A few years ago, Stephen Gee noticed that he was having more trouble with the physical aspects of his work as a refrigeration mechanic in Sydney.
“I had to climb up a lot of ladders and onto roofs and I was finding it hard,” recalls Stephen, now 64. “I had also started to shuffle. I kept telling myself to walk properly and step out, but I couldn’t.
Even doing things like putting a shampoo bottle back on a bathroom shelf was in ‘slow-mo’. I was moving like I’d had half a dozen beers, but without the fun.”
Stephen had been to see a heart specialist in early 2019 who put him on statins to manage cholesterol issues. He had also been taking blood pressure tablets for many years. The onset of his symptoms had coincided with the use of statins.
“We started noticing small physical and mental changes as the doctor had put him on a very high dosage,” says Suzanne, Stephen’s wife. “We had many months going back and forth to the local GP and heart specialist who continued to adjust the medication. However, nothing helped and his clinical changes were slowly getting worse.
“By November that year we had decided to take a holiday, believing it would help Steve to have some relaxation – but his symptoms of shuffling and depression (which Steve had never suffered with) were at an all-time high,”
Suzanne did not know what to do.
“Steve was not coping in any way and watching his decline was heartbreaking,” she recalls. “I had never seen Steve so sad, crying, and not thinking clearly.
“We decided to see another Sydney heart specialist who at least had the fortitude to admit that statins were not tolerable for a percentage of the population, and it was extremely obvious that Steve was in that category.
“It was decided to discontinue the statins, blood pressure tablets and aspirin and to look at other options. His blood pressure returned to normal, and his cholesterol began to drop with changes to diet and exercise. He also took vitamins and supplements such as Bergamot and Coenzyme Q10 and K2 – all suggested by a highly-regarded heart specialist who was recommended to us by a friend.”
After coming off those medications, Steve started to feel somewhat better but the lingering effects left him with brain fog, and the slow and shuffling movements continued .
Steve saw neurologist Dr Chung in late 2020, had tests and was then diagnosed with a form of Parkinson’.
“He prescribed the medication Madopar,” says Suzanne. “The problem was Steve got worse on that medication. He began to suffer with the depression again, shuffling and the very slow movements. Steve persevered with that medication for some time before we both decided that he was not getting any better, there were no improvements at all and it was better he come off that medication.
“By the time we had packed up and moved to Port Macquarie in May 2022, we had decided to look for help. That is when we found an apothecarist, who was a wonderful help. She recommended Jody Lloyd the Parkinson’s nurse, and life began to change for Steve for the better from then on.”
“If it wasn’t for Jody I’d be a mess now,” Stephen says.
“Jody, God bless her, went through all my medication and my blood pressure tablets were combining with my other medications and making my blood pressure way too low. She sorted it all out for me and it’s so much better now.”
In fact, Stephen is now well enough to enjoy the coastal lifestyle and is making the most of retirement.
“I go fishing about once week, which was much harder to do where we lived in Sydney,” he says.
“I also do archery, which was something I’d started in Sydney. Suzanne and I go out for coffees and a meal or with friends we’re making up here. I also help Suzanne with things she likes to do around the house and in the garden.”
Stephen also goes to an exercise therapist and sees a speech therapist to strengthen his voice.
“I also go to Loud Crowd (a Parkinson’s program which assists with speech and swallowing issues),” says Stephen. “I want to make the most of things for as long as possible and be helpful to my wife because one day she will be doing more for me.”
Stephen says that living in a regional area would have been so much harder for him without the assistance provided by Jody.
“Jody has arranged my specialist appointments, and I wouldn’t have known who to see or where to start,” says Stephan. “We have a fly-in, fly-out specialist who visits every six months as well as being able to do telehealth video hook-ups with Jody’s assistance.
“The latest thing Jody has been helping me with is getting me accepted for NDIS. I was reluctant to start the process until Jody explained that while there might not be much I need now, further down the track I could need more help. And you can’t apply once you’re over 65.
“Jody has been so helpful in so many ways, and not just in answering my questions. She’s so knowledgeable and goes out of her way to arrange things. It would have been hell if we’d had to try and arrange things ourselves.
“Jody is worth her weight in gold. While Port Macquarie has good facilities and infrastructure, it’s still a rural area. Parkinson’s nurses are a godsend.”
