About My Parkinsons Disease

My name is Peter Fisher and I wanted to write about my Parkinson’s Disease to keep a record and to remind me of things to discuss with the Consultant Neurologist whenever I see him. (My most recent appointment was Wednesday 26th July 2023 at the Leighton Hospital Clinic).

I would also like to recognize the invaluable work of the Parkinson’s Disease Society and ask you to help fund life-changing research to find a cure, so please DONATE HERE to the Parkinson’s Disease Society

I was diagnosed by the Consultant Neurologist as having a mild form of Parkinson’s Disease on 27th July 2016.

Although it’s classed as a mild form, they say that no two people experience the same symptoms in the same way, so who knows what shape it will take eventually.

What I say is that “I am in control of this Parkinson’s thing, it is not in control of me…”

My idea is to start to record the changes I find happening and then I will feel more in control as well as be able to inform others – like my GP and Consultant, of the changes so that not only is my medication right, but that I remember what happened.

Parkinsonism is defined as “a progressive neurological condition or disease of the nervous system marked by tremor, muscular rigidity, and slow, imprecise movement, chiefly affecting middle-aged and elderly people. It is associated with degeneration of the basal ganglia of the brain and a deficiency of the neurotransmitter dopamine.”

About My Parkinsons Disease

In August 2016 when I started writing this record, my own symptoms were mild: I’m a little wobbly and my left leg is slightly stiff which can mean my walking is a bit odd. I first went to see my GP because of tingling in my fingers and toes and weakness in my leg; I was worried about possible diabetes. The GP arranged a physiotherapy appointment for me in mid-June.

Having seen the physiotherapist, who said there was nothing apparently wrong with my muscles, she decided to ask my GP to refer me to a Neurologist. Although not unexpected, it was still difficult to think about.

However, I’m very glad she did and the GP responded quickly and an appointment was made for me with the Consultant Neurologist on 27th July 2016. I FINALLY GOT SOME ANSWERS about My Parkinson’s disease!!

Obviously not what I wanted to hear, but at least I now know what I’m facing.

Although this is happening to me, I am more concerned about the effect on my wife watching what’s happening. Sue is an amazing, strong, and beautiful woman who has stuck by me through thick and thin for almost 52 years (our 51st wedding anniversary was in October 2022). Although she has her own health concerns, she watches out for me constantly and works so hard every day; she is the one who keeps me grounded and will not let me wallow in this or use it as an excuse to act badly.  I will therefore record her reactions and concerns as well as see what happens.

More About My Parkinsons Disease

Writing about my Parkinson’s Disease, I aim to demonstrate to readers that you can live a normal life with few limitations if you want to.

First of all I want to tell you that at th time of writing this page, I was living quite normally   (for a 66-year-old) in May 2017 first the first few months of trying to settle on the best medication and finding the dose that would work for me. It seemed a bit hit and miss to start with, but now in August 2023 I feel settled on my daily dose of 14 mg of Ropinirole delivered by 3 slow-release tablets once a day.

Exercise and movement are crucial to keeping on top of this disease, so I swim regularly and try walk several times every week, my wife and I spend a lot of time trying to keep our garden under control, Its not a very large garden but its big enough to keep us both very busy almost every day.

So, I will tell you about what happened when I was first diagnosed; what Parkinson’s medication and the side effects of the various medications there can be, and what exercise I take.

You may be interested to know about the symptoms of Parkinsonism so although everybody experiences something different with this neurological condition, I can show you what happens to me.

I will also tell you about the support available for anybody with Parkinson’s Disease, not forgetting their carers and other people such as family members who are affected too.

About My Parkinsons Diagnosis

One of my main issues was that there is no definitive way to diagnose this disease, and prior to seeing the Consultant Neurologist, I was concerned about what was going on within myself and starting to think I had Multiple Sclerosis, which a friend of mine had suffered from.

Before anyone points it out, yes I know it should be Parkinson’s with the apostrophe, but have you tried coding that for SEO?