Hi, I completely new to Parkinson's and forums so here goes! My mum has just been diagnosed, four days before her 70th birthday! It seems she probably had it for possibly two years but has been mis diagnosed with anxiety and old age. I think me, my sister and dad seem quite over whelmed - any tips on handling emotions?
Hi Celine, I'm sorry to hear about your mum. Tips? Oh yes, we'll have tips. Try these:
- Feel what you need to feel. Overwhelmed is a good start
- Have a strong family, with a sister and a dad all pulling together.
- Realise that emotions is a big part
- Get help from your fellow carers for PwP, or PwP themselves..
- Realise that most people come new to PD.
Oh, you've done all of those? That's a really great start.
Others will be along to say that PD often moves slowly (btw, your mum may not have been "mis-diagnosed" - it is a tricky condition to call esp if it is moving slowly) so you've all got time to adjust. It certainly isn't the end of the world. Take it easy, be kind to each other, talk a lot about how you're feeling, emotionally as well as physically, all of you (I often say it's the family that has PD, not just me).
Feel free to ignore all the above, whaddo I know. But this one I insist on:
- Have a great brthday party
Best wishes, and keep posting
Semele
Hi Celine and welcome to the forum,
I agree with everything Semele has said. A diagnosis of Parkinson's is hard for everyone involved. Most of us find that it helps to talk to other people in the same situation. That goes equally for people with Parkinson's and for family & friends. If you contact your local Parkinson's group you will find other people in very similar situations to yours.
I hope that helps, keep posting
Elegant Fowl
Thank you so much Semele and Elegant Fowl. It's fab to know support is a finger tip away! Mums got a referral in place for our local Parkinson's Clinic for September so hopefully that will answer lots of questions for us. It's probably getting used to losing a little bit of our mum, and for my dad, his wife. On the plus side , mum is mainly oblivious to lots of feelings and is detached from the world mostly, which makes me feel slightly better that she doesn't 'feel' as much as we do, if that makes sense. Thanks again, and no doubt I'll have more questions for you all!!!
Celine x
Hello Celine, your description of your mum seemingly detatched from worldly activities is a very accurate description of my chosen path, I have had pd for 18yrs and in the last three yrs it has bitten deep into my conciousness, as a result I only pay attention to people or events which are close to my heart, this may come across as arrogance or disinterest or lack of compassion, nothing could be further than the truth, those emotions are alive and well but semi redundant or hybernating until they are needed there have been a number of times when crisis swamped me in a sea of terror pain and discomfort yet my old brain keeps me ticking over, I wish you well on your journey it will be bhard at times but I can tell you are the right kind of selfless individual who will face down parky and deal with this awfull disease attacking your mum .
Kindest Regards Fed