I am a lady who has had parkinsons for 21 years and I still lead a fairly full life. i do voluntary work2 half days a week, plus look after my mothers garden, and I live alone and do not have any outside help. so as you can see it doesn't mean you can't live a full life with parkinson's. stay as positive as you can and don't give in to it. join a support group and gain as much knowledge as you possibly can.. also believing in the Lord helps me a lot.

Hi CM - It looks to me you have been and are doing the right things. Good diet, active live and excercise to me are the key. Learn as much as you can and try to put a positive spin on what your learn. Keep a good sense of humor as laughing at some of what is going on with our bodies I think is better than crying about them. Like reply #1 you can live a full life, a few more challenges but full nontheless. This condition certainly is not a death sentence so things could always be worse, right? Best of luck to you!

With any chronic illness you will go through the stages of grief. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. and these stages are cyclic, so when new symptoms appear, you will go through them again, in different ways.So when you have a bad day, don't be down on yourself. and do keep busy and helping others can be a great way to find purpose and meaning in life.

But you sound like a positive person. Sometimes counseling can help and posting here for support is a great start. ((Hugs))

I have been there too. Like you and the others I have felt sorry for myself been depressed mad and about every other emotion you can name. My advice is simple. Try to stay active and do the things you can. Yes you will have to leave some things behind as we all have. Stay away from the internet snake oil salesmen who swear they have a cure for PD and the government is using legal tactics to silence them. Sometimes it is a good thing to have governemnt authorities like the Federal Trade Comm to look out for people like us who are desperate and vulnerable. If you decide to try a med don't expect too much as first. There will be trials and adjustments to get you some help. And always stick with what works. None of us are the same when we have PD. Educate yourself and double check your research to be sure it is authentic. Last take it one day at a time. Again try to do things you enjoy don't give up!! If your tremmors are mild rest assured you are blessed. Many of us have it far worse. Take care Dave AKA flyboy57

Somehow I signed in under my wifes screen name who has Fibromialgia. But the comment is from flyboy57.

Thanks everyone for your support and suggestions. It means a lot to me to find people who understand what I am feeling. I hope to stay as positive as you all are. I know it could be a lot worse and I am grateful for the blessings I have. It's just kind of hard to navigate the mind field of information out there sometimes. But I am learning to take it a little more slower with the research so that I can digest little pieces at a time. I look forward to getting to know you all a little better.

Ditto the snake oil comment. Research, documented and proven is everything. You need to know that whomever comes up with a cure or a better med gets 7 years of $ for the work they've done before someone else can make a generic form, so the desire, if based on money and not the good of mankind is still there for the REAL THING that works to cure or mitigate the symptoms. On my personal blog the title is Parkinson's, better than a Closed-Head Injury, Multiple Sclerosis, and Several Other Things. It is a position of both fact and humor. It truly is not something that kills you, but if you allow it to rob you and don't fight back, it will take everything you passively allow.
Becoming a partner with your team of doctors and therapists is vital. I have cried, whined, denied, bargained, and tried to run my own show. It doesn't have a very good outcome that way. So I got off that train and took a different one. I love this forum because there are some great people here who will help you stay focused and understand when you feel down. We all know what it's like in some way although each of us has our own experience going on. I trust in the Lord and work like it all depends on me.

Thanks for you advice newnonnie. I have been reading and learning from your blog already. I started my own blog right before my diagnosis. It was going to be about me and my husband's journey through our "Golden Years"! God has a sense of humor doesn't he!

Now I am using my blog as a form of therapy to write about the unexpected road He has placed us on. Our goal is to travel it with as much grace and dignity (and tons of humor) as possible.

I am glad I found this site! You all have already been a huge support and help to me. Thank you!

Honey Honey Honey, l was also overwhelmed with pd when l first was diagnosed, you will not die from it, yes it is not nice, but when you accept it , yourself on a level with yourself and no one else, and learn to relax, it will help you greatly

Deal with your symptoms for what they are now, yes managable.

You can stay that way for a long time, we all progress differently, some slowly , like me . 9 years for me and it is just an annoyance , but managable

Hi CM, you are going through what we all do in the begining, feeling overwhelmed,stressed,scared,aprehensive of what lays ahead and all why me's,what if's..... the shock of diagnosis and a whole other boat-load of stuff I'm sure.
It will take a while to soak in and gather yourself together, and sort out how you're going to approach maybe the rest of your life with this unwelcome guest....but a diagnosis of PD isn't a death sentance and hopefully you'll have a good many years before it becomes a real major problem...if it does at all.
Reading what you've written in your post, you are already doing the best things you can do ie; you're healthy,eat healthy,exercise regularly.... you are doing just great, keep it up....
You'll have bad days and you'll fight through them I'm sure. Feelings of denial are common, I get bouts of it occaisionally, it's a natural reaction so try not to worry.
The fact is that you're very concious of your tremours, but that doesn't mean other people have noticed & you shouldn't feel obliged to tell anyone ie; people you don't know etc..... I find now that any of my emotions can trigger my tremours, even when I'm happy or I suddenly meet someone that I haven't seen for years or a sudden last minute changes to my routine etc... the obvious ones anxiety,stress,anxious etc... will always be there.

I wish you well...

Yours Sincerely Dirky !!;O))xx

Dirky, Yes! You have summed up very well what I am feeling! All of that!!!! Thanks for the advise and support. I am absorbing all that is said and I love the positive attitude here. I know I will have ups and downs through this journey. It helps to know there are others who really understand because they are or have been there too.