15 MINUTES TO CHANGE MY LIFE FOREVER!!

TRAPPED MUSCLE/NERVE IN MY SHOULDER ( I THOUGHT!! )– NOVEMBER 2004

I went to see Doctor who gave me a basic examination. He suggested he was going to refer me to see a Neurology consultant at the hospital. Even then nothing registered with me, actually call me thick, but I thought neurology was muscle problems!! I convinced myself I had trapped a muscle and or nerve in my shoulder. This explained to me why my arm wouldn’t swing and my twitchy thumb.

I didn’t know at the time of referral but my Doctor had suspected Parkinson’s!

FEBRUARY 1^st 2005 – THE DAY I WAS TOLD I HAD PARKINSON’S

24 DAYS BEFORE MY 42^nd BIRTHDAY

QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

1)      How long does it take to diagnose someone with Parkinson’s’?

2)      What is Parkinson’s?

Here I was sitting in front of a Neurology consultant.

This is how it went.

A few simple tests  - play the piano with your fingers, touch your nose, check reflexes and walk 5 steps – 8 MINUTES

Consultant explanation of Parkinson’s –I would describe it as a fag packet drawing of a brain showing Dopamine deficiency at back – 3 MINUTES

Has anyone else in my family had PD? No I said – Well it’s not Hereditary

Have you suffered any serious head trauma? Yes I said – It’s not that

What causes it then I ask? We don’t know  

Sorry I nearly forgot, he asked me if I smoke? I said yes. He said it’s a proven fact nicotine helps with the condition. I thought there’s a result! – 4 MINUTES 

ANSWER TO QUESTION 1 – 15 MINUTES

NO X RAY, NO MRI SCAN, NO CT SCAN, NO DAT SCAN, NOTHING!!!

This was what I knew about Parkinson’s on  this day:

Only old people 70 plus get Parkinson’s

They shake, fingers & hands mainly

Stutter Speech

Muhammad Ali & Michael J Fox had it

That’s it, my complete knowledge of my new condition!

MY ANSWER TO QUESTION 2 (WHEN I WAS DIAGNOSED)

I felt underwhelmed with the diagnosis, but didn’t know any better. I may have had all the scans years later which confirmed it was Parkinson’s but although I felt underwhelmed by the consultant I can’t argue HE WAS RIGHT WITH THE DIAGNOSIS!!

I SORT OF FELT EVEN IF HE KNEW A FEW TESTS AND EXAMINATIONS WOULD HAVE PREPARED ME A BIT BETTER FOR THIS BOMBSHELL

So I walk out the room, 41 years old with Parkinson’s. Haven’t got a clue what it means, my ex wife Kaye worked at the hospital, I went to the department she worked in told her and we both broke down in floods of tears!! Don’t know why as I said we didn’t know what it was! I think it’s that word isn’t it, DISEASE !!

That’s why the society are now called Parkinson’s UK not Parkinson’s Disease Society.