Hi All,
Firstly I would like to wish you well and thank you for reading this post.
My wife saw the doctor this afternoon. The doctor believes that my wife may have Parkinsons Disease. She will be admitted to hospital for tests soon. We have both been stunned by the news. I am presently my wife's carer.
Can you give me some advice about what I should do/say to my wife. I am very worried and have personal challenges with anxiety and panic attacks.
Many thanks
M
Hi Moley
Firstly, now is not the time to panic - you don't know for certain yet that your wife has PD. Wait until the test results and then take take time to discuss, with your consultant, how you can make things easier for both yourself and your wife. It is very frightening at first but with the help of the correct medication life can resume as normal. This website has lots of information about the disease and how you can help your wife to lead a normal life. It is important for you both to remain positive. You've made the first correct step simply by signing up to the Forum where you will find answers to every question you have from people who have first-hand knowledge of what it like to live with this disease. Try not to worry until you have the diagnosis - try to spend your time reading the information and constructing questions for your doctor. Good luck. Fizzy
Firstly, now is not the time to panic - you don't know for certain yet that your wife has PD. Wait until the test results and then take take time to discuss, with your consultant, how you can make things easier for both yourself and your wife. It is very frightening at first but with the help of the correct medication life can resume as normal. This website has lots of information about the disease and how you can help your wife to lead a normal life. It is important for you both to remain positive. You've made the first correct step simply by signing up to the Forum where you will find answers to every question you have from people who have first-hand knowledge of what it like to live with this disease. Try not to worry until you have the diagnosis - try to spend your time reading the information and constructing questions for your doctor. Good luck. Fizzy
Hi Moley
I agree; no need to panic. It is scary when you get the diagnosis and if it is confirmed it will take a while to get your head around it. I kept saying to myself 'concentrate on what you CAN do not what you can't. There were always a million things I've never been able to do;( cope with heights, play the saxophone, turn a cartwheel for example!)but I got on with life without. There are now some additions to that list and some will make life tricky but there are still an awful lot of things I CAN do even 7 years on (use a computer, visit my Dad for lunch on a Sunday (he's 90 with PD), appreciate a good joke, do crosswords and sudoku, contribute to the pub quiz team, make really good scrambled egg (shaky hand a bonus for that one). My husband's love and support (he proposed 6 weeks after my diagnosis to confirm he was going to be around) has been enormously helpful and your o/h will be glad to have your support.
best wishes to you both
I agree; no need to panic. It is scary when you get the diagnosis and if it is confirmed it will take a while to get your head around it. I kept saying to myself 'concentrate on what you CAN do not what you can't. There were always a million things I've never been able to do;( cope with heights, play the saxophone, turn a cartwheel for example!)but I got on with life without. There are now some additions to that list and some will make life tricky but there are still an awful lot of things I CAN do even 7 years on (use a computer, visit my Dad for lunch on a Sunday (he's 90 with PD), appreciate a good joke, do crosswords and sudoku, contribute to the pub quiz team, make really good scrambled egg (shaky hand a bonus for that one). My husband's love and support (he proposed 6 weeks after my diagnosis to confirm he was going to be around) has been enormously helpful and your o/h will be glad to have your support.
best wishes to you both
Hello and welcome, Moley!
I'd like to echo what sallymac said and add that I'm several years farther along in this disease than she is. This is year 16 for me, and I'm still living a "normal" life, doing the things I've always done (hiking, gardening, playing piano). The three most important factors in my treatment have been maintaining an optimistic outlook, getting lots of exercise, and finding the right combination of meds. for my particular case. As you know, each case of PD is a little different.
It would be wonderful if your wife does not have Parkinson's but something minor and curable. But even if you get the diagnosis of PD, remember that for most of us it's a slow-moving disease and that symptoms can be reduced or eliminated by medication.
So do not panic or give in to pessimism. The two of you will support each other and get to better times again. When I was first diagnosed, I was told by a fool of a neurologist that within ten years I'd be in a wheelchair. Instead, after more than 15 years, I'm taking Tai Chi lessons and improving my balance!
My best wishes to you both.
I'd like to echo what sallymac said and add that I'm several years farther along in this disease than she is. This is year 16 for me, and I'm still living a "normal" life, doing the things I've always done (hiking, gardening, playing piano). The three most important factors in my treatment have been maintaining an optimistic outlook, getting lots of exercise, and finding the right combination of meds. for my particular case. As you know, each case of PD is a little different.
It would be wonderful if your wife does not have Parkinson's but something minor and curable. But even if you get the diagnosis of PD, remember that for most of us it's a slow-moving disease and that symptoms can be reduced or eliminated by medication.
So do not panic or give in to pessimism. The two of you will support each other and get to better times again. When I was first diagnosed, I was told by a fool of a neurologist that within ten years I'd be in a wheelchair. Instead, after more than 15 years, I'm taking Tai Chi lessons and improving my balance!
My best wishes to you both.