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Hi Dolores, Your husband may unknowingly be using the excess activity to avoid dealing with your diagnosis. If he keeps really, really busy he won't have time to think about the fact that the wife he loves has just been diagnosed with a pretty significant illness. It's 4&1/2 years since I've been diagnosed, and my husband still seems/wants to think I'll get over it-like the flu. As for your neuro, I wish there was a stimulator they could walk into and feel for just a little while what this disease feels like. Or swallow the smorgasbord of pills, with their side-effects, that we need just to get through the day.Which is why this listserv is such a Godsend. We have all have, or are the caretaker of someone who has, been there, done that. And survived (at least so far.)Hang in there. You've got friends. Carole Hercun 51/55/?38 --- Dolores Buente <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > I'll try to keep this brief but I have a situation that > I'm wondering if > anyone else has dealt with. To explain: I am 59. I > have had PD symptoms > approx. 4 years prior to diagnosis. After running from > neurologists to > rheumatologist to sport's clinician to chiropractors over > a 3 year period, I > was finally dx'd with PD about 4 months ago. When the > diagnosis came I was > ,of course, in shock but one of the many things that ran > through my mind was > "Now, I can let down some. I have a name to a physical > disorder that is > real. I don't have to feel so guilty about being a > little slower than > everyone else around me. I have a reason for some > occasional complaints > about aches & pains. I don't have to feel so lazy when I > need to take a nap". > > Well, now I find myself in a strange situation..."while > I'm turning into > Grandma Moses, my husband's turning into the Energizer > Rabbit." He too has > some health problems, high blood pressure & borderline > diabetic. He has been > controlling the diabetes with exercise & that's great but > since my diagnosis, > he seems to be flying around here like "Superman". He > goes to the health > club 3 days a week (his usual routine) but now has added > his volleyball > league on Monday night, goes to church to walk 3 mornings > a week and just > started Tuesday night basketball/volleyball. All the > while, I'm feeling like > a "schlump" because I don't always feel like making the > church walking > program. > > He accompanied me to my visit to my neuro this week. I > am taking Requip > which, at first, made me sleepy all the time. Now I'm > also getting used to a > new drug "Neurontin" which makes me feel like I've been > on a 3 day drinking > binge. Between the Requip, the Neurontin and the > generalized fatigue that > goes with PD, I'm having some frustrating days where I > sleep a whole lot or > just mope around "spaced out". Now, the crux of the > problem is: My husband is > sitting there listening while my neuro is telling me to > keep active. That I > must work through the pain. He uses the example that he > walks 7 miles 3x's a > week even when he doesn't feel like it. Ugh! > I would like to pump him full of drugs till he can't see > straight, tie a rope > around one of his legs and insert a red hot poker into > his left hip and ask > him to demonstrate his walking program. > Well, the long & short of the story is that along with > the PD "label" does > not come automatic permission to give up or let down. > So...if anyone else > has experienced a similar situation I'd like to hear how > they handled it. > P.S. I do not mean to make it sound as if my husband is > not supportive and > caring. He is! I know he wants the best for me & is > probably using his > activity as an inspiration & motivation for me. But, > right now, it is > backfiring & is just kind of making me feel like a > deadbeat. > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn