Hello,
I am a newbie to parkinson. Probably have had it for a few years. This past year my symptoms have been more prononced.Sometimes i just barely get moving after siting awhile.Did see a nerologist and was dx for parkinson.

All my life Ive been a nervous person who had setbacks and had long duration nervous symptoms.Some call it depression or anxiety or other names.
Seventeen years ago I found a self help group that has helped me overcome most of my symptoms.The focus of the group's method is to identify the working up process and learn how to avoid it.The most important thing is now I give no importance to any disturbance ,parkinson or nervous and it always goes away if I move my muscles and change my thoughts.I use the tool distressing but not dangerous.

My father had parkinson and died from a choking spell. He never talked about his parkinson.I guess he knew intuitively that to talk about it was to work it up.He got up every day and walked step by step till he lossened up.

Hope you all have a prosperous New Year

John,

I too was a nervous person, and I still am. I'm a jumper, meaning if someone startles me, I'm on the ceiling! I also get myself into a snit over a lot of things, which cancels a lot of good things that I could be involved in. I wonder if this is part of the PD personality?

Since I've been dealing with the PD routine, I find that a lot of things don't bother me anymore. Before I'd get a bill in the mail, or a late statement regarding something I forgot to pay. I'd get upset and wouldn't sleep that night, or the weekend if the bill showed up with Saturday's mail. Now things like that don't ruffle my feathers.

Perhaps it's because we have bigger fish to fry, and these stupid things are just that, stupid things that get in the way, but seem to be resolved in the end.

My grandfather had Parkinson's, which we found out after he died. It was determined at autopsy. This was back in 1974 and he never took any medication what-so-ever. He never went to a doctor either and never complained. Like your dad, he'd get up in the morning and walk around until he unfroze. He had a tremor, but it was blamed on his drinking. He was slow witted, as it seemed to a lot of people, but knowing what I know now, it wasn't the drink, or him being dumb, it was his PD self unable to spit the words out fast enough. He was also a Swedish immigrant, which made things more difficult because he had to do the mental translation first, and this probably added more to his processing difficulties.

John