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Jeffery Hill replied to the topic Weight gain issues in the forum Diagnosis Information and General Questions 1 month, 1 week ago
In the seven years since my diagnosis I have been pretty steady +/- 5 pounds. When I get the opportunity to engage in my full exercise program (pre-COVID) I drop. When I over-indulge in eating (Christmas) I rise. I don’t feel Parkinson’s has influenced my metabolism.
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Jeffery Hill replied to the topic What are all of your symptoms that are PD related. Please list them. in the forum Parkinson's Disease Symptoms 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Many similarities to those above:
First symptom was loss of smell years before any other symptoms. Although my dad had PD he didn’t report this symptom so when I got it I didn’t make the connection to PD
Next was tremor, starting in one thumb and spreading to the entire forearm. That’s when it clicked for me, and I asked my GP for a referral…[Read more]
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Jeffery Hill replied to the topic Do you have any pets? in the forum Living With Parkinson's Disease 6 months, 1 week ago
Finding ourselves with time on our hands, and missing our last dog, we got a new one just as the March 2020 lockdown descended (coincidence). Our new Australian Shepherd, Poppy, has lots of energy, and we walk 10,000+ steps every day. She also loves frisbee, soccer and tug-of-war. This has helped me keep stiffness at bay.
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Jeffery Hill replied to the topic Does anyone else in your family have Parkinson's? in the forum Living With Parkinson's Disease 8 months ago
My father had Parkinson’s. He first noticed symptoms at the age of 57. I noticed my tremor at 56, but looking back I realize that I lost most of my sense of smell many years prior to that. I was tested for known genetic markers, but the results were negative. My father was possibly exposed to pesticides when he worked on his aunt’s farm as a t…[Read more]
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Wanda and
Jeffery Hill are now friends 8 months, 1 week ago
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Jeffery Hill replied to the topic Are you able to sleep through the night? in the forum Parkinson's Disease Symptoms 10 months, 1 week ago
Early in my diagnosis (2016) I had no trouble with sleeping. However in the last 2 or so years I have had quite a bit of trouble. Either I take hours to fall asleep, or I wake up in the middle of the night and take hours to fall back to sleep. My father, who also had PD, had the same symptoms.
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Jeffery Hill replied to the topic Do you struggle with facial masking? in the forum Living With Parkinson's Disease 12 months ago
I know I have facial masking. For instance, my manager at work was slightly frustrated by my “poker face” because he could never tell what I was thinking, and I didn’t seem to react to anything. However on a moment to moment basis I am not conscious of it because I’m not looking at myself in a mirror. Therefor I don’t spend any time trying to d…[Read more]
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Jeffery Hill replied to the topic What's the most effective exercise routine for PD? in the forum Parkinson's Disease and exercise 1 year, 1 month ago
Hi Alan,
If you don’t already have one, consider getting a dog. I mean a really active dog. I got an Australian Shepherd. She demands at least 3 hours of work a day. I’m averaging 13,000 steps a day. Just need to supplement with some high intensity cardio, weights and stretching.
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Jeffery Hill replied to the topic Do you think your stress levels have gotten worse over time? in the forum Parkinson's Disease Symptoms 1 year, 2 months ago
I subscribe to the theory that those of us with PD have a reduced capacity to handle stress, not that stress itself has increased. I find that when anxiety and stress build, my tremor just starts hammering and I feel overwhelmed and exhausted.
When I was diagnosed in 2016 I had an idea what I was in for, because my father had PD. I set about t…[Read more]
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Jeffery Hill replied to the topic Do you still drive? in the forum Living With Parkinson's Disease 1 year, 4 months ago
Still driving (6 speed manual no less!). I only do long trips if I can start in the morning or have a partner to switch with if I get tired.
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Jeffery Hill replied to the topic Advice for newly diagnosed folks in the forum Diagnosis Information and General Questions 1 year, 4 months ago
The key advice was exercise. It was helpful in relaxing the muscles and joints that has become cramped throughout my body. It took about 6 months of cardio, strength and stretching to get there. I was on a real roll until COVID closed the gyms, and have relapsed somewhat.
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Jeffery Hill replied to the topic Early signs and symptoms in the forum Diagnosis Information and General Questions 1 year, 4 months ago
I thought my first symptom was a fluttering tremor in my left thumb at the age of 56. When I researched the list of Parkinson’s symptoms I learned that my loss of smell 5 years earlier was on the list too!
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Jeffery Hill replied to the topic What has Parkinson's stolen from you? in the forum Living With Parkinson's Disease 1 year, 4 months ago
I’ve lost speed (I am SO slow at everything) and endurance (can work no more than 4 hours a day).
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Jeffery Hill replied to the topic How has COVID affected your movement? in the forum Parkinson's Disease and exercise 1 year, 8 months ago
Coincidentally we got a new puppy in the week of the first lockdown. I’ve never walked so much in my life!
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Jeffery Hill replied to the topic What are your thoughts about Deep Brain Stimulation? in the forum Parkinson's Disease alternative treatments 1 year, 9 months ago
Surgery strikes me as frighteningly invasive. At this time I’m only taking Risagiline and not levodopa, so I have yet to experience the relief that it may provide. I’m becoming weary of my tremor.
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Jeffery Hill replied to the topic Do or did any of your family members have Parkinsons? in the forum Diagnosis Information and General Questions 1 year, 11 months ago
My father developed PD symptoms at the age of 57, and I did at 56. His first cousin also had PD. I was tested for known genetic markers but the results apparently were negative.
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Jeffery Hill replied to the topic How do you minimize the stress in your life? in the forum Diagnosis Information and General Questions 1 year, 11 months ago
My symptoms are similar to your Dad’s. When I experience stress, my tremor amplifies big time. So stress avoidance is a key solution, and among other tactics I chose to retire early to get that whole work stress thing out of my life. I also exercise frequently, although the closure of gyms due to COVID has caused a wrinkle in that plan.
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Jeffery Hill replied to the topic Long-term disability in the forum Living With Parkinson's Disease 1 year, 11 months ago
I retired early at the age of 60. I was still able to perform my work well, but was finding the physical reaction to stress to be troubling, and I did not wish to demonstrate a decline in my work quality at some time in the near future. In other words, I wanted to go out at the top of my game. I also wanted to enjoy the best possible years of…[Read more]
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Jeffery Hill replied to the topic skiing in the forum Parkinson's Disease and exercise 1 year, 11 months ago
I gave up downhill a couple of years ago because I found that my reaction time (initiating turns) was declining, and I didn’t want this to end with an accident. I continue cross country skiing on flat terrain (like frozen lakes) but I’m finding that my technique is deteriorating. One side seems to perform differently than the other, and I d…[Read more]
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Jeffery Hill replied to the topic The beginnings of tremors in the forum Parkinson's Disease Symptoms 1 year, 12 months ago
Hi Ian. A flutter of a tremor in my left thumb was the first symptom that caught my attention. Because my father had had PD I started digging into the list of symptoms and realized that I also had lost my sense of smell years earlier (I did not know this was a PD symptom) and was not swinging my left arm when I walked (while tightly clenching m…[Read more]
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