Hello,
My husband has increasingly slurred speech - more noticeable when tired and sounds like he is drunk. (He also sways a lot). What worries me is that I don’ know how to tell if it is Parkinson’s that is causing it or if at any time it could be a symptom of a stroke. At the moment the only way I am telling is because it goes on a long time each time as I am observing (without anything else changing) so I assume it is Parkinson’s, but what if I am wrong? (Sometimes he goes to sleep really fast / instantly too which doesn’t help me decide) He has had a TIA about 25-30 years ago, has high blood pressure etc etc and sometimes I can feel myself panicking that I don’t know if it is ‘just’ a Parkinson’s symptom or if I need to take some action. I guess it has been Parkinson’s so far so I can hope that I would spot a difference?
Thank you
I don’t understand why you would think that your husband’s symptoms might be Parkinson’s. Surely he needs to be assessed by a GP or hospital to rule out a stroke before you go down the maybe it’s Parkinson’s diagnosis.
Hi @KatieMui, thank you for your post. We’re really sorry to hear about what you and your husband are going through.
We have information on our website which may help you determine if it is Parkinson’s. This includes what your next steps are and what support is available. You can find it here: Do I have Parkinson's? | Parkinson's UK
We’d recommend speaking to your husband’s GP about how he has been feeling as they will be best placed to advise. Alternatively, you can call our free helpline on 0808 800 0303 and our specialists can answer any of your questions.
We hope this helps. Please take care and reach out if there is anything we can do.
Parkinson’s UK Moderation Team 
I’m sorry - I should have made it clearer (I read it back but hadn’t realised what was missing!) - my husband has a Parkinson’s diagnosis and this is just one symptom. The medication is not very effective, but it is this one symptom that worries me - how do I tell the difference if he is has Parkinson’s already, so it could be a symptom, or is it a stroke at any time on top of this?
Hi @KatieMui
I’ll be very happy to be corrected, but I don’t think you’re going to get a nice, clear answer to your question.
Aside from the similarity to your husband’s PD symptoms, The signs of a stroke can vary depending on which kind of stroke it is… Ischemic (A blockage) or hemorrhagic (a bleed), Which part of the brain is being affected And how much of the brain is affected.
That’s why the common test for stroke (F.A S.T.) is A bit of a blunt instrument and each of those signs could indicate many things, but of those stroke will be the most immediate emergency, if that makes sense?
What you could do is arrange to talk it through with his consultant, And while you’re waiting for the appointment, keep a really detailed diary of these symptoms so that you get evidence of the patterns. For example, his speech always starts to slur about 40 minutes after medicating, or he always wakes up with one-sided weakness and it generally lasts 2 hours. Just examples but that sort of thing.
Then what you want to get from the consultant is an agreed plan which says if he has X symptom in the way you have identified as a pattern, we will treat that as a PD symptom, but if it happens in any other way it’s a 999 call. So that together you all come up with a plan for each of those symptoms that is clear to everybody.
I’m not sure that I have explained that very well?
Simon
Thank you! I think you have explained that perfectly - and that makes a lot of sense, so I will make a start on that. I feel better about it already!
@KatieMui if I can help at all please just shout.
Hello Katie
I had a stroke and now have Parkinson’s.
The big difference is that I got better and better after the stroke.
Also, the stroke hit me dramatically in one attack, whereas PD seems to slowly edge its way in to my life.
You need the patience of a saint to help your partner along the PD path.
But a plus point is that I can fight PD and achieve some success.
Sooty
Thank you for taking the time to reply. I am glad that you recovered from the stroke but sorry to hear that you then got PD - but it sounds as if you are finding ways to fight back. You are definitely right about the patience!!