The reluctant patient: Parkinson's disease

doi:10.1136/bmj.39329.606840.AD

BMJ 2007;335:989-990 (10 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.39329.606840.AD

Practice

A patient's journey

The reluctant patient: Parkinson's disease

Elisabet Helsing, patient

Oslo, Norway

Correspondence to: Elisabet Helsing ehel@online.no

This patient was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease 17 yearsago and had surgery for the condition in 2005

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Living with Mr P

I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1990. Somehow Iwas reluctant to admit to myself that I was ill. Therefore Ihad difficulties understanding, let alone accepting, peoplewho thought I needed special treatment or consideration or,worst of all, colleagues who thought I wouldn't want or be ableto do complicated work.

As my condition worsened and it became obvious to friends andcolleagues that I had a neurological ailment, my opinions weresought less and less frequently. This was perhaps the most hurtfulpart of my illness, but I was comforted by the reaction of afew good friends with whom I had always worked and continuedto work, and a few new friends who were wise enough to overlookmy physical condition. They realised that nothing had changedand that my brain was not in the least affected.

Physically, the most striking aspect of my illness . . . [Full text of this article]