I send out many Birthday cards to friends, and it's getting so I can hardly address the envelope. If I want to write a note inside it can start out OK and then it all goes down hill. My friends never say anything, but I bet some times they can't read what I have written. To some of you this is a very little thing but for me it is important. My handwriting is a representative of me. Yes, I have the tremors, and the jerks movements and the wobbly head, shaking legs, depression and don't sleep very well and still it is my handwriting that I miss the most. If I want to write a check when buying something I have to the clerk fill out the check then I sign it. When going places with my friends some times we have to sign in, they do it for me.It's a piece of me that I took for granted
. Now I don't take anything for Granted This is my first blog, so please be kind. LOL
Thank you. Precious44
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Precious44
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No its not a small thing, it is a part of you. A part that is fading, and its not nice. This kinda invisible side of PD I find can be the most distressing. I gave up sending Xmas cards then all types of cards because of my writing. Funny how the recipients I am sure wouldnt mind but I do. An idea would be to preserve some of your writing by scanning it into your computer and saving as 'images' then you can insert into your typed words. I'd choose some key sentences Love you, Happy Birthday, Merry Xmas, Congratulations etc. Then you can print out or if you can drop straight into documents. Hope all goes ok x
Hi welcome, a very good blog indeed something that I believe affects many with PD and yes it must be horrid another skill lost to the disease and so frustrating. My husband the one with PD has the same problem and I cannot on may occasions make his handwriting out. It is frustrating to him, as he is good at writing in general and when he is insprired to write much of it is unreadable and then he has lost the moment and the words and sentiment lost.. He does tend to do more and more on computer but its not the same. thanks for sharing and take care x
while at the bank the other day I signed a withdraw slip. The teller told me that she could not give me money unless my signature matched what was on file. I had to explain that I have PD and my signatures rarely match. See called a manager who i had to explain this to
The bank phoned my one day and said that although my signature was o.k. my husbands wasn't. I had to explain to them that he had parkinsons disease. I have Power of Attorney now so I think I will do all the signing from now on.
One of the reasons I retired from my job was because of my handwriting. I had to type even the simplest of notes. Thank heavens for the computer keyboard!
I hear you and I know what you are going through!! I had to teach myself to write left handed because the shakes on my right side were so bad I could not even hold a pen. Even after the DBS surgery, my writng is attrocious!!! (I can't spell either but that I can't blame on PD) I quit sending out Christmas cards because it wears me out trying to write a message that people can read.
PS Welcome to our website!! We all try to be positive even in the face of adversity!!!
Thank you all for you comments. I use the computer for almost everything. Carrigan I use the computer to do my writing, maaybe you husband could learn to do that. It's nott near as personal but aat least you get the words down on paper. I left the misstakes on purpose that is the only problem I have with the computer. Beecause of the shaking I strike the keys twice. I just recently opened a new checking account and I told the woman at the bank that I have Parkinson's so my signatures will probably never match.She was very gracious and made a note in the computer.
Thank you again for your comments and I look forward to getting to each of you.
I understand, my handwriting was always something I was proud of and received many complements on. I now type most of my notes and letters. When I do have to write checks, etc. I try to do it when my meds are working the best, then try to be relaxed about the whole thing and that helps. There is nothing wrong with enclosing a typewritten note in a Christmas or birthday card most of the people I send them to know I have PD.
I used to have beautiful handwriting too. Now what little I write is so tiny it is barely ledgible to me. I miss being able to write and even now have to keep the check register on the computer.
My handwritng was beautiful also, that was then this now, I rarely can write to read but it helps to plan writing tasks around the meds, and a cards made with verse,or a poem I wrote done in beatuful type from a computer ,in a cafty card which takes time to even make. Then learned it takes more time but I make sure to do my name beaufiully crisp and firm,that is what the card is about me, my thought and remembering to send. Of coarse it also about the time i spend think of the choosen card person. I just had find a diffrent way to be me! Good luck. Kadie
My handwriting was always terrible, but legible. Now I write poetry at night and cannot for the life of me read it in the morning. As regards sending cards I found a great website, it's called send out cards. I have a link that allows you to send 3 free cards. It has been ngreat for me email me at jmc9696@gmail.com and I'll send the link. The cards cost @ less than $1, stamped & mailed. You can upload your photos to the front cover. People love getting cards that have old photos on the card...It's easy to do and rewarding....Live as happy as possible Life is an ice-cream truck, take your choice!
I would never laugh because I must correct everything a dozen times before I put it out for any one to see. Thank you for your kind words. I have already found this site to have warm, caring people just trying to make the best of a debating disease and if I found that after only one day, WOW I am in the right place.
Thank you all again for all you kind comments and your helpful hints. I have only been on this site for one day and have already found it to have warm, caring people who are just trying to make the best of a debating disease. Love, support, suggestions and most of all hugs are what I need and am willing to give.
When I have to fill in a form I scan it and paste it to a "Word" page and draw text boxes to fill in the lines. Make the background transparent so original lines will show through.
I worked as a chiropractor before PD, and, one day, looked back in a patient's chart to see that my handwriting had changed totally in six months. That was before diagnosis. Was a shocker.
Used to type about 90-100 wpm and am now down to three wpm. I correct as many mistakes as I see; makes me feel less disabled if the finished product is clean. Lynn
Sorry to hear so many are feeling so badly about your handwriting.I too had a problem as everyone has described. However my PD drugs have stopped it. I guess because my tremor right now is under pretty good control.I thank God for each good day.
My medication (Mirapex) also brought back my handwriting, which had gotten nearly microscopic. My style of writing is a mixture of block printing and Palmer Method ligatures, and might be easier to do in the first place. It had mainly shrunk.
Yes that's what PD does.....it makes us very appreciative for all the "little things" we took for granted before. Keep a "positive" attitude..."We may have Parkinsons, but it doesn't have us!"
Love your username Precious44-------understand your frustration-----was taught by the nuns the Palmer method of handwriting-----and when I saw it deteriorating before my eyes I cursed the PD. Fortunately like Loika my meds have my handwriting almost back to normal----still shaky at times on my not-so-good days but will enjoy my good fortune while I can. Wish you the best.
I do not have PD, but am a caretaker for my domestic partner who has PD. A few months ago I had a mild stroke which manifest itself in several different symptoms. But what bothered me the most was what it did to handwriting. When I signed my name, that was when I realized something was wrong. It changed my handwriting immensely. It was slow and labored and very tiny and hardly legible. Fortunately all my symptoms returned to normal and my handwriting is almost back to normal. But I certainly can understand how such a thing as losing your handwriting can be such a terrible loss. In my day, handwriting (penmanship) was taught in schools and good penmanship was reason to be proud.
if you are still trying to write with your shaky hand, write two letters, then lift your hand off the paper. Write another word or two. But gosh, have you not heard of the Dragon program or similar ones? You speak into a microphone and it types the whole thing for you. This is what I am doing now. Thank God for this program or I would never be able to write.
Hi,
My writing was never rally good and my spelling was even worse , now i have an excuse for both , yesterday i joined a gym and the receptionist gave me a look that would have floored an ox, when i tool her that i can not write, she must have thought i was thick , when i tryed to explain about PD she had this blank look on her face and as ther was now a que of people now standing behind me i started to stutter and shake , so i said i would sit down an fill the forms in , as i sat down this lovely young girl came over and said her grandmother has Parkinsons and she filled the form in for me, nice to see some people understand what we have to endure on a daily basis
my solution to illegible handwriting- When someone hands me something to fill out, I ask
"Is this something that you will need to be able to read? - of course it is or they wouldn't ask for it- When they say "Yes" my response is -"then you had best fill it out for me'' Problem solved. Members of my family and friends know I am not even going to try to write so they automatically do it
Except for my signature, I never had very pretty handwriting, anyway. But it was my signature that was an early clue I had PD. It began getting harder and harder to just sign the credit card form at the store. My meds have been keeping most of that under control this past year, and I guess I'm lucky I can still type, since most of my work entails computer documents rather than anything handwritten.
Thank you for your comments, I understand now how writing is a part of PD. I have been unable to write now for about 6 months,so guess i was pretty lucky to have kept my handwriting for so long after the diagnosis. This site is wonderful, it opens up a new world where must people can't write so there is understand, compassion,care, education and a bunch of wonderful people that just so happen to have PD. Guess I have gotten use to not being able to fill things out at my bank they fill out the deposit slip, I always have a doctors office or who that has forms for me to fill out , have them mailed to me. Today when I went to the hospital to apply to be a volunteer , I was handed an application 3 pages. God watches out for me, my friend Jo (a woman) is a volunteer at the hospital and she was there. She filled out the application and I did my scribble of a signature I had to tell the woman who was interviewing me that I have PD and can't write,but am very good on a computer.I don't know if that is going to make a difference or not. They do have a position for someone to help with the fund raising things, like putting things in basket and wrapping it together, doing artificial flower arrangement's together and that is something I enjoy. I go all kinds of crafts. I make jewelry, really hard to do on a bad day, but I love doing it. I crochet, right now I am making a baby blanket, crocheting or knitting is good for your hands
So far nobody here has mentioned writing by speaking. If you have an iPad or an iPhone or an android phone or a Windows laptop or a Mac laptop you already have speech recognition built into your device. I just wrote all of this without even touching the keyboard. You have to learn how to do it and it would help to be coached by somebody who already knows. It's mostly how you enunciate and being in a relatively quiet environment. And you will have to learn how to edit a little bit here and there.
I am using a iPad Air 2. It works with this website or blog site perfectly, and has very good speech recognition ability. I write probably 50 emails a day, make posts to my Parkinson's and Lyme disease blog, search the web and many other things often using speech recognition. I was an author of technical books for 25 years and published 45 books. At first when I was not yet diagnosed and was having trouble typing, my publisher unceremoniously fired me after a 15 year relationship with them as a Best selling author of computer books. That certainly pulled the carpet out from under me. But now with speech recognition being as good as it is I am a prolific writer of emails, text messages, etc. I would encourage anyone Who feels frustrated about not being able to type on a keyboard to look into this. I go to speech therapy clinic at UCSF in San Francisco and get lessons for keeping my voice loud and strong. I have exercises to practice every day that help me better communicate in person with people and also in dictating to the computer. I wrote this note in less than 10 minutes.
I recently also bought a device from Amazon called Alexa. It cost less than $50. It's a little gadget no bigger than a glass of water.I can ask for all kinds of things just using my voice. You can read up about Alexa on the Internet. I can do shopping, turn lights on and off, ask to hear the news, ask to hear a specific piece of music played on my stereo, and much more.
I have writing problem to Cannot read my own notes, I have tried printing it was ok b ut now it is shocking ,So you
do as I do use computer to write notes good luck
Me too! I was always told I had beautiful handwriting. Now I'm lucky if I can read what I myself wrote. Beautifully said that handwriting is representative of who you are.
Dear Precious, I know exactly how you feel. Oddly enough, I had micrography for a year or two. Then it went away. I'm not sure why. I also have a diagnosis of Lyme disease and i have treated that with a lot of IV antibiotics. It was during that period of time when my handwriting started coming back. For me what I miss most is control of my anxiety. I have always been a very calm person. People would say they liked being around me because I had a calming influence on them. This is one reason that in mid life (about 50) I went back to school and earned a masters in psychotherapy. Now I can't get through more than an hour or two without getting anxious and trembly all over, especially in the legs. I really can't see clients for this reason, so i had to retire. I was also a pretty decent pianist playing both classical and jazz music. The classical stuff especially requires fine motor coordination. A couple times a day I might get an hour's worth of good practicing in. But I simply cannot play in public because even the slightest anxiety triggers so much adrenaline that the joy and the control necessary to play correctly just vanishes. Suddenly I'm making mistakes, losing the tempo, etc. So I play mostly for myself and occasionally with a friend at home in my living room. To get my musical 'fix' I host classical music concerts in my house featuring local and traveling musicians. It has been quite a joy hearing such fine music right here in my house. All I have to do is introduce them to the audience (of about 35 people). I don't have to worry about performing myself! When life throws you a curve ball, hit it! That's what I say. I'm also trying different treatments for Parkinson's disease and even have a blog all about that as well as the intersection of Lyme disease and Parkinson's disease. I keep trying things and talking to people who have experimented. A few seem to have reversed their symptoms. Well, there is my share for the day.
I won many prizes in my school days in calligraphy competition. I was proud of my handwriting and losing it was losing my confidence and self pride. I decided to write two pages daily and practice signatures. I observed that if I do not think of my PD , I write well but the moment I am concious, my hand shakes and writing is non readable. Similarly while pouring water in a water bottle , if I am not thinking of PD , no tremors but once I think of PD , my hand start shaking. So try to deviate your mind as much you can to live better. My left leg shakes while standing but if I stand on heel lifting the toe up, no tremors. Keep trying and experimenting, I am sure someone from us might arrive to a resolution, one day.
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Any other PD people out there...your major PD symptom is toes curling up on both feet 
Newbie seeking first consultation advice
Very thick phlegm that I can not cough to move 
Question for all that have been here for Awhile
How do you deal with not letting the disease define you?
