I would be so grateful if anyone could give me some advice. I am worried sick.
I have got so many worries about my dad's health but will try to keep it as short and relevant as I can.
He is 62 years old and has been retired for the past year. For the last several years I, along with other members of my family, and total strangers, have been very concerned about his deterioration.
I have tried to talk to him about it but he denies there is anything wrong. I have also tried to speak to his wife (not my mother) and she says that she and the doctor are of the opinion that he "just needs to get off his backside and do more"! She advised that all his blood tests had come back normal and the only thing wrong is that he has very high blood pressure.
However I was not at all happy with this and after being contacted by other family members who are seriously concerned about my dad's deterioration I decided to contact his doctor myself. I did this yesterday and apparently, contrary to my dad's wife, he has grave concerns for my dad's health and has had for some time.
I gave a detailed list of things I had noted to the doctor and said that I suspected he had Parkinson's Disease. The doctor said that he had suspected this himself but without my dad acknowledging there was a problem there was little he could do in terms of referral for scan, examination etc.
Points I noted and advised the doctor
Terrible tremors - not just in hands but all over body.
Leans forward and walks with a small shuffling step.
Can now hardly walk without holding onto something for support and really struggles even climing up a couple of steps.
Makes strange noises with his mouth every couple of seconds - really hard to explain the noise but almost as if his mouth is filling with water and he is clearing it.
Seems totally oblivious to any conversation you have with him - like he is listening but not taking it in.
When trying to have a conversation with him it is almost as if you can hear his brain ticking away thinking what he wants to say and he manages a few words and then seems to forget what he wants to say.
He has been seen driving his car half up on the pavement recently.
Never seems to smile. Just always has the same expression on his face - just blank looking.
I really don't know what to do for the best. The doctor has told me that without my dad's consent and lack of acceptance that something is seriously wrong then he cannot do anything. He would really like him to have a neurological examination and brain scan but cannot do so without my dad's cooperation. The doctor is also concerned that his wife is not showing more concern over his rapid deterioration.
Any help as to what I should do next would be most gratefully received.