A dad discovered his clumsiness was actually Parkinson’s disease after friends became concerned over his awkward body movements.
When he was seen dragging his right foot along the floor while on a walking trip in the Himalayas, Rob Stubbs’ pals highlighted it to him and then another friend noticed he was leaning to one side a lot.
The father-of-two decided to seek medical advice to be on the safe side and was shocked to learn, after being referred to a neurologist for further tests, that he had Parkinson’s, reports the Liverpool Echo.
The 62-year-old teaching assistant told the Echo: “I went to the doctors after we did this walk in Anglesey.
“The couple I was walking with, one of them was a physio. I couldn’t straighten up [my body], I was leant over to one side.
“She said ‘you need to go to the doctors about it’.”
There are over 40 symptoms of Parkinson’s, with the three main symptoms being: a tremor (shaking), slowness of movement and rigidity (muscle stiffness).
Rob feels he and other people with Parkinson’s – a condition in which parts of the brain become progressively damaged – could benefit from having more support in place post-diagnosis to help deal with the impact it can have on your mental health.
He said: “I’m quite a positive person, but it was a big shock. I was told ‘you’ve got Parkinson’s Disease, it’s going to get worse, go and research Michael J. Fox’s book – I think they gave me the email address for Parkinson’s UK.
“It really was a kick in the stomach. It is quite brutal.
“In my case, when I saw the consultant for the diagnosis I wasn’t tremoring at all.
“Within 48 hours of having the diagnosis, I did start to tremor quite a lot and I was stuck with ‘what do I do now?’.”
Rob is now under the treatment of the Walton Centre and is currently taking a three-hourly cycle of medication, which means he experiences relief from his tremor for one hour out of every three.
He said one thing many people don’t know about Parkinson’s is that stress and anxiety can make your symptoms worse.
“The scary thing about Parkinson’s is there’s no cure and it gets worse,” he went on.
“Slowly over the last five and a half years my tremor has gotten worse to the extent now that my wife won’t let me cut up food when we’re preparing a meal because of the sharp knives.
“Anything that involves two hands [is difficult] so pulling a bottle of beer is a bit of a no-no. Eventually I can see in the future when I’m not going to be able to drive anymore and that will be a major blow to my independence.”
Rob has been referred for DBS (deep brain stimulation) – a type of surgery used to treat Parkinson’s – and is waiting to see if it can go ahead.
According to Parkinson’s UK, DBS is not a cure and doesn’t prevent Parkinson’s from progressing. But in many cases it’s given people with the condition better control of their motor symptoms including tremor, speed of movements and involuntary movements.
Rob is determined to stay positive and has dedicated his time to carrying out research as well as raising over £12,000 through various challenges for Parkinson’s UK.
He also continues to work as a teaching assistant at Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, where he says staff and pupils have all been really supportive.
“There’s a mental process to go through, but I’ve always been quite positive,” he said. “What’s the alternative?
“My motto is, ‘It is what it is, get on with it’. There’s nothing you can do about it.
“You can roll over or you can grasp it and go full throttle and that’s what I try to do.”
