I was diagnosed 2 weeks ago, I presented with a frozen shoulder or what I thought was a frozen shoulder.
im in a bit of a whirlwind seeing 2 neurologists and I now have to meet a movement disorder specialist re a treatment plan .
feel a bit more positive reading the posts and reading some of the research , I am a 52 yr old female in Scotland .
Feel drowned in information and some symptoms are very frustrating , I am not a very patient person so I think this will be my biggest hurdle when trying to do certain tasks like writing. Does writing ever improve with treatment as it is impossible for me at the moment as it is not legible .
PD diagnosis takes a while to accept. There's loads of information on this site. Just pick&choose, you don't have to read it all.
Medication can help with some symptoms but we all have differing symptoms and react differently to medication. Sorry not to have been of more help but there's usually someone to talk to on this forum. D
My writing a spider crawled across the page....however if I imagine I am writing a large sign then it becomes normal size but need to write in short bursts one word at a time, but am able to write in block capitals. I am teaching myself to write with my other hand , I have seen people with pd write with one hand whilst the other hand supports the arm.
Experiment sometimes there is a way round these obstacles.
Go at your own pace, gather information as you need it as Daffy says PD is different for everyone, its a boutique illness.
Just wondered if anyone has mentioned stretching exercises to you? They do help relieve my stiffness.
I found a few useful parkinsons specific ones on utube to try and of course parkinsons uk has a DVD of suitable ones. It doesn't have to be a full on work out. That's definitely not for me, but I have found a few stretching exercises first thing do make a difference to how my day starts. D
Your insurance company cannot increase you premium, as long as you have advised the DVLA of your condition and they have granted you a license, for whatever length of time.
You have a license to drive, no conditions attached, except you will have to apply again in 1 or 3 years.
My OH kept his license, with the support of our neurologist, for 17 years, although he didn't drive far or often.They still had the knowledge they they could drive.
Then, a form from the DVLA, filled in by a locum GP at our surgery, (when renewal was due),.a doctor that my OH had never seen, but which stated that, he HAD seen him on a certain date, (that date was a letter from the neurologist to the surgery),with no indications that OH was not fit to drive, BUT the locum obviously didn't read it correctly/fully, and said that meds. had been increased, they hadn't, just dosage split but the same amount, and a great deal more that was inaccurate. That resulted in their driving license being revoked.
We challenged it and the locum wrote to the DVLA explaing his error. Error is too polite word as to how it destroyed my OH' s self esteem. I wish that I had taken it further than the surgery's manager, who I had to had to contact twice to even receive a reply and then it it was waffle. That GP should have been referred to the GMC for gross misconduct.I wish I had done so.
The DVLA forms have no leeway for common sense or in between situations, as our neurologist pointed out. Its black or white, yes or no,. My OH drove occasionally when they were OK, and, more importantly, when I felt that they were OK to drive. Otherwise I would not have got into the car with them and would have hidden the car keys if I felt that I needed to. I never did need to. We applied common sense.
I have seen people who can hardly walk, still driving, and even some with Parkinson's who should not be driving at all. Should I report car registration numbers or people to the DVLA? Would you??
After the debacle with the locum, as a family we decided that, as OH drove so little , and that they would soon not be able to drive safely in the next couple of years, we just accepted the situation.
Thank you to everyone I’m blown away by the responses and information.
Since my last post I have contacted my insurer , and my policy was due to be renewed also. There was no increase as a few of you had confirmed , I am just about to begin medication , Levodopa ? To increase the dose over 3 weeks, it was explained that a side effect is that it my make you feel dizzy , as I am dizzy some times without meds I m wondering if this will make it worse. DVLA said I was fine phew .
Great news about DVLA, and I hope dizzy spells soon cease or at the very least happen less often. call in on other threads , have a look round the forum. You are very welcome x
Good news about DVLA. Once you're on the right medication it can help a lot with the symptoms.
As TH says, look forward to seeing you on some of the other threads here. This forum really does help Parkinson's people feel less alone in dealing with it.
