I have had several falls in recent months. I have no body strength and my wife has to help me shower dress and sometimes help me get up from a chair. I can now only walk short distances when I go out for my daily walk and feel very tired and weak all the time. When alone if I fall I stay on the ground because my body has no strength to get up.
I go out for a walk each day arm in arm with my wife. But it is becoming more difficult because I soon get tired and stoop and lean to one side as if I have no
spinal strength
I have had cardio tests at the hospital and I spoke to a Cardiologist who says my symptoms are not cardio and almostcertainly neurological. I have high blood pressure but he doesnot want to adjust medication until I have been assessed by aNeurologist.
But as a final cardio check he will arrange for me to have aTilt Test. There will be a delay becausehe does not considerit urgent. The falls caused by sudden drops in blood pressure?
I have been waiting since January for an appointment and now my June appointment has been postponed until July.
Hello Sunset907
What a difficult situation for you to be in, my heart goes out to you and your wife. Obviously I am in no position to say what your diagnosis is but I can tell you I have Parkinson’s and prior to my diagnosis I too tended to lean slowly to one side, my right, noticeably when sitting and I often didn’t notice until well past 45° - on one memorable occasion almost squashed the cat who was sitting beside me and who objected loudly. I do not have tremor but was tending to stoop a bit. I did tire more easily as things were taking more effort and I was still working at the time. I didn’t have the loss of body strength you described but I did have reduced fine motor control and strength in my right hand in particular. I hope you get some answers soon so you can get things sorted and regain some quality of life. Let us know how you get on. Take care.
Tot
I’m sorry to hear you are having so much difficulty. It must be very worrying, especially when you don’t know where to turn.
Parkinson’s is different for everyone and it can sometimes be difficult to separate symptoms of Parkinson’s from those of other conditions. There is no definitive test at the moment either, but do talk to your doctor about what you experiencing so that everything can be taken into consideration. I hope that during your July visit you will get some answers.
Meanwhile, it would be useful to start recording your symptoms in a diary. This will be very useful as a starting point for discussion and help you feel you are doing something while you wait.
Some of the most common symptoms of Parkinson’s are tremor, slowness of movement, falls and dizziness, and muscle stiffness or cramps. Do read this page that may answer some of your questions.
We aren’t able to diagnose you here, but we can point you towards the resources you might need. We’re also confident that our members will be a great source of support and reassurance, as @Tot has already been.
I’d encourage you to explore the Parkinson’s UK website for more information on how Parkinson’s is diagnosed. We also have an incredible team of advisers on our helpline at 0808 800 0303.