PD is generally associated with "old" and "retired" people. This is only true
for 50% of PWP's
The other 50% are diagnosed before the age of 55. They are granted with a
triple priviledge : their PD will last longer, they will be short of money,
and they will have to face a social identity problem.
PD will cause professional life will go decrescendo, over several decades,
more or less like this :
Phase 1 : Symptoms are relatively mild, and can be hidden while working
Phase 2 : Symptoms become a serious, unpredictable handicap at work
Phase 3 : The patient cannot work whatsoever
Phase 1 is easy to cope with.
Phase 3 leaves you no choice, else than trying your best to delay it and
hoping for a cure.
Let's focus on phase 2.
Phase 2 is critical and touchy : the way you will manage it may cause dramatic
changes for your future. Your PD evolves very slowly, over 30 or 40 years.
Sooner or later, you will no longer be able to work. Sooner if you are a
surgeon, a painter, a professional golf player, ... Later if you are a
teleworker, a writer, or the Pope ...
Having stopped working, your income will be reduced to a very low level,
unless you have a good insurance, or your country has a sophisticated Social
Security system, or your employer is really generous. As an extreme example,
we have friends from Russia who know Russian PWP's who cannot afford the drugs
!
Having stopped working, you will become nobody : no status, no title, no
dinners, no success, no failure, no nothing ! We all have to go through
identity problems when you retire, but in the case of early PD, we have to
show our wisdom much earlier.
When diagnosed early, PD comes with two friends : money and identity. You
should identify these unwelcome guests and start fighting now, with top
priority
Do you agree ?
Regards
Bernard
