Hello My name is Jackie and David is my partner he is 54 years old and we have seen a consultant this morning who has confirmed that David has pd.David has a resting tremor in his left hand this is the only symptom he has.David drives and works full time and we have a very happy active life and I cant believe this is happening to us. The consultant wants David to begin taking Levidopa medication , I'm worried that because he has only a slight tremor that taking this medication might make things worst. Anyone with any advice I would be grateful
Hello Jackie, nice to meet you, I am also new to the site, my husband has just started medication for PD, although he has not yet had confirmation with a specialist, he is waiting for appointment 6-8 weeks wait apparently. My husband has the right hand tremor, and rigidity, struggles to get dressed, use utensils, along with a lot of other symptoms. He needed to have medication of some sort as he has been so unwell. It sounds as if your husband has only slight problems at the present, and may feel he does not want to start taking anything? a friend of mine is 67yrs she has onset of PD and has been told she does not need meds at present, wait till symptoms progress, but this is something you really need to discuss with your health professionals, I have read that the longer you take the meds the affects can become less effective over time, but as I say my husband is 65yrs and he definateley needs meds. You will find that a lot of people on this site will come to greet you, they did with me, and they are really great, friendly and so knowledgeable about PD, a lot of them long term PD sufferers, they are so positive and strong take their advice they put my mind at rest. love and best wishes hols x
Welcome to the forum, Jackieappy!
Your partner's case of PD sounds like mine about 15 years ago. That's how long I've had this sometimes frustrating disease, and I am still living essentially the same life I was then. The diagnosis is a shock; I understand your reaction of "this surely can't be happening to us!" But once you both have time to adjust to the idea, the stress level will definitely go down.
You will need to consult medical professionals, naturally, yet I'll offer my own experience by way of cheering example. My first symptoms were so slight that I delayed medication about three years. But when my handwriting started shrinking, my resting tremor increased, my piano playing worsened due to lack of coordination, and my gait was getting awkward, I began taking Mirapex (Pramipexole). Fortunately, I had no side effects. Since then, my doctor has increased my dosage as symptoms emerged. Presently, I take two drugs to control symptoms and two to slow the progress of the disease.
My case of PD has advanced so slowly that when I meet new people, no one ever guesses that I have it. Recently, I took a tour of Yellowstone National Park with 17 others; after snowshoeing three miles in forested hills, they were amazed to hear that I am a PD patient. (My age, by the way, is 67.) So be optimistic, be sure your partner exercises as much as possible, and I wish you the sort of luck I have enjoyed.
Your partner's case of PD sounds like mine about 15 years ago. That's how long I've had this sometimes frustrating disease, and I am still living essentially the same life I was then. The diagnosis is a shock; I understand your reaction of "this surely can't be happening to us!" But once you both have time to adjust to the idea, the stress level will definitely go down.
You will need to consult medical professionals, naturally, yet I'll offer my own experience by way of cheering example. My first symptoms were so slight that I delayed medication about three years. But when my handwriting started shrinking, my resting tremor increased, my piano playing worsened due to lack of coordination, and my gait was getting awkward, I began taking Mirapex (Pramipexole). Fortunately, I had no side effects. Since then, my doctor has increased my dosage as symptoms emerged. Presently, I take two drugs to control symptoms and two to slow the progress of the disease.
My case of PD has advanced so slowly that when I meet new people, no one ever guesses that I have it. Recently, I took a tour of Yellowstone National Park with 17 others; after snowshoeing three miles in forested hills, they were amazed to hear that I am a PD patient. (My age, by the way, is 67.) So be optimistic, be sure your partner exercises as much as possible, and I wish you the sort of luck I have enjoyed.
Thankyou for your helpful and encouraging replies. It's just what we need at this time.
Hello and welcome Jackieappy and welcome to the forum, I am sorry to hear that your partner David has been dx. It is such a shock when you are first given the news, but it really isn't the end of the world. I have been dx for 11 years now and I worked full time as a children's social worker for 8 years, the work was very stressful but I remained at it until my pd, and my managers poor handling of my situation, forced me to retire.
You made mention about the options facing David in respect of drugs, I am certainly not qualified to offer advice but I can offer advice from a personal perspective.
Levodopa has a lifespan of working efficiently and that is usually around ten years, however this will differ with each person. As it stops working effectively your neuro gradually increases the dosages, but there does come a point for many people when their meds are not fully effective due to the amount of time that they have been on them. on this basis alone my advice would be, if David's shake is not bad at the moment and it isn't causing too many difficulties for him, hold off the meds until such time that things take a turn for the worse.
Pd is a very personal condition and the progression of the condition varies tremendously and David may be lucky enough to get many years of working.Just a little tip, if you have a mortgage, do check your insurance policies to check if you might be able to claim critical illness for his Parkinson's.
I hope that I have given you something to think about, if you wish to know anything please ask? There is always somebody that can offer advice or answers on the forum and we 'longtermers' usually have a fair bit of experience behind us, there's are plenty of us on here. I hope to chat with you along the way, take care
Glenchass
You made mention about the options facing David in respect of drugs, I am certainly not qualified to offer advice but I can offer advice from a personal perspective.
Levodopa has a lifespan of working efficiently and that is usually around ten years, however this will differ with each person. As it stops working effectively your neuro gradually increases the dosages, but there does come a point for many people when their meds are not fully effective due to the amount of time that they have been on them. on this basis alone my advice would be, if David's shake is not bad at the moment and it isn't causing too many difficulties for him, hold off the meds until such time that things take a turn for the worse.
Pd is a very personal condition and the progression of the condition varies tremendously and David may be lucky enough to get many years of working.Just a little tip, if you have a mortgage, do check your insurance policies to check if you might be able to claim critical illness for his Parkinson's.
I hope that I have given you something to think about, if you wish to know anything please ask? There is always somebody that can offer advice or answers on the forum and we 'longtermers' usually have a fair bit of experience behind us, there's are plenty of us on here. I hope to chat with you along the way, take care
Glenchass