Living with Parkinson's Disease - Meet others & come say hi

Saw my doctor again this week to clear up some confusion....asked him how I could see improvement in my symptoms if I basicly don’t have any....yet! He agreed that i shouldn’t start the meds yet.....and that further development could be 10 years from now! (or less)! So thankful I went back to ask questions.....wondering why this info wasn’t forthcoming initially instead of prescribing meds!! 😳

Hello @psvantx

Thanks for your update. From what you said you have decided not to take any meds at this time. As I looked back at some of your original posts I see that you have had some problems with drooling and balance. These are certainly symptomatic of PD but it is hard to tell if they are bothersome enough to try meds or not. I'm supposing that they must not be too bothersome at this time. Is that the case?

I wish you well as you deal with this situation. Do you exercise on a regular basis? There are very good classes available for us seniors that help deal with balance issues. I would encourage you to look into them. Without exercise, I would be much more disabled than I am now.

Thanks.....thinking my balance issues were due to 3 UTI’s with meds including Cipro! Cipro did a number on me.....I seem to be doing better in that regard. Plan to monitor closely!

Saw my doctor again this week to clear up some confusion....asked him how I could see improvement in my symptoms if I basicly don’t have any....yet! He agreed that i shouldn’t start the meds yet.....and that further development could be 10 years from now! (or less)! So thankful I went back to ask questions.....wondering why this info wasn’t forthcoming initially instead of prescribing meds!! 😳

@psvantx,
I was diagnosed in late 2014 and put on Sinemet immediately with Azilect being added some months later.
I have not had a significant problem, just a little stomach fullness and a tiny bit of unrest. I had almost no experience with or knowledge of PD which has enabled me to take it in in small bites and has held my anxiety to what half a Clonazepam twice a day controls.
I would highly recommend you try the pills. I belong to two in-person support groups and have never heard of anyone who reacted significantly to these two drugs. Sure. 1 in whatever thousand may have some sort of issue but the rest don’t. You don’t stay in your bedroom because driving to the store is hazardous do you? After 5 1/2 years most people are amazed that I have PD. Not saying you will be as fortunate as I am, at 74 it won’t kill me, but it is a quality of life thing.
Let us know how it goes-we're on your side. Get plenty of exercise, eat right and enjoy life. This is just a speed-bump.

Good morning ... my friend has Parkinson’s and I am her “friend caregiver”. She is a private person, single, and no family members living in the area. I care for her and don’t know how to help when she is struggling. She doesn’t share much about her challenges. My hope is that this group might provide me insightS.

I told my wife. I spoke with my minister prior to doing so. He reassured me that because my attitude was good due to my faith and trust in the Lord, that it would be a stabilizing and calming effect on those close to me as I gave them the information (she does not share my faith, yet, and I do not push her). That seems to have been the case. She was at first anxious but quickly became at ease as I explained the disease and my trust in God for His plan (which He did reveal to me the day after the diagnosis as I asked Him to do).

For anyone this might help, His Word was revealed to me through my daily reader: Proverbs 24 verses 10-12 and the interpretation of those verses as follows: "Trusting in God rather than our own schemes during times of adversity and relying on God when we are hurting often speaks the loudest to those who do not know Jesus. Our greatest platform to influence people for Christ is when we live with the hope of spiritual wisdom. Doing so may very well be the means God uses us to deliver those who are marching toward eternal death. Because we cannot claim ignorance and forfeit our mission to reach the lost, we dare not waste our adversity."

God speaks to us. We only need to ask and to listen. He will present us with His direction for us to follow. It is our free will to choose or not. Attempting to choose what is in front of you in a manner that is consistent with His Word will result in Him guiding your footsteps as you follow the path He presents. When you trust in the Lord, you will see the path He places in front of you to follow. You will "hear" Him speak to you in many ways if you just "listen." I have confident expectations (hope) that this will help someone in their journey with this disease. Praise the Lord.

Hello @sallyk and welcome to Mayo Connect! How wonderful that your newly diagnosed friend has someone to support her on this journey with PD. If I could make some suggestions for you, look into PD exercises classes in your area. Most classes are now online because of COVID-19 crisis. Here is a link to the MPF exercises, https://www.parkinsonsmi.org/mpf-programs/exercise-and-movement-activities

If you spend time with her, just turn on the exercises and watch them. Exercise and medicines for PD are the optimal combinations!

You might also see if there are PD support groups. Many now have meetings on Zoom. She can be anonymous by not showing her picture and not participating if that is more comfortable for her. She can learn much from hearing others talk about PD. Youtube also has lots of videos with information about PD as well as exercise classes. Here is a link for those,

What symptoms seem to be the worst for your friend now?

@hopeful33250 thanks for the specialist info