IN DENIAL

18  DAYS TO DBS

Well, now I know what I have its time to deal with it……………………..isn’t it?

No it wasn’t not in my case. I was offered initial medication but I refused it saying can we talk again in 6 months. This was accepted by my Doctor and consultant, I think they knew I was in denial and prescription drugs to be taken every day would be acceptance and I wasn’t ready for this!

I was working for myself at this point in my career/life. I started my little business about 1 year ago installing bathrooms and kitchens and basic construction. It was something I had always loved, working with my hands.

How ironic, I am in a happy place enjoying this new career working with my hands and I am given a condition that sooner rather than later proves impossible for me to do this work I enjoy so much!!

I had made this change in my life after working in senior management jobs for about 15 years. Although I had enjoyed my career there was always stress and I did wonder if this had anything to do with my condition? I still don’t know!

Anyhow, moving on I continued to work but it was becoming more difficult to carry out simple tasks at certain times. There was lots of examples where I struggled but one that was becoming impossible was turning a screwdriver!

I only managed until about August 2005, 6 months after being diagnosed and I had to accept I needed the medication to try and control my symptoms.

My life on medication EVERY day had begun

I managed to work for another 2 years or so but eventually it got to the point where I became totally frustrated with myself and frankly to slow to give the customer a completed job in a reasonable time.

So what now? If I can’t work what do I do? I had never been out of work for more than a month since I was 16! You want to believe you’re a decent person, worked all your life, paid your dues surely it was going to be a straight forward process?

Little did I know at this time but I was about to embark on the hardest 12 months of my life fighting the system for basic entitlement.

If it hadn’t been for Parkinson’s UK and a man called John Bucknall (Benefits Advisor) I think I would have given up!!