PD, an update byWyn Evans On 14 May 2016 and full of trepidation, The Boss and I made our way to what I still think of as the ‘BUPA hospital’ in Pontprennau, although it is a ‘Spire’ Group hospital and probably was back in 2016 too. I drove carefully and well within the posted speed limits, in no rush to arrive for this particular consultation. Regular readers will recall that my appointment was to determine what was causing a tremor to my hand and fingers. My GP, years before, had identified an ‘intention tremor’ but this had become more pronounced and widespread. You know how it is I’m sure. We had looked at possible conditions online, guided by the ever resourceful Google. The problem with this being that the quality of the search results we obtained was undermined by the scale of our ignorance about what we were searching for. Beforehand, we had whittled down the most likely alternatives facing us to multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s Disease (PD). And so I had been referred to a neurologist, specialising in conditions affecting the brain and nervous system. He had me perform a number of physical exercises to assess whether I had any problems with movement. According to the nhs.uk website a diagnosis of PD is likely if you have at least two of the three following symptoms: shaking or tremor in a part of your body that usually only occurs at rest; slowness of movement (bradykinesia); muscle stiffness (rigidity). Before half an hour had passed the Consultant opined that I did indeed have PD, a conclusion he put in a letter to my GP. The Boss and I found the whole consultation to be impersonal and cold, bordering on unfriendly. This was a source of some upset to me for some while to come. As time passed however it struck me that perhaps I was guilty of ‘shooting the messenger’ and that what seemed cold and impersonal was simply a way of his maintaining a professional distance when conveying distressing, life-changing news. Maybe. I was subsequently referred to a team of doctors and nurses specialising in neurodegenerative conditions. For all that these staff were professional and informed, the impression given by Rookwood hospital was of a corner of the NHS that had been underfunded for years. Not that it was the condition of the estate alone that conveyed this impression. As many people in the UK who have neurodegenerative conditions or diseases of old age will attest, resources are still over-concentrated in the secondary sector - big district hospitals in particular - when a greater investment in primary and community care, in ‘Cinderella’ services and health promotion, and in disease prevention and mental health
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might lead to a healthier population overall. I learned that there is currently no cure for PD, but treatments are available to help relieve the symptoms and maintain quality of life. These treatments include: supportive therapies, such as physiotherapy; medication; and surgery (for some people). During the early stages of PD, when symptoms are usually mild, it may be that little or no treatment is required. I was offered drug treatment and physiotherapy. As I have narrated here before, the biggest changes that I noted following my diagnosis related to falling off things and into things! That, muscle weakness, and exhaustion. In no particular order, I fell: whilst bounding up the steps of our old house (then sliding along a concrete floor and ramming the front door with my head); whilst jumping off a low wall and landing in the greenhouse (twice!); into the river by Roath Park Rec (twice - pulled in by my two dogs when I was walking them on their leads and they both dragged me into the river). In terms of muscle weakness my
