Introducing myself

[Become]

I’m a caregiver to my husband, who was diagnosed with Striatonigral Degeneration in 2007.

[Ruffner]

How is your husband doing? I hope you find support and good information here. I'm also a caregiver to my husband and have learned so much from others on this forum.

[Become]

He’s getting weaker and weaker. He says that his feet and hands are numb most of the time. Sometimes he’ll tell me that his arms are too weak to hold himself up to use his walker. He’ll feel better at different times during the day. I made a doctor’s appointment for a prescription for a wheelchair. Later, he was stressing about going because he was afraid that he would fall at the doctor’s office. I said that I would pull up to the door and get one of their wheelchairs for him. Not sure what to do for him. He thinks that he might be bedridden soon.

[Ruffner in reply to Become]

I'm so sorry. My husband is also weak and frail. We always use a wheelchair when doing appointments but he gets around the house okay on his own. He stresses about leaving home so we rarely do. Like your husband, there are some better days but no good days any more. My husband seems to want me by his side, to understand that he wants to help but can't. I try to do chores when he is sleeping because he feels bad watching me work. We have a very simple existence and fortunately everything we need so life is as good as one could hope for with this terrible disease.