Thinking about throwing in the towel

What’s this about throwing in the towel! Let’s not hear such talk! While I don’t have parkinson’s, I do have diabetes. Your hands shake? I have to anchor mine so they don’t move while I’m doing detail work. Most of the time I can’t even feel them. Kind’a makes it hard to hold a brush or make a straight line. Sometimes I’ll snap a brush in two but do I think about giving it up? No. There’s ways around everything. Sure I’ve broken detail parts. It happens. I fix it as best I can and move on. If you think you have it bad, look around. There’s always somebody who’s got it worse. So buck up and let’s not hear any more of this talk about quitting.

Dave Do not throw in the towel. I had a work accident almost 5 yrs ago, i only have my somewhat useful rebuilt thumb & 1/3 0f my little finger on my dominant right hand. I got back in to this hobby about 2 yrs ago for me to use as therapy. I am modeling in HO & yes some things are very trying & even difficult but it has taught me to be more patient & persistant. If i am having a problem with something i put it aside & go on to something else. My favorite part is scenery & structure building. I have built rolling stock kits, change out couplers & replace trucks. Recently having gone to dcc i have even installed decoders, ( that was alot of fun) lol but i got it done. I have got alot of comments on my work, people are amazed at what i have acomplished. So don’t give it up use it like i have for therapy. Sit back & enjoy your work & have fun, only you have to be satisfied it is your layout. Yes a club might be helpfull, i recently just joined an N scale club just to build a module to take to the next show up here in June in Omaha to get people interested in the hobby. Good luck and don’t give up.

Larry

Dave,

Don’t do it! Do what you can, take the advice of a few here like Chip and join a Club, but most of all just do it because you enjoy it.

With my eyesight starting to change, I have had to cut out or cut down on some of my close work that I used to love to do. I need to talk with my eye doctor and see what he recommends for me.

Have you ever thought of Mentoring a needy child looking for a hobby? Might be someone in your own family looking to start working on something.

Good Luck to you Sir!

Chris

You can throw in the towel, but you’ll pick it up again. The model railroading bug is stronger.
It’s been said “there’s something for everyone”. You just have to find out what it is. For example, you don’t need a steedy hands to make trees. Scenery wouldn’t be difficult either. Maybe you could learn to do programming decoders and specilize in layout automation and signaling for other modelers. You can trade work for work.
In many of the Allen Keller videos I’ve seen, expert modelers often have someone else do something for them that the other person can do better. Why do you think built up structures and ready to roll rolling stock sell so well?

Maybe the Parkinson’s caused you to break off the marker lamp, but don’t let it break your will, your spirit or your heart.

The father of a friend of mine is a 89 year old N scaler. His layout, because of loss of eyesight and whatnot, is looking more and more like a cross between a clown and an expressionist painting, but that doesn’t stop him… He loves “his little trains” and that’s all that matters. Find the joy in the act of creating and the things you create, not in the comparison to the work of others, or even the prototype…

I wish you well…

Dave;

Don’t give up! Everyone has given some good advice here. I know and understand the feelings a chronic disease causes.

My pep talk/advice is gonna be a little different.

First. It sounds like you’re getting depressed, real depressed. Depression is definitely a part of dealing with debilitating chronic illnesses like PD, (ask me how I know). Talk to your MD.

Second.Google “Surgical treatments Parkinsons Disease”. Your results should give you lots of sources for infomation about it, and what it takes to be considered for it.

Third. Next time you talk with your MD, see if this is an option for your treatment. These are local procedures, and as a retired OR Nurse, I have seen many, many, immediate, and dramatic results from these procedures. But I have also seen failures, with no improvements at all.

Please keep in mind, however, that I am not a Dr. I am merely giving you a source of information about a possible option, that you may not have been aware of, to talk to your MD about.

Don’t give up. There is always something in this hobby that you still can do and enjoy. I know. Hang in there. Phil

I used this in another thread and it is equally useful here. Just finding this forum probably saved me from myself. I’ve been reading ya’lls stuff for several years now, learning from your advice and your mistakes. Also finding sense of purpose and putting it to use. You don’t have to have somebody tell you that you can do something, just reading what’s been posted by someone in worse shape than you are, about how they overcame the difficulties caused by thier disabilities, is uplifting. Sometimes it’s the best medicine of all. By God, if they can do it, so can I. I’ve learned how to use my limitations as a plus and now nothing is going to stop me until I just finally can’t get up anymore. Never let anyone, especially yourself, tell you that you can’t do something. That’s a one-way street and believe me, I know. I was well on the way down it when I discovered this wonderful forum. Reading the stuff posted by the people here, reading how they help others in need made me realize that I can use all the knowledge I’ve accumalated over the years, all the skills I’ve learned that I can pass on, that I can make a difference to someone else in the hobby. I hope whoever reads this finds purpose and strength in it.

As a physician member of these forums, I would echo Carey’s comments. I’m sure you’ve gotten good medical advice, but a second and even more opinions are always a good idea. Actually, surgical treatments are only an option in the vast minority of patients, but several additional anti-parkinson’s drugs have come out in the last few years. My medical advice would be to check with the nearest academic medical center near you (i.e. university hospital) and inquire to their department of neurology to see if they have any experts/researchers in Parkinson’s–special clinics are frequently run–sometimes called movement disorders clinics.

Again, I’m sure you have good physicians, but Parkinsonism is a condition that can require very detailed and sophisticated management that sometimes only a specific subspecialist in neurology may be able to manage.

And as everyone else has said, please don’t give up!!

Jim

Hey guys, I’m not going to give up. I was just very frustrated yesterday. I sat and thought about it for awhile and realized I’ve never quit anything in my life, except for smoking, i did quit that. I went to my LHS this morning and the guy told me he could fix the lettering on my locomotive, and he would decal and detail anything I wanted as long as I would come by the shop during the day a few times a week and keep him company. Aparently it’s very slow during the day around there. Anyway, thank you all for the pep talks and the words of encouragement. Keep up the great work guys.

Dave

The next time you get frustrated, just look up this thread and see how many of us care about you.

And you meet some pretty decent people thru this hobby. Thanks for sticking with us, Dave.

I’ve got my good and bad days. Sometimes I’ll go several days without leaving the house, others I’m out in the yard with my beagle for most of the day. I act childish sometimes and do silly things like try to toss the worlds greatest hobby to the side of the road. But I’ve found that if I sit down with a cold beer, and a good western novel after about an hour or so, my head has cleared and I’ve calmed down enough to approach my problems rationally. I will admit I am a bit of a hot head, and I get very frustrated very quickly these days. But I think if I stick with this hobby I’ll have more going for me than I would if I tossed it. Besides, I’m modeling the Avery Sub Division of the Gorre & Daphetid. I’ve got to show up John Allen, and Bob Gretch. lol. Thanks again for all the great advice guys.

Dave

I’ve got Diabetis real bad. It’s has really affected my hands.I know how frustrating it can be. I just realize that I’ll never be a Master Modeler but I enjoy the hobby too much to give up. I just do my detail work on my good days and just run trains on my bad days.Don’t give up! Maybe go to larger scale.

When I get old, O gage will be the salvation. =) Until then keep on trucking!

Never a rainy day when there is lots of sunshine in your day.

Well right on! [bow] [:-^][tup] This whole thread is a classic example why this forum is so good. Alot of us cant find a club, or its just impractical (distances, wrok and such) This forum, is a great club.

It would be great if I could figure out a way to shove a cold beer into a email…[V]

Problem solved!

Pabst was my Dad’s beer. I GOTTA get me a Sam Adams car. Anyway, Dave, good to hear you in better spirits. My wife sometimes complains about the trains all over the place, but a while back I heard her tell her friend, “…but at least he’s happy.”

We all have our issues and disabilities, if the truth be known.

I’ve had mercury poisoning (thanks to my dentist) and for a time I almost could not walk or use my hands. Fortunately I’ve recovered and now I’m fighting through issues with degenerated disks in my back from years of hunching over a computer at work. As a result I have periodic back pain and numbness in my hands.

But I push on. I’m a firm believer in prayer and many folks have prayed for me – which has helped quite a bit, actually. Doctors often just want to give me some pills or start cutting – but folks I’ve talked to who have gone that route generally haven’t seen dramatic improvement. Non-mainstream doctors (I see a chiropractor with naturopathic leanings) have also been a great help – the regular doctors just don’t seem to get it. [%-)]

But at any rate, I keep plugging away at my models, even with numbness and pain at times. Things seem to be better now but I’ve seen enough difficulties that I understand how hard it can be sometimes. It seems like when you’re young you’ve got the motivation and great eyesight but no cash. Then when you get older you’ve got the cash but you start having physical challenges.

Either way, the main thing is to enjoy the hobby, especially with friends. Some of my most enjoyable times have come when I’m having an op session and someone makes light of a some snafu and pretty soon we’re all laughing so hard our stomachs hurt! [swg]

join a club or maybe join an active railroad museum and work on the real 1/1 prototype.

and a mighty loud “Amen” to that…sometimes all a fella’s gonna ever have is his faith and prayer and i must say it’s better than anything a doctor can come up with…chuck