Recently diagnosed.

Hello. I was diagnosed with PD at the beginning of February this year. My symptoms started about 3 years ago when my wife noticed a tremor in my left arm then it moved to my left leg, I went to my local GP but was told it was nothing and probably something to do with a nerve and to lose some weight as that would help. On my next trip to the GP about it I had a different Dr (we have locums here so youre lucky if you see the same one twice) he said he was 99.9999% it wasnt PD but didnt know what it was. After another visit (same Dr luckily) he mentioned MND and MS and decided to refer me to a neurologist. My first appointment with the neurologist nothing much was said he thought the tremor was maybe anxiety but hed get me in for a CT scan (which was clear) this was 2019 then we know how 2020 went so everything was telephone consultations. in December I had my phone call and the consultant said he wanted me to come into hospital for a couple of days for an MRI and SPECT scan this was the end of January this year . I saw another consultant who thought it was PD but said the symptoms are so mild that if it is he wouldnt recommend any treatment as yet. the week after I got he call saying it was PD and that hed be in-touch in a few month. 6 weeks later I got another appointment and saw another consultant who noticed a my left thumb has lost a bit of movement as well as my left arm has less swing when walking and he recommended Selegline.
my symptoms are still only left sided at rest tremor.
I turned 49 in October last year, married and have a 17year old son. The hardest part for me was for my wife and son as I didnt want this for them. Work have been great so far, Im a lifeboat mechanic for the RNLI and as at the moment its not hindering me I can carry on with the job I love. a bit long winded this so Ill leave it there for now as its turning into War and Peace :slight_smile:

Hi Gunny,
We noticed this was your first post and wanted to take a moment to say hello and to welcome you to the Forum. It won’t be long before you’ll be meeting our lovely community, benefiting from their experience and knowledge, and learning more about all the things that are possible when you have Parkinsons. Please take advantage of our helpline – its free and confidential – at 0808 800 0303. Our advisers are friendly and another wealth of knowledge at your fingertips, so don’t hesitate to make use of them. And of course we encourage you to have a search through the website at Parkinsons.org.uk. That handy bar at the top will lead you to even more information, including older Forum threads.
Again welcome, and best wishes!
Jason
Moderation Team

Hello Gunny
You can be as long winded as you like if it helps. Sorry to hear you’ve had such a convulted journey to reach your current point - not my experience I have to say but I know a lot of people do. I can entirely understand you didn’t want this for your wife and son but let’s face it I doubt you want it either. I think of it like a club no-one wants to join and you find yourself in it through no fault of your own. It can feel like your whole world has been turned upside down, your future suddenly becomes totally unknown except that the overriding perception for many is that there is no future of any worth. Although you have been some time in getting your diagnosis, it is still early days for you in Parkinson’s terms. Parkinson’s as you will discover, is not well understood and many know very little about it until it comes knocking on their door. So just thought I’d stop by and tell you it’s not all bad either. For many it is a slow moving condition that doesn’t have much impact on your life at the beginning and you will probably find nothing much changes. As it is usually slow moving you your family do have time to adjust to changes as and when they occur. Do try and stay positive and don’t go mad reading everything you can lay your hands on, you will in all probability end up with information overload and not be able to see the wood for the trees. Just take it steady one day at a time, and ask only those questions you need answers to now. Things do settle down and life goes on. I can’t deny it is not life changing and at times something of a challenge but it is perfectly possible to have a good quality of life with Parky in tow unless you choose to see it all in negative terms. The forum is here 24/ 7 for any support you or indeed your family may need.
Sending best wishes to you and your family.
Tot

1 Like

Cheers Tot, only doing my reading from this web site so not using Dr Google :wink: rang the helpline a few weeks ago for a chat and also chased the local PD nurse for a meeting when I was on the mainland for an another appointment which was good. Im doing an hour a day on the rowing machine (one day off a week) as read and been told that exercise is important in the fight and it wouldnt do me any harm anyway :slight_smile:

Cheers for the welcome Jason, I`ve already rang the helpline and had a chat which was good :slight_smile:

1 Like

Just saying :wave: hi to @Gunny - we are a similar age and I have a 18 year old and 20 year old so we are in a similar situation. My exercise of choice is running and cycling. Cheers!

Ello Pcyc, cheers for the welcome. I`ve been looking at dusting off the old MTB but not got round to it as yet. but I will

1 Like