Hi, my names Joanne and I've been dx since nov 2010, I'm 43 and not coping great since dx .
I'm suffering bad anxiety , I don't go out on my own anymore I think I'm suffering social anxiety, I don't no why I let it get the better of me you can't even tell I have pd , I don't have a tremor I just am a bit slow and unbalanced at doing stuff but I think the anxietys making symptoms worse . I'm due to get married nov 14 and I really want to sort this anxiety out plus I want to sort my meds due to wearing off !
Things would be much easier without pd ! I defo took life for granted
Hello Joe43, my husband has PD and I know that anxiety does make his symptoms worse and hope you find a way to cope with it. I am sure you will get some support from the forum, it has helped me. flo
Hi, Im sorry you have been struggling since your diagnosis, I havent been diagnosed with PD (waiting to find out) but I have a lot of the same symptoms anyway, when I first started getting more ill about 9 years ago I went for quite a while not wanting to leave the house because I was scared of getting more ill when I was out and worrying what others were thinking and I know its easier said than done but sometimes you just have to make yourself do things and hopefully you will find that its not as bad as you think, thats good as well if your symptoms arent too obvious =) Ive been a bit self conscious of my tremor when Im in public but I know deep down most people arent going to notice so I try and get on with it. When I did have bad anxiety I even tried cognitive hypnotherapy and although I wasnt convinced at the time my anxiety did improve after a while. Maybe look into mindfulness and relaxation techniques too, Im not very good at them but I know they are really helpful for lots of people. It wouldnt hurt to talk to your doctor too. Good luck x
Hi joe43 my husband has pd he was dx in 2011 he has a tremor and walks with a limp but he struggles with anxiety he's now on citalapram 30 mg and not being able to go to work for 3 months as he's self employed we get no help at all . If he gets stressed his tremor gets bad at one point he didn't want to go out but he's slowly getting there x As my husband says people see the tremor but don't realise the other side of pd x. Good luck with your wedding things will get better x
Hi Joe, he has had PD for 5 years. It has been a very rocky road at times, he was in denial at first, and angry. He kept trying to hide his tremor, it exhausted him. The way he coped was mainly getting very agitated and argumentative, not very harmonious in the home at times,
What helped him was joining our local PD group, he is very active with it and the group does what it can to inform and have a social side for the members. He doesn't dwell on it too much, he gets annoyed if I try to mollycoddle him too much. He likes to be in control as much as possible, when things change it unsettles him, Find something that unwinds you, it can be something so simple such as reading, puzzles, deadheading the Roses etc.
I am waiting for a scan , memory problems, poor coordination, reduced arm swing. At the moment I have no idea what it is, it could even be anxiety. To cope, I do some gardening or have a walk, or come on the forum.
Hi Joanne and welcome to the forum,
I was diagnosed at about the same age as you were. I know what you mean about taking life for granted before diagnosis.
What meds are you on for Parkinson's and do you take anything for anxiety. Anxiety and/or depression are not uncommon in people with Parkinson's but that doesn't mean that they are inevitable. Have you spoken to your GP, neurologist or Parkinson's nurse about it.
Hi suzynola7, thanks for yr reply , I'm sorry to hear you are waiting to find out if u have pd , hopefully not fingers crossed . I know I don't know why I worry what people think and I know their not looking at me really and their too busy with their own life's but I just can't help thinking that way , hopefully when I go hypnotherapy appt monday they can talk some sense into me ! X. Good luck with yr results .
Hi jo h , thanks for yr reply, I used to be on citalapram before I was dx because not through choice the doctors more or less forced on me, I wasnt depressed it was cause I had symptoms like I was depressed but cause I was showing signs of depression I had to take them first , they didn't work and they done further tests and it turned out to be pd!
Oh and thanks for wishing me good luck for wedding , luckily it's nothing big just me and my partner at gretna green Scotland , couldn't deal with the stress of a big day !
Hi elegant fowl thanku for yr reply, i know it's not the ideal age to get pd , well it's not ideal at any age!
Im on madopar and neupropatch , which I'm trying to reduce the patch because I think the doctors have upped it too much and it's causing dizziness / unbalanced and im convinced that's causing anxiety as well , cause I used to go out more when I was on madopar alone ! And plus I've had 7 falls in the past mths since using the patch , last night was my worst fall I split my head open !
yeah I have mentioned abt anxiety but they don't wanna give me anxiety pills they suggested relaxation etc x so Monday I'm going hypnotherapy x
My husband took a Dopamine Agonist from the same family as the Neuropatch, and suffered dreadful side effects.
He came off them altogether and now takes Sinemet, similar to Madopar.
The dizziness soon stopped and for special occasions (like your wedding,) or time spent with groups all talking at once, he was prescribed dispersible Madopar.
He takes them when he needs a boost, and they work in 5 to 10 minutes.
His mobility improves, the anxiety lessens, he feels more confident and it helps enormously.
Is it worth asking your Parkinson's Nurse about it?
Our GP always says ask the nurse, she knows far more than me!
Hi Joe43, painting is great for unwinding. My husband painted a lot for a while then suddenly, the impulse to paint went. The PD group can seem very daunting at first but this forum is a great way to get to know people and get advice, especially at the beginning. We are both retired now so my husband doesn't have the stress of working, and at the time it was very difficult for him.
Mostly he copes well with the tremors and doesn't try to hide them but in a stressful situation it is obvious to everyone that he has PD.By the way he is on Sinemet and tollerates it well.
I shall be glad to have the scan over with but then the long wait for the hospital apt, at least I am in the system.
Hi golden girl thanks for yr reply , really that just confirms it for me abt the patch you saying abt the dizziness etc
thats what I'm taking madopar dispensable which is fine, the docs gave me neupropatch cause I was suffering wearing off but I think they upped the Patch too much which caused the problems and now I'm slowly reducing the patch .
im hoping this will help with being dizzy/unbalanced
Apart from Clonazepam, he has problems sleeping, and medications for other conditions, Sinemet is all he has. It works well but he does get wearing off and if he stays up later he might have to have an extra tablet. It makes a difference taking the tablets on time, the alarm on his phone goes off and I always carry spare tablets in my bag. flo
