DIAGNOSIS POLLS Q5: Tick all the statemen... - Cure Parkinson's
I was told before hand that it was PD or MS. The DR. told me PD was a "better" diagnosis because there were more treatment options...
I had read a lot on the internet and knew that I had all the symptoms of PD so I was not surprised. But the reality of the diagnosis was still hard to deal with.
I had suspected either PD or MS, based on information found on the internet and the experience of friends who had either of the two diseases. I was upset at receiving a "difficult diagnosis", because one of the first things I had read called PD "chronic, progressive, and fatal". I am not afraid of death, but I was afraid of dying.
I was clueless about the diagnosis. I knew very little about Pd. I had rigidity in my left hand, the left side of my face was blank and I walked with a slight shuffle on my left side. I did not have tremors then so I was blindsided. I was thankful it wasn't heart related at age 50.
The only treatment for Parkinsn is a pill. When the doctor prescribe a 25 MG instead of my 10 MG . I suffered from alusions and severe drowziness. Whem I went back to10 MG my Aluusions stopped also drowziness and mobility became better.When I called the doctor about my bad symptons she said double the 25 MG pilll. I refused and sen another doctor who said cut the pill in half. What would have hapened if i folloewd ny Doctor advice,
I was not too surprised at the diagnosis. It was sitting there in the back of my mind, I knew my life would change, but I wasn't expecting it to this fast. I am already over taking so many meds, going to different therapies, still slowing down and falling, but this is going to be the rest of my life. Thankfully, I still have a life to look forward to.
I had times when my right wrist (and to a lesser extent, the left too), would feel extremely weak. i was doing gardening as a job and obviously, using my hands a lot, so I thought nothing of it. Indeed, it wasn't consistently bad and I just put it down as over doing a small joint, a minute muscle or sprained ligaments, etc.
ome months passed, it became slightly worse and more frequent. I went to my GP and he said it might be Carpel Tunnel Syndrome and I could have an op on my wrist or have an injection of Cortezone in my wrist.
(Success rate 50:50).
However, shortly after, I was taking a vocational course and found I had to swap my PC mouse to my left side. Added to that, my voice was becoming softer and slightly slurred. I wasn't able to talk coherently. Luckily, a girl student who sat next to me, could understand me and I had to let her interpret what I meant to say. Also, after taken the bus home, I had about a mile walk, half of it uphill. I found my leg muscles had become tired and weak, causing me to drag my feet. This along with the weakened hand and voice, prompted me to go to the doctors. He sent me to the hospital for nerve tests. Eventually, the results came back, I saw a neurological consultant and he diagnosed Parky's.
My GP had indicated that I might have 'something neurological'. We discussed what it could possibly be, MS and PD were mentioned. As I had symptoms for several years prior to dx I was grateful to have a name to put to what was wrong with me, and I had been tested for everything under the sun. It was a bonus that sinemet worked well for me. Not having a visible tremor other than lip tremor has sometimes meant that some doctors I have been to cannot 'see' PD.
I had a sense of unreality for quite some time. Never had a grief reaction, now over 4 yrs post diagnosis.
My family doctor was sceptical that anything was "wrong" when I showed her the tremour. It was I who said the word "Parkinson's." The neurologist trtied to minimize rhe diagnosis by saying that, after all, it wasn't cancer. And the counsellor said "everybody gets something." That was 10 years ago, and I still panic nearly every day.
i was told i had arthritis at first went to consultant thought i shud have ifoot xray dragggem my foot luckily my gp noticed arm shaking next time i went sent me to nuerologist but i dragged my foot for a few years before was diagnosed kept going to gp she told me artritis take painkillrs
