5 DAYS IN HELL March 2021 I spent five days in North Staffs Royal Infirmary undergoing extensive neurological tests to find out what was wrong with me when I already knew or suspected but I needed it confirmed. So, Mr Murphy my neurologist at the time wasn't convinced because I was so young but running all the obvious neurological tests would give them a clearer picture of what was making me shake. Those five days were like a living nightmare because I was hoping and praying that I was wrong. I had never spent more than a few hours in a hospital being treated for anything more than minor injuries and I was scared, to say the least. The fact of the matter was that other than the obvious shaking which was very visible I considered myself to be in reasonable health. I had an occasional chest infection and a dose of flu but nothing more serious than that. That was the whole irony of the situation because apart from Parkinson's generally speaking my health was good. So having to spend five in a hospital was very stressful for me when you consider that I suspected it was Parkinson's anyway. The referral time to see any specialist in 1987 was horrendous. I waited nearly nine months before I had a letter and another six months before my eventual appointment because it was constantly being cancelled. In the meantime, I kept taking the tranquilisers because they were helping with my Parkinson's which was slowly progressing. Without realizing it they were masking my symptoms. I was so ashamed of taking them I kept it a secret from everybody even my parents who had no idea that anything was wrong. I didn't want to shock anybody until I knew it was true. I eventually got to see the neurologist Doctor Murphy the following year. The first thing that I had to undergo was a rather unceremonious and utterly thorough physical check-up. That was probably one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. After I had very swiftly put my clothes back on I went and sat down to see what Doctor Murphy thought. He could see that I had a very slight tremor and that I dragged my one leg when I walked and then he mentioned the word that I was hoping I wouldn't hear. But you are showing signs of junior Parkinson's syndrome which I have never come across before for someone of your age. Doctor Murphy in true Irish spirit wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery so he made an appointment for me to spend a few days in North Staffs Royal Infirmary to undergo extensive neurological tests so he could find out what was causing my symptoms. It is quite a big 'pastime' in Ireland to solve a good mystery. I took his word for it. I had this notion in my head that it was all going to be routine and quite boring while I was in there and that I'd feel like a lab rat being pushed and poked. Imagine what it's like to be surrounded by all sorts of people with various neurological disorders. Most of them were ok until their medication wore off. Then one or two would start screaming in the middle of the night and running around like lunatics in an asylum and I was lying in there amongst them thinking what the hell am I doing here? That was my initiation into hospital life in a neurological ward. I'd spent the first day doing various physical tests whilst being videoed then in the afternoon I had some kind of scan. Then I went to a different testing room where I was covered with gel and fitted with electrodes which were connected to some kind of lie-detecting machine with lots of needles which was extremely noisy. I was lying there covered in cold sticky gel with all this noise going around me and I was starting to feel very confused and unsure about what was happening. I was asked a lot of questions about my environmental background as to which area I grew up in Staffordshire which I found a little strange but then a few years later it all made complete sense when there were various connections between crop spraying and Parkinson's. I was also asked if I'd ever used any hard drugs to which I answered with a firm no as I'd never touched any in my life. There was some new research coming out of America suggesting a connection between Parkinson's and LSD. They were also trying to find out if I lived near any farms as well or had been anywhere near crop spraying. On the last day, I was asked if I'd mind being seen by a group of Doctors who were visiting the hospital one of whom was a specialist in Parkinson's. After watching the video of me they asked me if I'd mind sitting in front of this panel of doctors who might be able to shed some light on what was wrong with me. The six million dollar question. My heart started to beat a little bit quicker. I stumbled into this chilly room even though I only had pyjamas and a tatty oversized dressing gown which I had borrowed. They all looked quite serious as I sat down in front of them. Then the doctor in the middle who had a bright blue dickie bow on cleared his throat and started to read something off some of his case notes. The only words that registered in my ears were I'm afraid Mr Keene you are showing distinct signs of junior Parkinson's syndrome but we are not sure. They thanked me for my willingness to have tests done then I was ushered back to my ward so that I could pack my things up ready to go home. I had to sit for another hour in the lunatic asylum ward waiting for somebody to give me a quick check-up before I would be allowed to go home. Eventually, I made it to the exit strolled over to my car and climbed in. I stared out through the windscreen in a total state of shock. I knew very little about Parkinson's or how it would affect me but one thing I did know for certain. It was a progressive condition and there was no cure. I had to get on with my life as quickly as I could. The first day of knowing was the worst. Then the aftershock. Finally, the confirmation came as a bit of an anticlimax because it was ten years too late. I had Parkinson's. You can't prepare anybody for that. I had to come to terms with it. I had to pick myself up off the floor and get on with it. It was as simple as that. I had no time to sit down and think about the ramifications it was full steam ahead on the good ship Rob.