and I have still not finished my story, as a friend of mind use to say ??? SOME THING WILL TIURN UP?

1 Like
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Good morning Mary …

Last Friday I had a full day playing Indoor bowls. My 3 man team played 4 x 1 hour [triples] games.

During that time I bowled 72 bowls in total
& walked 48 ends x 50 yards = 2,400 yards during the day. This is at least 4 times what I do on a normal bowls day.

On Saturday we had an identical day to Friday.

After playing both days I was exhausted but still woke up at around 3am both following mornings.

Sunday, Monday & Tuesday I slept very well, sleeping until at least 9am. So about
11 hours sleep with the usual waking up to pee instances.

But in spite of three good nights in a row my eyes feel tired & even a short walk is difficult as I feel exhausted.

No more indoor bowls till the 6th of May.

Best wishes
Steve2

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All I can say Steve2 is that you are ding what we are always being told ""Keep Moving!! at least you are doing some kind of exercise. Good Luck in May ps I have had 2 nights when I have gone to bed 11 00 and woke at 5 00 am can * have a gold medal please ?*

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Good morning Mary … As there is no bowling for me to wake up for I have slept a lot better.

Best wishes
Steve2

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I quite understand Steve. So like myself you must look at other options. I used to bowl flat green in summer and indoors in winter, long walks into Derbyshire, Tai Chi , line dancing but no more. Maybe between us we can perhaps sort out a domino team. xxxxx stay safe

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Good morning Mary … As I have had no Indoor Bowls this week I have been doing what I call my Parky walk. I go straight from my bed, get dressed grab my Parkinson’s laser lite walking stick & go around the block where I live. It is the shortest round trip I can do. I do walk quite quickly & normally. No one would know I have Parkinson’s or anything wrong with me. The walk is 200 yards. After about 80 yards I start to get a mild headache, no idea why, after 100 yards my legs start get heavier & walking becomes a challenge. After 150 yards I notice my shirt is quite damp. Then I’m home & I go & lie on my bed quite shattered & that is me for the day.

I’m seeing a Neurologist next Thursday. He is supposed to be the best in the area.

Best wishes
Steve2

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All the best Steve2 for Thursday. Stay safe xx