My dad has it. He was diagnosed 18 months ago, has probably had it for 10+ years. He's deteriorated a lot since diagnosis, medication does nothing, physio helps a bit but he won't do as much as he needs do because he is struggling to accept what is happening.
My parents always had a relationship of equals, now my mum is his carer. My dad can't sleep properly, and so my mum doesn't sleep either. She has to supervise his exercises, can't leave him, drive him everywhere. He struggles to sit down and stand up and he won't get one of those chairs that stands you up and tips you out - and so he doesn't get up and move about as often as he needs to.
My dad always used to outhike all of us, now he move stiffly and tires within a mile. He has the Parkinsons's 'mask' - the rigidity means his face has lost its expression. Tremors make eating difficult for him.
He is losing his dignity and his independence and my mum has to support him as best she can and watch it happen. He has no cognitive deterioration at all, knows exactly what is going on and somehow that makes it worse. He could live like this for years, just getting worse and worse. Cancer would have been better, at least there would have been an end in sight.
They are going to have to leave the home they have lived in for 42 years.
And all this is in an area where support services are exemplary, my parents could not wish for better.
Nobody deserves this, it has to be one of the most shit diseases you can get.
Thanks for listening.
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To hate, hate, hate Parkinsons's Disease?
59 replies
pointythings · 08/06/2011 21:52
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