Time can be a funny thing. It’s measured in units such as minutes and years. There are 525,600 minutes in a year. Sometimes it feels like each year passes by in a flash. And yet sometimes a minute feels like hours.
Even though I’ve only been diagnosed with Parkinson’s for four and a half years, somehow it feels longer. I can’t remember what it was like to not have Parkinson’s and to be able to do every day things without a second thought. It’s become so much a part of my life now. During the times when my symptoms are more pronounced and I am struggling to do an everyday task, such as zipping up my coat or doing up a clasp on a necklace, what is probably only 30 seconds or so feels like several minutes.
How long does it take to get diagnosed with Parkinson’s? If you asked several people with Parkinson’s, you’d probably get a different answer from each person. It took 10 months from when I first went to my doctor about my symptoms before I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. That 10 months felt like the longest 10 months of my life.
As for how long does it take to accept your diagnosis… Well that’s a completely different question. Time can be measured, but how you get your head around such a diagnosis cannot be measured or explained easily. It’s not something that someone else can do for you and there’s no quick fix. It usually takes time. Because there’s no fix for Parkinson’s. Yes, there are medications and treatments that can help with symptoms. But there is currently no cure.
Those of us with Parkinson’s have to live with this progressive, neurological condition for all 525,600 minutes of every year.
World Parkinson’s Day is on 11 April 2018. For those 1440 minutes, the aim is to raise awareness and to make a positive difference to the lives of the estimated 7 to 10 million people living with Parkinson’s worldwide. With your help, we can make those minutes, that day, count.
Please take a few minutes to support World Parkinson’s Day in any way you can – tell your friends, family, colleagues about World Parkinson’s Day, use the hashtag #uniteforparkinsons, support a Parkinson’s charity such as Parkinson’s UK… Every bit of support – no matter how small makes a difference and I can tell you from personal experience, it really does mean a lot to those of us with Parkinson’s and those close to us.
#UniteForParkinsons on World Parkinson’s Day – 11 April 2018.
Living with Parkinson's 