Living the Life of a PD patient after finding out about PD and realizing that their is hope. The fears fade when the knowledge of the true causes and help are available.
Living the life of a PD patient is not an easy thing to do especially when you find out your options. I began having symptoms early on that slowly progressed to the point it was noticeable enough. When I started showing signs of dementia, shaking, and numbness to the point that I could no longer hide how I felt my family got wise quick. The first thing they did was to take me to my regular physician for a check up. I ended up going to the hospital my most unpopular place to be for about a week. There I lay with an IV and heart monitors attached wondering how I got to this point. Then of course, the battery of tests started along with diagnosis. I had six neurologists and six diagnoses but the quest was who was right? My family informed it was possible after affects of a stroke, dementia was starting, polio was affecting my muscles, and a range of other possibilities. Finally, my blood work completed, MRI done, CT scans over just like a detective show all the great minds together and the riddle of my body resolved.
The youngest of doctors came to my room with the results claiming the head of the department would be by later to help answer any questions. It seemed my brain could no longer make enough dopamine, which caused shakiness, stiffness, difficulty moving and other problems. Their now is a drug called Sinemet which is a combination of Levodopa and carbidopa to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. There the word was finally out. The young doctor had finally put a tag on my problem and I could see he was waiting for my response. I became numb oblivious to everything else the man was saying the words Parkinson Disease became my whole focus. My mind racing began thinking check over your will, preplan your funeral, call your friends and family, all the things you do when you think your life is almost over. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop when the young man said now we are going to start you on this medication immediately and it will take a few weeks before you feel the effects but with this medication, you can live a long and fruitful life.
A long and fruitful life, I thought I had been given the death sentence but instead I was being told that quite the contrary. The right foods, medications and a good therapy plan was all that was needed. I am for that I thought to myself. I have overcome much in my life and this was just another millstone that I could overcome.
The biggest problem that I faced was the fear of everything that I had been told about the disease. Since I did not really know anything concrete, I decided to put all the stories behind me and do my own research finding out the real story about PD. The real story about PD is not as scary as one may believe perhaps someday you or a loved one might be informed that you have PD and of course, you become shaken about how your life will be. The main thing is try not to dwell on what you think will happen and find out the truth about the disease and the treatments available. When you overcome the initial fear your life will be much better and your future even brighter.
http://www.healthmad.com/conditions-and-diseases/parkinson-disease-overcoming-the-initial-fear
