‘Parkinson’s makes you wish you were never born’, says Jeremy Paxman.

Grantanow

We need much more research into these awful diseases.

Unfortunately, I have become weary and wary of medical research.
I could be wrong, but so much seems to be funded by those who want to make money of it all, by prescribing yet more pills.

As I read somewhere fairly recently, what diseases have been cured in the last 50 years?

That is so sad Louella.
Poor Jeremy. He must feel really terrible to wish he hadn't been born.

The medical intervention with regard to HIV/Aids was successful fancythat.

Like aggie my OH had PD. Did he die of it? Difficult to say - he fell and fractured his hip because of it during an episode of festination (tiny rapid steps with body leaning forwards - common in PD) and the after effects of the op brought about his death in the end - he never really recovered from it. They said he had post-op delirium, but I knew that some of this was present before.

Life with PD was a misery for him, and the side-effects of his meds made his behaviour almost impossible to live with and I did not feel safe or able to relax.

I have great sympathy with Paxman - but he has had a very good life and wishing he had never been born is a strong statement when he has so much good to look back on - what he really means is that he wishes he were not living the life he is now.

My brother now has it. Several people in the village have it. It is a veritable epidemic.

Paxman was promoting the Parky Charter - I hope people on here have signed it. It is asking for basic care - very sad that this is necessary.

Galaxy

The medical intervention with regard to HIV/Aids was successful fancythat.

True.

fancythat

Galaxy

The medical intervention with regard to HIV/Aids was successful fancythat.

True.

And many other illnesses too.

If not cured, then in remission.

As has been noted, every case of Parkinson’s is individual and different. My DH was brave and positive until he became aware that he couldn’t understand the world around him, couldn’t read and even stopped getting pleasure from the music which had been so much part of his life. He yearned to die and essentially “turned his face to the wall” as our GP put it. I quite understand Paxman’s anger and despair at what life has given him.

My Auntie died from Parkinson’s and it was so sad watching her go from a very intelligent independent woman to someone who was unable to feed herself. That was years ago and I think the medications available now can help to some extent. A man at our church has it. He,too, is very intelligent but now finds it difficult to walk and it affects his speech. He has managed, with the help of his lovely wife,to write a book based on the psalms.

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My next door neighbour from 50 years ago has Parkinson's. He's 90 now and his main problem is falls. Some times one of his sons is available to help, but she often has to get an ambulance out to get him off the floor. They are both very religious so I suppose this helps them, but it must be terribly hard for his wife who is in her late eighties.

My friend's husband died of Huntington's, which is another horrific disease. He was ill for 15 years and by the end was completely unable to do anything physically or mentally. My husband was ill with cancer for 9 years, but however hard it got he was still him. My friend had lost her husband several years before he died.

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(Deleted because I reported AldinWater’s shameless advertising and quoted them/it)

Research makes treatment a possibility as in the case of Aids. Vaccines exist because of research. Not all research pays off immediately but can contribute in time. We must fund more research.

And we should give people the choice about assisted dying: effectively restricting it to those who can pay to visit foreign providers is a disgrace.

And more must be spent on palliative care. It's not an either/or issue.

Michael J Fox has it and contributes a lot of money to funding research, possibly he might be an Ambassador for Parkinson's? I think scientists are getting closer to understanding it and how it starts and hopefully a cure.