How to Cope with a Parkinson's Diagnosis
Develop a good relationship with your doctor., Educate yourself., Find a support group., Establish a support network., Make sure your potential caregivers are prepared to help you., Develop coping strategies.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Develop a good relationship with your doctor.
When you have PD, you and your doctor will be working together as you manage your condition.
Treat the relationship as an equal partnership, not a “doctor knows best” situation.Go to your doctor with questions, comments, and concerns you have.
Share what you have learned about the condition from books and articles you have read.
Take an active part in your management.
For example, you may want to ask, "How will treatment affect my every day life?," "What side effects will treatment give?," "Will I have to stop doing the things I enjoy doing?," or "How will this affect my family and relationships?" Since memory loss is a common symptom of PD, make sure to write down questions as you think of them.
Bring a list of questions you have written down to your next appointment.
Part of developing this relationship is finding a doctor you like and trust, and that respects your opinions.
If you don’t like your doctor, don’t be afraid to find a new one. -
Step 2: Educate yourself.
If you have never known anyone with PD before, you may not even know what being diagnosed means.
You may have misconceptions gained from popular culture, or you may have been told misinformation in the past.
Start learning about Parkinson’s disease.Go slowly.
There is a lot of information, and gaining too much information at one time might be overwhelming.
Ask your doctor for resources.
Buy books about PD, or search online for reputable websites with information.
Some Parkinson’s organization offer free educational resources.
Exercise caution when using internet resources.
Not all of the information you find on the net will be reliable.
If you find information online and you’re not sure whether or not it is accurate, ask your doctor or another trusted healthcare provider about it. , When you get diagnosed, you may want to read about or talk to others who have PD.
Learning about someone else’s experience can help you see that you can live with and manage your disease and still live a full life.
Discovering the experiences, both good and bad, of others can help give you perspective.There are online and in-person support groups for people with Parkinson’s.
Support groups offer safe environments for you to go and talk about the struggles and successes of living with PD.You can ask your doctor or local hospital for help in finding a PD support group in your area.
You can also look online for support groups in your area.
If there are no groups available for you, try to find online support groups.
A support group may be good if you don’t have friends and family close by, or you don’t feel comfortable sharing your fears and frustrations with your family and friends.
You can get a general idea of what to expect by reading or listening to other’s experiences.
If you are talking to someone in person or online, you can ask them questions or share with them your own fears or concerns.
They have probably felt the same thing and can help you move towards accepting and coping.
For example, ask, "I just got diagnosed with PD.
How did this change your life?" or "I'm scared because of my diagnosis.
How did you deal with it?"
A support network of family and friends can listen to you, support you, and help you through the tough times.
Decide who in your life should be your support network and talk to them about it.You may ask a few of them to help you.
This might mean helping you as you adjust to living with Parkinson’s, helping you with management strategies, or going with you to the doctor.
Tell your family or friends, "I have just gotten diagnosed with Parkinson's.
This is going to be tough for me, so I would like to know if I can turn to you for support when I need it."
Understand that caring for someone with PD can be difficult for caregivers.
If a friend or family member has offered to help care for you, talk to them about whether they are emotionally, physically, and financially prepared to do so.Ask your caregiver(s) to accompany you to your medical appointments so that they can ask any questions they may have, gain a better understanding of what you are going through, and get information about what kind of help you may need.
Ask your caregiver to read up on PD.
Your doctor may be able to provide helpful literature.
Encourage your caregiver to get help when they need it.
Help can come from your caregiver’s friends and family, support groups, community and local services, or services offered through your hospital or medical center. , When you get diagnosed with PD, you need to find ways to cope with the disease and your emotions.
You can do this in a variety of ways.
You have to discover what coping strategy works for you.For example, you can try meditation or deep breathing exercises.
Spend time doing things you like, such as reading, hobbies, or listening to music.
Spend times with friends, family, or your pets.
Rely on your spirituality if you are a spiritual or religious person.
Faith can help you find comfort in difficult times. -
Step 3: Find a support group.
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Step 4: Establish a support network.
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Step 5: Make sure your potential caregivers are prepared to help you.
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Step 6: Develop coping strategies.
Detailed Guide
When you have PD, you and your doctor will be working together as you manage your condition.
Treat the relationship as an equal partnership, not a “doctor knows best” situation.Go to your doctor with questions, comments, and concerns you have.
Share what you have learned about the condition from books and articles you have read.
Take an active part in your management.
For example, you may want to ask, "How will treatment affect my every day life?," "What side effects will treatment give?," "Will I have to stop doing the things I enjoy doing?," or "How will this affect my family and relationships?" Since memory loss is a common symptom of PD, make sure to write down questions as you think of them.
Bring a list of questions you have written down to your next appointment.
Part of developing this relationship is finding a doctor you like and trust, and that respects your opinions.
If you don’t like your doctor, don’t be afraid to find a new one.
If you have never known anyone with PD before, you may not even know what being diagnosed means.
You may have misconceptions gained from popular culture, or you may have been told misinformation in the past.
Start learning about Parkinson’s disease.Go slowly.
There is a lot of information, and gaining too much information at one time might be overwhelming.
Ask your doctor for resources.
Buy books about PD, or search online for reputable websites with information.
Some Parkinson’s organization offer free educational resources.
Exercise caution when using internet resources.
Not all of the information you find on the net will be reliable.
If you find information online and you’re not sure whether or not it is accurate, ask your doctor or another trusted healthcare provider about it. , When you get diagnosed, you may want to read about or talk to others who have PD.
Learning about someone else’s experience can help you see that you can live with and manage your disease and still live a full life.
Discovering the experiences, both good and bad, of others can help give you perspective.There are online and in-person support groups for people with Parkinson’s.
Support groups offer safe environments for you to go and talk about the struggles and successes of living with PD.You can ask your doctor or local hospital for help in finding a PD support group in your area.
You can also look online for support groups in your area.
If there are no groups available for you, try to find online support groups.
A support group may be good if you don’t have friends and family close by, or you don’t feel comfortable sharing your fears and frustrations with your family and friends.
You can get a general idea of what to expect by reading or listening to other’s experiences.
If you are talking to someone in person or online, you can ask them questions or share with them your own fears or concerns.
They have probably felt the same thing and can help you move towards accepting and coping.
For example, ask, "I just got diagnosed with PD.
How did this change your life?" or "I'm scared because of my diagnosis.
How did you deal with it?"
A support network of family and friends can listen to you, support you, and help you through the tough times.
Decide who in your life should be your support network and talk to them about it.You may ask a few of them to help you.
This might mean helping you as you adjust to living with Parkinson’s, helping you with management strategies, or going with you to the doctor.
Tell your family or friends, "I have just gotten diagnosed with Parkinson's.
This is going to be tough for me, so I would like to know if I can turn to you for support when I need it."
Understand that caring for someone with PD can be difficult for caregivers.
If a friend or family member has offered to help care for you, talk to them about whether they are emotionally, physically, and financially prepared to do so.Ask your caregiver(s) to accompany you to your medical appointments so that they can ask any questions they may have, gain a better understanding of what you are going through, and get information about what kind of help you may need.
Ask your caregiver to read up on PD.
Your doctor may be able to provide helpful literature.
Encourage your caregiver to get help when they need it.
Help can come from your caregiver’s friends and family, support groups, community and local services, or services offered through your hospital or medical center. , When you get diagnosed with PD, you need to find ways to cope with the disease and your emotions.
You can do this in a variety of ways.
You have to discover what coping strategy works for you.For example, you can try meditation or deep breathing exercises.
Spend time doing things you like, such as reading, hobbies, or listening to music.
Spend times with friends, family, or your pets.
Rely on your spirituality if you are a spiritual or religious person.
Faith can help you find comfort in difficult times.
About the Author
Zachary Perez
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow organization tutorials.
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