<h1>Ups, Downs and Horizontals</h1>

A friend took me to my 2nd hockey game of the year on 5th and I was confronted with a problem that most PWP have experienced. The angle of the upper level seating area in the arena approaches 60 degrees, a veritable Mount Everest when you have balance issues. I had to ascend and descend and worse, I had to navigate a narrow path to reach my seat and there was nothing between me and the row below to stop me falling into it if I lost my equilibrium. The stairs are narrow but at least they have a handrail so the climb was not too bad. The path to the seats was a little unsettling, but I made it to my seat, without incident, where I remained ensconced for the duration of the game, without any liquid sustenance for fear that mother nature might call and I only wanted to descend once.

The game ended with our team victorious and we moved toward the stairs. You can relax, I didn't fall, but I noticed that the people around me, especially the young ones, virtually bounced down the stairs while I gripped the handrail with two hands and moved at glacial speed. I made it. I had held up the people behind me, probably not as much as I thought I did, for nobody complained. That lack of confidence and the feeling that everyone is watching, is rampant within PWP, especially if outwardly they are symptom free. You can feel the people around you getting annoyed with you slowing things down. A touch of paranoia - that's all it is, nothing more.

Hockey, when played by skilled players, like the olympians, is poetry in motion. Our team is improving but, as with most of the teams, there are maybe 6 - 8 very skilled players who dominate the game and occasionally, the frustration of the lesser skilled leads to fights, turning the game into a poor version of the roller derby. Most fans cheer at these fights. I hate them and I think they degrade the game.

This time, although we won easily, there were a couple of moments when mayhem ruled the ice. The result of the win and the fighting, stressed me somewhat and got my hand going. I could also feel "sparks" in my left arm. I rode home fearing the worst - I was entering stage 2 a year before I had hoped for. This feeling, I think, became a reality when I lay in bed experiencing trembling and twitching in both legs. By morning the symptoms had disappeared and I relaxed, for they have not returned. I know it is inevitable but, except for moments like this, I remain positive.

Hands up if you have a question. Nobody? Allow me. I know what you want to ask. How, you wonder, do you get stressed over a hockey game, especially when your team is victorious???

The answer to your question is easy. Emotionally, I have turned into a child, probably of the female persuasion. I get choked up at the most ridiculous of things, a sad song, the winner of a TV talent show, a movie where everything goes wrong, or even when everything goes right. A victory in a hockey game is just one of a long list of emotional triggers. I have turned into a wimp! If you are newly diagnosed and get teary eyed at the sight of linoleum, stay calm, it is just another of PD's little presents.

Occasionally, I can still get a laugh. For example, reading Wayne Gretzky's take on the game of hockey. According the The Great One, "Ninety percent of hockey is mental and the other half is physical."

What's that? Ich verstehe nicht? I think he must have had a brain cramp. We PWP know all about brain cramps, don't we!