Newly diagnosed. Panic attacks

Hi everyone. I am 46 and was diagnosed on 23rd February. As much as I know there are worse things in life I can't stop feeling anxious and panicking about the future. My youngest has just turned 3 and I'm worried I won't be able to do as much with her as I did my other children or I won't be around to see her grow up. I can't stop thinking about what is going on inside my brain and how quickly it will progress. I feel like I've lost control of my life and worry if I will develop lewy body dementia. My dad died just under 2 years ago at age 79 from parkinsons he was diagnosed at age 75. I can't sleep can't eat I feel physically sick with worry. Did anyone else feel like this. Do these feelings go away or is the anxiety all part of it.

Hi.

MY OH was diagnosed at 47, they are now 66. Strangely, we had none of your concerns on  diagnosis almost 20 years ago. Maybe it was a godsend that the internet was not so readily available to us then. Maybe ignorance was bliss!

Stop Googling, stop worrying, stop speculating on the maybes and speak to either your consultant/Parkinsons nurse or phone the PUK helpline to allay your fears. Meanwhile, there is a great deal of information on the PUK website and free leaflets on anything that may concern you right now, including Lewy Body dementia.

Nobody dies from Parkinsons, maybe they die from the complications that may arise in old age associated with Parkinsons but Parkinson does not kill you outright, despite the spurious reports in the press which I have always challenged when they say that so and so has died from Parkinsons.

We had young twin daughters when oh was diagnosed. They fully participated in all that they did.

20 years later I admit that our life is very different to what I imagined it would be at our age but we still enjoy most of what we used to,and look forward to doing even more, while we are able to and for as long as we are able to. It is most definitely NOT a death sentence, just life changing but that is after many years and even then everyone's Parkinsons progresses at a different rate.

 

Thank you very much for your words of support. It is really helpful to know that you both managed to raise your twins and enjoy time with them regardless of parkinsons. You are right I know life goes on but as you say just not how I imagined it would be. I will definitely look up the helpline.

hi, my heart goes out to you. I was diagnosed 8 years ago, I am 55 now.  I was a worrier and i panicked that dementia would affect me as it had other family members.  I am not saying for one minute that you should do this but I can only share my experience in the hope that it helps you.

My pd specialist at my first appointment told me that in his many years experience, those patients with pd faired better with a positive attitude and not using google.  So I have found a physical therapist who works with people with neurological problems. She devises exercise programmes suited to me that help with keeping my joints from stiffening up and help my mood.  I also found that mindfulness helps me live in the moment and not the future. 

The people on this site help also.  They bravely share their story's and their fears and you don't feel alone.  As benji has said its not a death sentence, it is something you deal with every day, but you can also enjoy each day.  

juju

 

 

Hi, I was diagnosed last year aged 50, like most people I've most likely had PD for 3/4years before that. It will take a while to sink in and get used to this new way of thinking about what's ahead. As JUJU said, live in the moment. You can still do all you want to do but maybe in a different way. Give yourself time, surround yourself with supportive people. Try not to get stressed as this can make PD symptoms worse.
Thank you juju. It's really helpful to speak to other people in the same situation. I will definitely speak to the physiotherapist now and as you said positive thinking x
Hi Divine R Thank you for your reply. You are definitely right about stress making of worse. I have noticed how I tremor more and feel generally worse in any kind of stress. Relaxation is the way forward for sure x

Hi little - you have had lots of good advice so I won't repeat it.  I am old now and getting older.  I was diagnosed at age 64 and am coming up to 71st year.  The only thing I would stress is exercise.  Exercise, exercise and then exercise some more.  Exercise is widely thought to be the only thing that may slow the progress.  I exercise compulsively and nothing much has changed for me.  The changes I have noticed could be due to the fact that I am getting on in life.  Anyway, I have kept a blog since 2011 in which I document my journey.  You can find it at www.wpgchap.blogspot.ca.  There a people all over the world who are experiencing the crushing news that they have PD.   I have had 70,000 page views in that time.  I try to tell my tale and things I have learned in a non-frightening, but informative, manner.  You might find it interesting and hopefully it will reassure you that it's not so bad being a PWP.   Good luck.

 

            Littleolme eh

                   YOUR F orum name  spells out your attitude to BLACKHEART  yes its going th hange your lifr, of course how  much it  does so is up to you its 19 yrs in 1week I was given the  decision after not much of a noisy spell with some bloke called  MR,,I, HE LOOKS INSIDE YOUR HEAD and produces the   " yeh or neih" so when Mr Is very noisy scanner which I can undestand being inserted,,oooh I love that word inserted, It sends extreme signals  to parts of my  brain which has so mething to do  with my  very sexy (sometimes ) wife  Lorraine inserted  oooh  ill have to stop threre is another word   that has the same effect and that  word is   I dont know if  I should spell this  as  it has a immediate effect, oh you   only live once or 9 if you are a cat, though ,back in god OLD Seventy 4 we had a fine cat called SIMON, ""YES YES I KNOW"  but as in the  sadly missed MR JOHNNY CASH SONG, JUST CALL ME SUE, IT MADE HIM TOUGHER QUICKER" and boy was  he  ia scrapper he matured into a truly gracefull  feline and we began to worry when other Toms called him out every  night in what became a war over territory  , now  you may  wonder what  the heck  has this to  do with anxiety well let me complete this tale and ( OH  THAT WORD IS INSERTING BY   THE WAY, OH OOH I am so  sorry please  excuse my unforgivable behavior "insr"" NO NO NO MORE sorry my dear friends I will distract using my cat, now as I SAID IT WAS mostly night time I  was 24yrs old and woulld defend with avengence   any unfairness unequality  which I thought was well unfair orr unequal and  so t  was my friiends one long hot summer I  began to pick up the sounds of interlopers heading inward, now  I  dont  know  how  I do  this  and  it  happens to  this  day, but I can sense when im in for trouble  though I HAD NO IDEA WHAT  WAS  ABOUT  TO  OCCUR, my Ex  wife was wallkiing home from her shift at the Working Mens  Club, about 1/2 a  mile from  our  home and well I wont dwell  on  this as its upsetting, anyway as my very lovely wife was only 20yds from home two of the local  low life grabbed her and, well you  get  the  picture I  remember I was watching BOB REDFORD, in my view  one  of his  finest movies  JERAMIA JOHNSON,  when our MEGA MOGGY began to howl , the scene where Jeramia was fighting off multiple attacks by Native Kree  and Cherokee young warriors bore more than a similar predicament to my young  feline buddy , now at this thought he began  to fly  around our  home,  howling  and  screeching in a way  he  had  never done before so  against my dear x wifes  instructions  I set  him  free,  I counted 6  opponents one he knocked  A,,,,E  OWER EL''''W  with  his momentum, he  ran  straight at   another with a savagery  only  matched by the hunting skills  of  Lionesses on the savannah of Keyna and Serenghetti , but  among  all these  howling  screeching sounds which  could  currldle blood at 5  miles there  was   anothher,, more human sound,, now along  the back  garden  of  out  home there was  a  six   foot  lap  panel fence you  know  the type  the  woos  is  woven together  and  though   my  wife said  she didnt  want  a  gate fitted  , well  much  as I do  today  really with  WN2,  I    just  ignored her and  as I  after  about  3 months had  Identified  the  other  noise  as   FED  FED  HELP   my brain finally  kicked  into  gear  now I MUST  STOP HERE as belofd needs me back soon

,          but Im  B:uG::<<ed if I CAN remembe

cool

           Sorry about  that but  I would have  timed  out ,beloved wanted a  screw  or a long   screw  well  NO  CHANCE   thought I , so she  wheeled be  down  to  the summer  house  where  there are  3  shelves  each  shelf  has 8 containers with  screws by  the thousand   and  the  sizes  written  in  large felt  tip are  clearly  marked  upon  the  sides,  so  she  had   her  screw  and   returned to  finish  this  tale. of  unfolding violence I opened  the  gate  just as  these  thugs gained  the  advantage so I wasted  no  time stamping down  with  MAX   VENOM on one thugs nicely positioned hand,  the  sound  of  crunching fingers was  immensely   satisfying,  but  what  happened  next, and I swear  I  could  not  believe it  this  screaming  banshee wrapped around  the  thug sitting  astride my  wife  and  began  to  kick  the  BARsteward,  in  the  face   with  his  back  legs  this  had  the  effect of  turning   the  brave  young  sex  attacker  into a screaming   GET  IT  OFF  GET  IT  OFF ,for a moment I was going  to  do  just  that  but SIMON WENT UP A GEAR  and as thug 1  tried  in  vain  to  remove him his bite went  through flesh  and  dug  into bone  he  was  by  then  helpless and  his  brave companion was long  gone though  we   knew  him and eventually  thug 1 was  released from  his attacker  from  helll with  a  bucket  full  of  water,   SIMON  hated  water, and  he  ran away  when  he  released  this  nut  case  it  was  obvious  his  right  eye  was  severely  damaged and we  subsequently found  out  he  had  been  blinded in  the  right eye the  ploice  were  called  as  the   screams were  heard by  neighbours and  we even had a polis visit us  to ask to  see  our  dangerous  dog  ,"  we  dont  have  a  dangerous  dog", we  have a  CIWS,,  or  close  in  weapon systen;   "OH  WHATS  ONE  OF  THEM"   well  when I said  HEs  a CAT,  He just would not  believe  me  and  just as  he  was  leaving the cat  flap opened and in came the  warrior  covered  in  blood and  bits  of  thug, and  when  he  spotted  the  young polis,  he  arched  his  back  and  was  ready  to  go  again, so  I  BOOTED  HIM  UP  THE  BOTTTY    into  the  kitchen,  there  was  to  be  a investigation but  two  days later as I was setting  off  to  work his  body  was  lying on  the  front  step shot  through  the  right  eye.

 We became  persecuted in  our  street  our  car  tyres were  knifed  I was  attacked in  the  club  buddies  dissapeared and  as  it  got  closer  to  the  trial we  had  to  be  alert as  abuse  of  some  kind   occurred  every  day,

                                     They were  connvicted  and  both got  5yrs  and  from  that  terrible  event to  this  day I have  suffered with  anxiety,  though  PD  has  worsened it  I fear  parky  more  than  any  thug  but  it  can  be  controlled  with   CBT  cognitive  behaviour therapy speak  to  your  GP it certainly  works  for  me  so  see if  you  can   get a appointment    remember  SHY  BAIRNS GET  NOWT                           Take care   FED