anyone have experiences with Parkinsons?

[earlyre]

My dad is nearly 71.
couple years back he started occasionally Shuffling when he walks, has gotten progressively more frequent, and pronounced.
lately added issues using his left side, ie: writing getting smaller, difficulty cutting food, etc.

it finally got to the point he talked to his doctor. however he told the doc it started suddenly about 6 months ago( about 2 years ago in reality). since "it started suddenly", and was only on 1 side, doc said parkinsons was out, and it was possibly a stroke. sends dad in for a non contrast CT of his head.

CT was fine, no stroke evidence, (as a doctor friend of mine whom i had translate the results for me said " he's basically got an old man's brain, and a healthy one, but i'm not a neurologist")

Few days back he finally has his Neurology appt. according to the Neurologist, after observation and interview, It IS Parkinsons. It can manifest on a single side.
they've started him on a low dose med, started really low, slowly stepping up over the next week or so until he hits the "Maintenance Dose"

he's relieved to at least have a diagnosis, and a path forward.

anyone have any parkinsons experience( either personally, or family)?

 

[bbhero]

God bless you and your father... this is a long difficult road to walk. A slow loss of functional ability which eventually leads to difficulty eating and drinking. I really feel like this is a very hard circumstance. I take care if a lady who has this..... I see her black and white picture when she got married.. beautiful woman. I emphasize with her daughter and family.

 

[69GTX]

My Dad started showing symptoms in his early 70's with hands trembling and other subtle signs. Cancer got him at 78 before the Parkinsons could take a heavy toll.

 

[Old Mustang Guy]

My Dad was also diagnosed with Parkinson's when past 70. The good thing is that the medication could really improve his symptoms. My Dad died of a stroke before his progressed to a later stage.

 

[Leo99]

I work with a guy that has Parkinson's. [censored] of a nice guy. Feel so bad for him when he shakes but it's not always there. A coworker of mine never even knew he was sick until recently. Hopefully the meds will allow your father some normalcy in his life for many years. Good luck.

 

[John_K]

My wife's Dad died of this a few years ago. It started with trouble writing and cutting food. We were amazed in that he was in excellent health beforehand.

John

 

[earlyre]

Originally Posted By: 69GTX
My Dad started showing symptoms in his early 70's with hands trembling and other subtle signs. Cancer got him at 78 before the Parkinsons could take a heavy toll.

Originally Posted By: Old Mustang Guy
My Dad was also diagnosed with Parkinson's when past 70. The good thing is that the medication could really improve his symptoms. My Dad died of a stroke before his progressed to a later stage.

I haven't shared with him that wikipedia says the average life expectancy after diagnosis is 7-14 years.

of course, knowing him, his response would be along the lines of "well [censored] that's all the longer i'll probably live anyway!"
both parents died in their early 70's, and of his 5 uncles(total both sides), only one is left(in his mid 90's), most of them dying in their 70's from heart complications...

 

[Silk]

Parkinson's doesn't kill, but they can die from complications. A very good friend of mine got Parkinson's when he was 60, he's 77 and has dementia now too, living in a rest home. When he first got symtoms he thought he had chemical poisoning from the garden centre where he was working, and although there is no known cause of the disease, I found it has triggers, and agricultrual chemicals is one of them.

As it developed he became very slow, I got concerned and contacted one of his daughters - they found he was crawling on the floor to go to the toilet at night, and had a nurse friend who would get him out of bed in the morning, and back in at night. I moved away and gradually lost contact...I can't talk to him on the phone as his response time is so slow, and there is no emotion in his voice, he just talks slowly in a monotone. I went to see him a couple of years ago, and nobody was home, he's been put in hospital. The only person caring for him was a daughter on the other side of the city, and she is disabled with one arm, a hard job for her. So it was into a rest home where they could care for him. I went and saw him last year, a bit traumatic for me, he initiated no conversation, and only responed to a couple of my coments in an hour visit. From a ''Man's Man'' to the shadow he's become is tough for me to take in. He's now got 2 diseases that won't end his life, but just carry him down a road away from everyone who loved him.

 

[CT8]

Originally Posted By: Silk
Parkinson's doesn't kill, but they can die from complications. A very good friend of mine got Parkinson's when he was 60, he's 77 and has dementia now too, living in a rest home. When he first got symtoms he thought he had chemical poisoning from the garden centre where he was working, and although there is no known cause of the disease, I found it has triggers, and agricultrual chemicals is one of them.
Lots of the insect poisons they spray on the food kills the insects by doing something to their nervous systems ,Nerves etc. I try to eat foods with ot toxins and herbicides.

 

[JTK]

It can happen much earlier in life as well. I have a brother with Parkinsons. He's 54 now, but he was officially diagnosed at 50. Along with tremors is lots of pain and discomfort for him. Meds for it are expensive.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: earlyre
My dad is nearly 71.
couple years back he started occasionally Shuffling when he walks, has gotten progressively more frequent, and pronounced.
lately added issues using his left side, ie: writing getting smaller, difficulty cutting food, etc.

it finally got to the point he talked to his doctor. however he told the doc it started suddenly about 6 months ago( about 2 years ago in reality). since "it started suddenly", and was only on 1 side, doc said parkinsons was out, and it was possibly a stroke. sends dad in for a non contrast CT of his head.

CT was fine, no stroke evidence, (as a doctor friend of mine whom i had translate the results for me said " he's basically got an old man's brain, and a healthy one, but i'm not a neurologist")

Few days back he finally has his Neurology appt. according to the Neurologist, after observation and interview, It IS Parkinsons. It can manifest on a single side.
they've started him on a low dose med, started really low, slowly stepping up over the next week or so until he hits the "Maintenance Dose"

he's relieved to at least have a diagnosis, and a path forward.

anyone have any parkinsons experience( either personally, or family)?


Sorry to hear about your Dad. My prayers for you and your family.

An Uncle of mine by marriage had it. He was diagnosed in his late 50's as I recall. Slowly took him away and towards the end it was not pretty. Hopefully with your Dad at the advanced age he is when it started, and with med's and new treatments not available to my Uncle( he died in 2006 of pneumonia as I recall ), your Dad can have a good life over the time left to him.