Living with Parkinson's

"The hardest part wasn't the tremor - it was realising I'd been living with symptoms for years without knowing. The constipation, the loss of smell, the vivid dreams. Looking back, they were all clues."

"People see the shaking and think that's Parkinson's. But for me, it's the slowness. Making a cup of tea takes concentration now. My brain knows what to do - my body just takes longer to agree."

"I was a carpenter for 35 years. My hands were everything. When I got diagnosed, I thought my life was over. But with medication and exercise, I've found new ways. I paint now - the tremor adds character to every brushstroke."

"My wife noticed before I did. She said I wasn't swinging my left arm when I walked. She said my face had become 'too calm' - like I wasn't reacting to things anymore. That's what made me go to the doctor."

"The anxiety hit before anything else. Years before diagnosis, I had this background feeling of dread that never quite went away. No one connected it to Parkinson's at the time - it was only in hindsight."

"Exercise has been my medicine alongside the medication. I box three times a week. My neurologist says patients who exercise intensely show slower progression. On days I train, I feel closer to my old self."