Husband diagnosed TODAY!

I am sure you've all seen this type of post over and over, a sad and shaken up (no pun intended) person writing to say they or a family member was just diagnosed, and seeking human contact and empathy.

My husband, aged 56, was diagnosed today by a neurologist, although he did ask for an MRI and blood tests to help confirm it. Yet the symptoms did seem to tie into a diagnosis.

We went in early. The symptoms only began 1 month ago:

1. Shaking right hand & shaking right leg/foot.

2. Shaking stops when the hand or leg is being used.

My husband, for reasons known only to him, attempted to hide this from me, but I noticed it when he was consciously side tracked by TV, and his peers at work confirmed that it was noticable.

Of course, my great fear is that my husband is going to end up in a wheelchair within a short time and perhaps will lose his mental acuity. He has always been very athletic and very witty and sharp minded.

No one can offer assurances perhaps, but I hope that his progression is very slow.

He came home and broke down and cried, but then put on his manly strength, and focused on having a positive attitude. He learned this when recuperating from a serious wound in a V.A. hospital in Japan during the Viet Nam war. He was told then he would be in pain every day and never get on with life until he took control of his reactions. So he went through a great deal of spiritual/mental discipline at a young age.

The doctor did not put him on medication yet. After test results are back, then we are to return and discuss treatment strategy. The doctor was refreshingly positive, rather than painting a bleak picture of deterioration.

Any words of advice for a man and his family facing this as of Day 1?

ArizonaJoy

Whatever you do do not think that because your husband has been diagnosed with PD its the end of the world.  What Shakey has said makes lots of sense and although people with PD have different symptoms, generally, the progression is quite slow. I was diagnosed 7 years ago and over time feel that in some respects some of my problems have got less troublesome than they were at the beginning. 

Many people I meet are surprised to learn that I have PD because with the help of the medication and some mind over matter I have very good control over the tremor that affects my left hand, jaw and left foot. I mention this to emphasise what Shakey has said about accepting the condition and learning to cope. A simple example is that to control my involuntary jaw and lip movements I chew gum. This give  the jaw something to do and the tremor subsides.  Its simple but effective and it makes me feel less stressed.

If I get the tremors in my arm and hand I can often control it through willpower.  I mention these things not because I think I want to appear clever but to give you some comfort in the knowledge that things are not as black as they seem to you on this first day.

I also find that a little prayer helps at times like this

Let us know how you and your husband are getting on

God Bless

BILLY

Hello Arizonajoy,

What you are feeling emotionally is very natural. It's still a shock finding out it's PD. I can still remember the shock, fear, helpless feeling when we found out. I knew before my husband did.

We were on a cruise, and one of our tablemates was a doctor. I had mentioned that ever since my husband had a virus that he just isn't the same. I wasn't sure if it was arthritis causing him to walk so slow and the stiffness in his shoulders was extreme. He is a driver and that can cause stiffness. He also seemed fatiqued. On the last day of our cruise, the doctor came up to me and said to get hubby into a neurologist, that it appears to be PD. I didn't mentioned this to my husband until a week later. I had to deal with it and try to be strong and encouraging for him. It was confirmed Aug 2004 he just turned 60. The hardest was finding the right medication and dose.

My husband is doing well now that he has the medication that is working for him. He is also going to physical therapy 3 times a week for his stiffness. He gets tired easier, but he is no longer fatiqued. He still works, but hopes to retire next summer. My husband has not yet had shakes or tremors. He takes 2 carbadopa pills a day, and one or two Amantadine a day. He also takes CQ10 400mg 3 x's daily. He was having uninary track infections the first year. I bought ProBiotic Acidophilus ( a bacteria pill) he takes it once a day and has not had any infections in over a year.

I try not to think to much about what might be down the road. Because, there is always hope that a new medication will be found that will help. Faith is the things hoped for and not seen.