My dad has Parkinson’s disease. Tremor is the stereotypical symptom, but so far he’s got just a minor tremor in one hand; his two biggest symptoms so far appear to be fatigue and a general loss of dexterity.
As a particular example, when eating he slowly brings his fork about halfway up from his plate, and moves his head forward and down to meet the fork. Rather than turning the fork to insert it in his mouth, he tries to grab the food from the side of the fork, as he is unable to turn the fork so as to point it end-first at his mouth.
During a recent visit I asked him why he ate like this, and he wasn’t sure; he’s not a doctor, so he only has a layman’s understanding of PD, which is that the symptoms are related to the loss of dopamine production in the brain. He spoke of stiffness in his joints, but as PD is neurological, I wondered how this “stiffness” played into it.
So I ask the brain trust here. Why can’t my dad get his fork up to and into his mouth? the muscles in his arm/shoulder can obviously bear the weight (since they can get the fork up off of the plate), so why can’t they move it the rest of the way and get it pointed in the right direction? Given that PD often involves tremor, are some of his muscles involuntary fighting other ones, preventing full contraction/flexion that would get the fork where it needs to go? Might that be the “joint stiffness” he referred to?
Not seeking to solve any major medical mysteries - I just would like to understand what my dad is going through (and what’s likely in store for me a few decades from now…).
My dad has had Parkinson’s for about the past decade; it is a progressive disease, but it doesn’t necessarily progress all that fast. Everyone’s progression is somewhat different- my dad hasn’t had much trouble eating- it may take him a while to get the fork up where he wants it to be, but he eats more or less normally.
He does have the classic stooped, shuffling walk though, and has a hard time writing longhand, but can use a computer just fine with the mouse sensitivity dampened a little. He’s also still pretty adept with his TV remote.
Fatigue is a problem- things have tired him out for the past decade or so, that I don’t even bat an eye at, and I’m not in great physical shape either (no major problems, just fat and slothful).
I’d recommend counseling for your dad. I know that my Dad gets frustrated and kind of depressed from time to time- the disease does limit what you can do physically and makes you do things like get stuff on your shirt while eating, or drool, or causes bathroom issues like incontinence (or constipation) that can really upset people.
I don’t recall what medication my father took for Parkinson’s, but he found the medication affected his general coordination more than the Parkinson’s. He had no fine dexerity when his hands shook, but he became more generally uncoordinated from the medicine and he didn’t like it.
People with Parkinson’s Disease tend to have some or all of the classic manifestations:
Tremor - only at rest and not when the affected limb/appendage is moving or in a sustained posture.
Rigidity - a stiffening of the muscles due to deranged output from the brain
Akinesia/bradykinesia - a slowing of all movement and a problem with or lack of the “associated movements” (unconsciously done movements) that people take for granted when performing an action (e.g arm swinging when walking, changing facial expression when talking to or interacting with others, gesturing when speaking, etc.).
Imagine having to control consciously every muscle required to turn around or walk. Remember, this means a coordinated relaxation and contraction of many muscles and muscle groups. That is what akinesia does to someone.
Then, couple the akinesia with the stiffness or tremor. Fine movement becomes almost impossible for the sufferer.
There is a lot more to PD, including trouble speaking and swallowing (the latter responsible for much misery and even mortality).
I won’t patronize you by linking to any of the websites on PD but some look good to my eye. I will try to answer specific questions but I am not a neurologist.