Terry

When I first noticed a tremor in my left arm, I thought it was a trapped nerve. I was 46 and I thought that Parkinson's disease only affected elderly people. I went to my GP and he asked me to hold my arms out, but they were rock steady. So, it wasn't until six months later when I was still having problems that my doctor referred me to a neurologist, and I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

My symptoms were relatively mild and I thought that he'd made a mistake. I tried to ignore the symptoms and I now realise that, like most people who are newly diagnosed with Parkinson's, I was in denial.

I went on working in the London Stock Exchange as a dealer, buying and selling shares. It was very busy, but I loved it. My colleagues were supportive, and my symptoms were well controlled with medication. If my hand shook a little, I simply put it in my pocket.

Two years after the diagnosis, a downturn in the stock market led to redundancy and unemployment. At interviews, potential employers were enthusiastic at first, but lost interest when they heard I had Parkinson's disease. The rejection was more depressing than the illness.

After nearly a year, I got a job selling insurance. It was stressful, with long hours, and I hated every minute. After several tough years, I was made redundant again and, at the age of 57, I knew that I was unlikely to get work again.

Progressive symptoms

Over the years, my symptoms have been largely well controlled by my medication, but my voice has become weaker and my speech is often slurred. On one occasion, a salesman was visiting my wife, Jean, and I at home and asked if he could see Jean alone the next time as ‘your husband seems to have a drink problem.

Fine hand movements have become more difficult - writing, tying shoelaces, buttoning a shirt. In the morning, I have to roll out of bed and ease myself upright against the side of the wardrobe. My sleep pattern is disturbed so, while Jean likes to sleep from 10pm-6am, I go to bed between 2am and 4am and can rarely sleep longer than six hours.

Still a keen sportsman!

In 1991, I decided to enter the London Marathon, hoping to raise a few pounds for the Parkinson's disease Society. The training was long, hard and boring and I never felt that I had done enough. It was also difficult to know if the exhaustion was due to the running or worse still, because of the PD. There were numerous interruptions to my training schedule and, although I could barely walk for a few days after running the Marathon, I raised £3000. At long last, I had something to aim for and felt that I was someone again.

Since then, I've run 18 marathons, and raised over £50,000 for Parkinson's disease.

There's life after Parkinson's disease. Some people get wrapped in cotton wool, others want to just get on with it. PD is very individual, and you just have to do what's right for you.