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THANK YOU SO MUCH!! You didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. I just chose not to see it!! I appreciate your bluntness. Yes, I have imposed stress and I should have known better. All I can say is "thank you, thank you" for a HUGE wake up call! Elaine ----- Original Message ----- From: <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2002 4:13 PM Subject: Re: Forgetfulness > > My boyfriend is in a high stress job which requires a tremendous amount of > detailed concentration. As long as I have known him - about a year (he has > been diagnosed with Parkinson's for about 8 years) he has been forgetful and > I have no way of knowing how much was just him and how much can be > attributed to Parkinson's. > > > > At the moment he is under extreme pressure as he is winding down his job - > thankfully! I have begged him for the last few weeks to go and see his PD > doc but he insists on waiting until he finishes the final project he is > working on which will be next week (but that seems a lifetime away). There > has been a definite deterioration in his condition recently but I was > horrified today to find that he has no recollection of a fairly indepth > conversation we had yesterday. He said if he thought hard enough it might > come back to him. > > > > Does anyone have experience of this and if so do you think it is stress > related or purely PD related and > > Elaine, > > I think it is inappropriate and unfair for me to speculate about > the psychological and cognitive state of your boyfriend and the dynamics of > your relationship with your boyfriend. But most PWP experience > "deterioration," greater difficulties and aggravation of symptoms when under > stress. Here your boyfriend has stress from his job, which, although this > stress is apparently a considerable amount of stress, it will end in a week. > He also has stress imposed by you, described as you as pressure to see a > doctor about his deterioration and pressure to recall a specific, lengthy > conversation with you. > > I was evaluated by a neuropsychologist because I was experiencing > cognitive problems after I was diagnosed with PD. I was concerned about the > change in my memory,. but the psychologist said that my memory seemed to be > functioning at a rather high level (although he had no prior testing and > evaluation to establish a baseline for functioning of my memory prior to the > diagnosis for PD). He said a problem, which was characteristic of PWPs, was > with "attention and concentration." The problems with attention and > concentration could block information from getting into the memory. Also, if > pressured or under stress, when expected to recall information from memory, I > might not be able to intentionally recall information from my memory. > > When I was first diagnosed with PD, I was given the standard > information that PD was a movement disorder with specific physical symptoms. > I was later given, or found, information that PD does effect cognitive > functioning--everything for that matter! My employment disability was based > upon the neuropsychologist's evaluation and my problems with cognitive > functioning. I have a medical textbook which is devoted entirely to the > cognitive effects of PD. Apparently many, many PWP have, particularly in the > later stages of the disease, problems with cognitive functioning and/or > dementia. And these problems, as well as physical symptoms, are clearly > aggravated by stress. > > You think your boyfriend needs to see his PD doctor about his recent > "deterioration." You are probably correct. I would just suggest, since his > major stress from his job will end in one week and he seems unwilling anyway > to see his doctor until the job is finished, that you consider reducing the > stress you put on him about your relationship and about seeing the doctor > until after his job stress ends. This suggestion is not meant to be > flippant, or insensitive to your needs or your stress and discomfort in the > past several weeks, and it does not foreclose the possiblity of emergency, or > more immediate, intervention if you deem it necessary. His response to you > that he might be able to recall your conversation later after he thinks about > it, when he is no longer under stress, and stress from you to recall that > specific information, indicates to me that it is possible he may have the > combination of cognitive problems and stress which I and many other PWPs > have. You are the only person who can know if his comments are due to his > personality or "Mr. P.D. talking." > > Hopefully, once your boyfriend's stress is removed, or becomes more > manageable, his condition will also improve. And, then, the burdens and > stresses on you, and the relationship, should also be improve. Just some > armchair psychologizing from a PWP. Katie > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn