Hello Rose,
I noticed a tremor in my husband's right arm in July 2014. It took me until April 2015 to actually get him to see a Dr and to get a diagnosis. He still buries his head in the sand even now, as DivineR says it appears to be a man thing, which doesn't help anyone in the long run.
You aren't alone. Keep trying to persuade him.
Good luck
Yes he does and he has also been showing signs of dementia, although that hasn't as yet been confirmed. Like your husband he feared losing his driving licence but he was granted a 3 year medical one - and now the stupid thing is it's an effort to get him to drive anywhere. Locally he will do occasionally but not any distance. When I point out he made enough fuss about the possibility of losing it I just get told 'Well at least I know I can if I want to'!
Hi my hubby was diagnosed after I started to notice a resting tremor in his right hand a couple of years ago when he was 43, we found this terrifying and were naturally very anxious that he would lose his driving licence ( he drove for a living) and his job, 2 years later he still works and his employer has been very understanding, making adjustments that have enabled him to remain in work. The thought of Parkinsons was terrifying but to be honest we were somewhat relieved to get the diagnosis so that we could move on and my hubby has once more begun to enjoy life, to some degree we feel that it has made us evaluate and appreciate what we have. Life isn't over with a diagnosis and you do learn to live with it.
klou
Try and keep your chin up. I get comments like that and much, much worse all the time. That's why it helps no end to come on here and talk to people who can understand the situation.
A resting tremor is something that occurs, in the case of my husband, when he isn't using that arm or he is relaxed. His arm will literally bounce up and down as though he is constantly tapping his hand on something. I try and discourage him from hiding his hand in his trouser pocket when this happens, not the most appropriate of looks! Instead I found him a stress ball which helps.
Have you noticed whether or not your husband still swings his arms when he walks? Only mine has lost the ability to move them and while I know this isn't the same for everyone it appears to happen quite often.
Do you both have the same Dr? We do and he will listen to my concerns, even though it will need a visit eventually.
Hi to all of you who have posted on this subject of men who will not accept that something is wrong with their health. My father is typical of the men you are describing, which is a very selfish attitude for them to take. My father has never admitted to anybody that he has PD and when I developed the symptoms and spoke to him about it he said I was being a drama queen. As you can imagine this led to a huge argument between the two of us and I pointed out to him that if he wanted to bury his head in the sand and ignore his symptoms that was up to him, but he had no right expecting me to do the same thing. I love my father very much and it upset me terribly to have to tell him to his face what I thought about his attitude toward illness. He is now 92 years old and still alive, his symptoms began when he was 70 years old and he is now in the advanced stages of stage 5. My symptoms are progressing faster than his did, but I am taking medication and seeing a specialist every four months. There is nothing macho in ignoring health problems and the sooner men wise up to this fact the better! My advice is that you have to be cruel to be kind sometimes, as I had to be with my father. It will hurt you more than it will hurt them but if you really care about them it is the only course of action left open .
Hi I have been interested to read of people (mostly men it seems) who don’t want to consider their particular problems as being due to Parkinsons. I think this is a bit short-sighted as until there is a diagnosis there can be no treatment. We know there is no cure for PD but different treatments can be very beneficial, and the sooner they are started the better.
I was diagnosed in January this year with moderate PD, and told that I had probably had it for 5 to 7 years. I remember talking to my GP about the tremor in my hand some years ago, only to have it dismissed, as there were no tests for PD. If it had been investigated earlier, then treatment could have started sooner. Please encourage these reluctant patients to consult their GPs Delay is definitely not beneficial to anyone.
Hi Khine,
I have just read an article that you commented on 7 months ago on Advice Please. Having been subjected by my father to the very attitude to which you are talking about. I am sorry to say that I have neither sympathy nor empathy for men who take this attitude toward their health problems. The people who I feel sympathy toward are the spouses and carers who eventually have to take care of these selfish individuals.
Prof.
Hi there
You are so right. The partners and carers bear the brunt of these selfish people who won’t admit to having problems. They have no idea how difficult they make it for the people they supposedly love.
Patience certainly is a virtue, very much needed in caszesde like these.
Good luck with your father. It’s a pity he (they) don’t rad these posts, then they bwould know what effect they are having.
Knine
Audrey