Parkinson's Disease: A Guide to Mind and Mood

@ donnamills47 ~ The first thing I thought of was that with all those meds his body is toxic. Maybe you could look into that also and see if something can be done to reduce the toxins. Ethelle at info@remembering4you.com

@ momjob2 ~ I really enjoyed reading your post. You reminded me of how important it is to take time to listen. Here's a poem I like that a friend of mine has written. I think it expresses what you are saying in your post. The author is Norman McNamara from the Uk who was diagnosed with Lewy's Bodies after originally having a diagnosis of Alzheimers. Hear My Voice Will someone please hear my voice? I have dementia, though not by choice, My days and nights pass me by, Will someone out there hear my cry? Inside this body, I’m still me, Speak to me and you will see, I have thoughts, I have a heart, To listen to me, would be a start, Yes it’s true, I do forget, The months, the days, the time that’s set, But if you listen, you will hear, About my life, what I hold dear, And I will tell you of my life, That did not end with Dementia`s Strife, I still have, so much to do, Hear my voice, and you will too Stay strong, Ethelle at Info@remembering4you.com

@ Dove Eyes from Tenn. ~ I suggest you contact the Alzheimer's Association free number and talk with a counselor. Do not go another day without calling this number as they will help you to make sense of what is going on with Kenneth: 1-800- 272-3900. The line is open 7 days a week and 24 hours a day so you can call even in the middle of the night. Good luck to you and stay strong. Ethelle info@remembering4you.com

My husband was tested for Parkinson's soon after his diagnosis of vascular Alzheimer's. I find the symptoms overlaping between the two conditions. I'm curious to know if the symptoms listed in this article are listed in order as they first appear in the individual? Ethelle info@remembering4you.com

My husband was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2004 and has had moderate physical problems, mostly tremor. However he has always had significant sleep issues as well as depression, anxiety and apathy but it was only recently that we found a neurologist who actually was willing to focus on these non-motor issues. Also at this point his physical problems seem to have decreased and the non-motor issues are a much larger problem. It is wonderful to see this now being recognized as part of Parkinson's disease and taken seriously. Thank you.

Its very informative article

My friend is having some problem and i think he is going in early stage of PD. i sow his hands shaky several times and now he is complaining of muacle pain on his upper leg. he had a fall once.he never talked about i think he is trying to hide it. As a good frend i a so worry and i wanted to help him and i don't know how?

We should give all the possible care and provide love as and when our loved ones slip into the shadowy zone in Parkinson's

the article covered many of the topics ive been confronted with while caring for my mom thank you so much im so glad i found this website keep up the great work !

The article is very helpful, but the print and save functions are VERY inconvenient!

My dad has Parkinsons and this article has been very helpful in explaining his mood and apathy towards his family. It has been very hard to understand him, but this article does help.

I have had PD for about 9 years, and was doing pretty good until about a year ago when I went into the advanced stages. This is no fun anymore. I have mental agonies now as well as physical ones. I cannot walk unassisted and sleep is something I don't remember anymore. Although I still enjoy life, friends and family most of the time, I do think about dying too. I think at night, a lot of tijmes, that if I didn't wake up that would be all right, that I don't want to drag this out and it's ok to die. If I really believe in God and another world, it's alright to leave this one.

I read the entire 9 pages and learned so much more than I knew.

my husband,kenneth dodd. has parkersons'diease.for many years ..he has had several accidents due from falling ...his legs just wan't carry him..and he goes down ...he takes spells of talking to no end..it gets on my nerves so bad ... since i have to do every thing for him ..i do think he takes advanated of me ...he needs to walk a lot ....it would benifit him .. hr doesn't do much of that .. .. he wan't me to wait on him hand and foot ...if i say ..i am tired or feel bad .. he will say .. what do you do ? you don't do any thing for me !!.. he says things that really hurts my feelling very much ,,..we have only been maried almost 4 yrs .. he is 76 and me 74...he doesn't habe any children .. he raised 2 step grand children .. he has been so good to them .. but they never do any thing to help me ..only time he hears from them.. is when they want money ...i am good to them ...then he fusses and says i hate them ,,not true in any way ..can you help me ? dove eyes from tenn..

I'm a caregiver for a man who has had parkinsons disease for 28 years and takes 21 meds a day. When he wakes up in the a.m. he has severe muscle cramps and sometimes during the day. Is that common with this disease? He also refuses to drink water and sometimes swallows his pills dry because he says that he doesn't want to get up so often to urinate. Could dehydration be causing the muscle cramps or is that a symptom of Parkinsons?

You did not mention the use of Mucuna Pruriens, an Ayurvedic FDA approved hearbal treatment for Parkinsons that acts much like Leva Dopa..

I have PD, and have had it for about 5 years now. So far I think I'm doing pretty good, (still in the early stages.) I tremor now and then...my gate is much better when I get to use my tredmill in the morning. As soon as my husband found out I had PD he "took away" my right to drive the car....at least around our area where we live. This I got used to, (it's nice to be "chaufeured.")....But when we are driving the expressways to visit our sons, who live in other states, "then I'm OK to drive.".......This used to aggravate me to no end.......but just to keep peace, I don't complain. The thing that upsets me most about my PD is my "lack of expression". I can see the effects of my family members. (They all talk to each other, omitting me from the conversations.)...I guess my "lack of expression" makes them think I don't care.....Thank heavens for grandchildren! They still can "relate" to me with "no problem". They are my "saving grace" that keeps me feeling like "I still count and am worthy of a relationship." If any of you people with family members that have PD read this......PLEASE include your PD family member in your "conversations"....It will help them "psychologically!".......Also, "listen" to them when they talk.....Even though it may be hard to hear them at times........Maybe you can say, "What was that?...I didn't quite hear you." (They don't realize that they're speaking softly.) As far as a PD person being "slow".....we don't realize that we are. My one son tells me I am slow.....I don't think I am.......but then again that's me. If you have PD and have a partner that isn't quite up to understanding PD or the way it effects you........e-mail them some articles...(Hopefully they'll read them.) My husband doesn't seem to think that I am "intillectiable" enough to "listen to." PLEASE DON'T DO THAT TO YOUR LOVED ONE!

Justified all my concerns that my husband also has dementia. He fits the profile in all areas.

summer, you don't say whether it is you or a loved one who is suffering with PD. Either way, I encourage you to come back often and post. It helped me tremendously as I cared for my husband. Yes, sometimes knowledge is empowering and sometimes it just scares us. So sorry for whatever you are dealing with.

The article I just read scared the hell out of me, as if I wasn't scared enough already.

ALL

It has been more than a month since my beloved husband died and I am just returning to work half days. For all of you who are still caring for a loved one with Parkinson's, know that there is someone in the universe who understands your pain and cares about you. My family and I are still very much in the midst of our grief but we are doing okay. We are remembering more and more of the wonderful times with our dear husband and father, and the grim last months and years are fading to their proper perspective. We rejoice that he is in heaven and free from the awful consequences of PD, and we know that we will see him again one day. Blessings to you all.

My beloved husband of 36 years died at 5:03 a.m. on Friday, April 9, 2010. I thank all of you who have posted and sent me hugs and prayers through the months. His last days were horribly painful and he is at peace and reunited with his loved ones in heaven. Love, Daffy

my husband of 3 yrs has parkerson,diabetic...it has been tough on me .since he broke his foot last yr ..had to have 2 surgeries to make it right .i try so hard to make him comforable .waiting on him hand and foot .helping with his shower .he has me hopping at 73 yrs old lol.he whines all the time .repeating the same thing over and over .. drives me nuts sometime .. wanting to die .he says i say things to him i do not do ...question me about his med ..as if i would give him something i shouldn't have ...i am an honest and good person ..wouldn't hurt nobody ..it hurts so bad . to be accused and jumped on for no reason ..he gets upset at some one and takes it out on me ... .does any one have any suggestion? to help me .. before i lose my mind .. thanks and GOD BLESS ...POLLY

My husband’s hallucinations started small. For about a year, he sees people on TV even though it isn't on. He will be watching a new TV program or a live basketball game and he is firmly convinced that he has already seen it. He insists he can tell us how it will end, what the score will be, who will score, etc. In January 2010, the hallucinations got more vivid and troubling. He thought I had told him I was having an affair with a man named Frank. He said I stood right in front of him and told him that I had gone to bed with Frank. A few days after the "Frank" episode, he told me how troubled he was that his daughter had been sold and gone far away. He didn't know how to get in touch with her so he could tell her that he loved her. She lives 20 minutes away and had been at the house a few days before. A few days after that, he was very upset that his best friend hates him. On February 27th, I awoke about 4:30 AM to the sound of voices. I went to check and found our son talking to his Dad. My husband was very upset about an imagined assignment given to him by Pastor Jack, his dear friend and mentor. He thought he was to go to every person in the USA and around the world that he had ever offended and makes amends. He had pulled out my address lists, even my Red Hats chapter roster (sometimes you just have to laugh), but he can't use the phone and didn't know how to make the calls. He was so worked up because Jack was pushing hard for him to get the job done. I told him he couldn't call in the middle of the night and he needed to rest. We got him back in bed. I hoped he would forget it by morning but he did not. When he was still upset Sunday morning, I called Jack and asked him to "release" Tom from the assignment. Thursday, March 4th - he was very troubled because Dr. Jennings kept calling him and telling him he was not doing enough, that all he was doing was setting in his chair and he needed to get busy. Dr. Jennings was a minister who spoke at our daughter’s church in Chattanooga in 1981 while she was in college there. It was the only time we ever saw him and never met him. Friday, March 5th - I was at work and Tom called. He said he had been sleeping and I just came in his room and pulled him out of bed. When he couldn’t find me, he called my phone to see what I wanted.

MY HUSBAND [KENNETH]HAS HAD PARKERSON FOR ABOUT 6 YEARS ..HE USES A 100MG PAIN PATCH..ON THE PATCH IT SAYS IT CAN CAUSE THE TREMOURS . NO ONE IN HIS FAMILY HAS HAD PARKERSON DISEASE...SO IT MUST NOT BE INHERITED ..WHILE HE IS SLEEPING HE NEVER HAS THE TREMOURS ...SOON AS HE OPEN HIS EYES HE STARTS TO SHAKE ...NOW HIS MOUTH HAS TREMOURS ..HE TAKES CARBIDOPA 200 MG [3] TIMES A DAY .7AM-11AM-3PM...WITH ANOTHER PILL RECUIP O.25 MG ALONG WITH THE OTHER PARKERSON PILL . 7-11-3 FOR A BOOST.HE DOESN'T THINK IT DOES HIM ANY GOOD .HE STAYED DEPRESSED ...WE HAVE ONLY BEEN MARRIED 2 1/2 YRS ..HE IS 75 AND I AM 73 ..I READ YOUR COLUMN EVERY DAY . TO SEE IF I CAN FIND HIM ANY HELP . HE ALSO IS A DIABETIC CONTROLLED BY 2 PILLS A DAY ..ALSO HE HAS NUROPHY IN HIS FEET ..THEY FREEZE ALL THE TIME .ANY HELP WE WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH .. SINCERELY YOURS PAULINE