I have just been diagnosed with parkinsons and am absolutely terrified. So far the medication has had no effect Please can anyone help me. Rosemary
Dear @rose1
Sorry to hear about your recent Parkinson’s diagnosis, please know that you are not alone and I’m sure the forum community will welcome you and help to answer any questions you have.
We also have a dedicated area on our website for people who are Newly Diagnosed which I hope will go some way in answering some of the questions you might have.
I’d also encourage you to contact our Helpline and Local Adviser Service for a chat, our trained advisers can provide practical and emotional support to help you understand your diagnosis. You can contact the helpline on 0808 800 0303, or email [email protected], the helpline is open Monday -Friday 9am -7pm and 10am-2pm on Saturdays.
With regard to medication, there are a variety of different treatments available for Parkinson’s, and it can take a while for your clinic to find the right dosage and frequency for you. When first starting medication, it’s not uncommon to be started on a low dosage which is gradually increased to help avoid any side effects. If you’re not feeling any benefit at the moment, do get in touch with your clinic for further advice. Do also have a look at our Treatments and Therapies section of the website, which includes information on drug treatments, along with information on exercise and therapies.
Best Wishes,
David
Forum Moderation Team
Hello @rose1
First thing to say is take a deep breath or two and I am going to ask you to trust and believe me when I tell you a diagnosis of Parkinson’s is not the end of the world. I’m not going to lie to you, I would of course prefer not to have it, it can be challenging frustrating and downright annoying and can also make you laugh. What it most certainly isn’t is the end of the world. You will find a way to live with it, we all do but the early days can be incredibly difficult and can seem like your future is one big black hole where the only way is down. For most of us the condition is slow moving life doesn’t suddenly change and you get time to adjust. I don’t suppose it feels like that to you right now but that’s the truth as you will come to know for yourself but it doesn’t happen overnight. David has given you some very good advice and I would certainly echo his advice re your meds. Over and above that right now and for the next couple of days just give yourself a chance to get used to the diagnosis. You are still you, you just happen to have Parkinson’s, as do I and many others. Your fear is more likely than not a fear of the unknown things do and will settle down over the next few months. For now it’s baby steps, take things slowly, one day at a time.
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Hi rose1 sorry to hear about your diagnosis welcome ask as many questions as you like it does get easier in time i was diagnosed about 10 months ago i dont even think about parkinsons i just get on with my life , you will feel the same in time it is daunting at 1st ,don’t go on Internet ask here there are some wonderful people here who will help you your not alone ime on co careldopa but doesn’t help my symptoms but hey its not the end of the world i think positively daily its early days
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Hello, I’ve only joined the forum recently but there are some wonderful people on here with words of advice, encouragement and support, I hope you find these as helpful as I have, take care 