Hi,

My lovely partner of 5 years has been experiencing what I believe is RBD. This means he has vivid, unpleasant dreams and can lash out with his arms. I've been accidentally clonked a couple of times and have taken myself off to the next room to sleep!

I came upon this diagnosis when I googled and it frightened me terribly. Many older men (my partner is 65) have this as a pre-curser to Parkinsons. He also suffers from constipation and dizziness when getting up too suddenly (both of which can be early signs). Other than this he is fit and strong and attends the gym 3-4 times a week.

I've told my partner my concerns about the REM sleep disorder but not the implications it may mean. He is off overseas to England in 2 weeks (for a month) with his 94 year old mother (she's incredible), so I didn't want to put my fears and suspicions onto him.

I've been down the anxiety hole for the last week (internalising all this) and have started counselling today so am feeling a bit better. I'm also addressing my HA issues again, which is long overdue.

My counselor suggested I ask my partner if he will see his Dr (with me) before he goes overseas. I've done this, and we are going Thurs morning. Initially I felt relieved but now I feel guilty as I maybe should have arranged this once he came back from this trip as I don't want anything to spoil it for him.

I realise I have to take care of myself as I have CFS. I need to keep my stress levels to a minimum but it's so difficult at present. I love my partner dearly, he's a wonderful man and would always support and look after him the best I can. We plan to get engaged next year and marry in the future.

Thanks for reading this. L