@A MyParkinsonsTeam Member - Wonderful! Just what I have been trying to let people know - PT & OT & exercise are key to reversing PD symptoms. You are so right to say "I have to let go and not make her an invalid because I'm afraid she will fall or overdo.." I guess I was lucky that my beloved late husband was dying of cancer when I got PD, because I had to be the caregiver. It forced my to learn to do things for myself. I didn't have the luxury of quitting eating and spending a large amount of time in bed because I had to feed the horses twice a day. Never say never. It is totally possible to get back to walking without a walker and studies in a nursing home in Europe show that 60 mg of the herb ginkgo 3x/day or 90 mg 2x/day for 6 months cures dementia. I have found lots of relief with it, and remain sharp & functional. I am so glad she is ready to get into some activities of making things and no longer ready to just give up. Sometimes the hardest thing a caregiver can do is to make it possible for us to do things ourselves, instead of to do things for us. Overdoing (some) is actually beneficial in physical & mental exercise. As for falling, the PT & OT can give her balance exercises. If my 90 year old (non-PD) dad can recover his balance, so can your wife. I did. Even the frequent reminder "Stand up straight!" when delivered with a loving smile helps tremendously! You go guy, and keep your beloved wife active & engaged in your lives together.

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A MyParki...

I agree, any type of activity. Yesterday i spent the day taking my 11year granddaughter clothes shopping for her birthday and out to lunch. I drove over 2 1/2 hrs throughout the day, walked all over a large mall and helped her find "just the right" back to school clothes. I was exhausted but felt so good. I think taking my head out of "me" is axl wonderful thing. Fortunately, I had a good night's sleep. Today I will find time for me to rest and relax.

@Hi folks I am75 and from a small town in Scotland. I dont think we have much back up for PD in the area. I mabe wrong. All I can say to others is Get on with it help yourself as much as you can Exersice regulary Live life as long as you can Enjoy everthing . You have got to be alive to feel evey pain every emotion. Dont let PD get you down.I am not a religious person but I feel we are on this earth for a purpose. Sorry I feel that I am on a soap box preaching. Frienda and fellow sufferers just get on with it and enjoy life the best you can. Good luck Ronnie

@A MyParkinsonsTeam Member - @A MyParkinsonsTeam Member nailed it - you ARE the same person - PD doesn't change you. I personally found that out while tutoring first graders in reading (the SMART program - Start Making A New Reader Today).

The young man I was tutoring noticed the tremor in my hand and asked me why - I told him it was a degenerative neuromuscular condition called Parkinson's Disease. He considered what I said for a moment and then asked, "that means you don't get better, doesn't it?".

I replied, "that's pretty much true...what was that word you were trying to pronounce? Let's sound it out..." And the lesson continued, with success, since I got him clued in on how to sound out words he didn't recognize.

I suppose in retrospect I was using twenty-five cent words, but note this - he was curious, I was matter of fact about the answer and kids may be inexperienced, but they aren't stupid. It was not even an incident - it fit right into the flow of the lesson. It was a powerful lesson to me that people perceive you by your demeanor, not just your physical presence. I didn't make a big deal, so neither did he.

PD has a really negative effect that is not mentioned much, even in the PD community. I call it Loss of Confidence and it is subtle. As you become more challenged physically it is much easier to start believing your capability has diminished as well. Sometimes you can stop doing something because...well, just because. Then it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

I am not saying you ignore the symptoms and effects of PD - "if I ignore it maybe it will go away" doesn't work. However, when I was formally diagnosed (I was already 99% certain that it was PD from my own research) I was amazed by how LITTLE was changed by the fact I had PD.

I pass this on to you - be aware of the pitfall of losing your confidence - that you can directly address because it is up to you to handle. You can't do anything about other people's inappropriate or just plain stupid actions, so you concentrate on your own DOING "it"; whatever "it" actually is - that you can control.

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A MyParki...

A MyParki...

Thank you, just getting started and yes everything you said is true and I hope to get into such a program. For now though the speed bag seems to be a good start for me in maintaining hand eye coordination, balance and depth perception.