Has anyone noticed anything specific that triggered a sudden progression of PD? It happened to me during a mild illness.

[Joanne_Joyce]

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I was diagnosed in October of 2009. Looking back I had very mild (?) symptoms: stiffness, infrequent dizziness, slight tremor, balance issues. In the summer of 2009, we sold our home of 30+ years and moved to Virginia to be nearer 2 of our children and farther away from NE Ohio winters. I have to say there was a DEFINITE

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(sorry, finger check) there was a DEFINITE escalation in my symptoms.

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[camper]

It was after I had a goitre removed, whether it could be linked I'm not sure. At first I thought from having an over active thyroid I'd now got an under active thyroid as I became so slow in movement. But when I saw the thyroid specialist he said he thought I'd got the early signs of parkinsons. That was back in 2005.

[wifeofparky]

After my hubby was diagnosed, he had DVT that led to pulmonary emboli. After that a fall and then his septic gallbladder. With each illness, it took longer and longer to recover and he was never back to his previous self.

[3willy]

My Father had a few weeks in hospital with a bad chest infection 3 years ago & nearly died, when he rallied round & pulled through a doctor noticed he had AF (Atrial Fibrilation) & decided to treat him with Amiodorone, his cardiologist was well aware of this months earlier after tests & was going to put him on another AF drug Diltazem as amiodorone is very aggressive & potent side effects which effect the thyroid & rhabydomyotis which wastes the muscles.Well he ended up with hyperthyroidism & this muscle wasting condition.His throid count is down from 60 to 15 after 3 years of carbamazole & is gone from quite healthy & strong man to a frail old man that is wheelchair bound. After 3 months on Amiodorone I made the doctors realise what they had done & they agreed & stopped it but it lingers in your system for over a year & the effects.He has been diagnosed PD for the last 18 months & it took that again to make their minds up if he had PD & still not 100% ?? but still he takes sinemet everyday & I see no improvement & wonder weather he has PD & weather he should be taking Sinemet & they have confused the rahbydomylotis with PD ?????

[tlongmire in reply to 3willy]

He should see a Neurologist that specializes in movement disorders, if he hasn't already. If he is seeing a movement speicalist you might want to get a second opinion since you question the diagnosis.

[PatV]

YES, a bout of bronchitis caused the PD to leap forward and I've been fight my way back. My medical history the past 10 years is me battling my way up a slippery slope.

[reverett123]

This is a much more complicated question than it first appears and I am going to be forced to make some big leaps without citing sources. However, at my website there is detail and sources a-plenty -

amatterofbalance.wordpress....

The short answer to your question is "yes". In my case, an extremely high-stress life and a bout of the flu caused my symptoms to surface 13 years ago. It is very common for PWP to realize in retrospect that there was a point or event that marked a change. There are several varieties of PD (Senior or Young Onset being the most common) and my experience has been with the latter, but the differences are in degree. Among the elements in roughly chronological order are: exposure to bacterial toxin in mother's womb producing an overly vigilant immune system; a similar condition in the endocrine system's stress response due to life events (i.e. "stress"); a triggering event such as an illness or personal tragedy that destabilizes one or both of those systems and leads to damage to the nervous system; and a gradual collapse as the damage accumulates over the years. And with the problem spread over several specialties, the average neuro is confused and can only give us pills to buy time.

[Joanne_Joyce in reply to reverett123]

Thank you for your answer reverette. I'm looking for information on something that may have triggered a sudden degeneration after having had PD for some time. I wonder if the degeneration is gradual with most people or if they noticed something that appeared to have a sudden degenerative effect. I'm wondering from your answer if you are referring to what appeared to trigger the initial onset. I was surprised at how I suddenly could hardly walk when I got sick and had to increase my medication.

[reverett123 in reply to Joanne_Joyce]

The initial trigger is "primed" by events such as infection or chronic stress. The former can happen quickly and the latter gradually. Once primed the system is vulnerable and can collapse over night. For example, if you had encountered the bacterial toxin as a child (and most of us do) and your immune system had reacted in a manner that left it in a permanent state of alert, then a simple infection such as an abscessed tooth could quickly have bumped it up into a more active state. This state involves the production of molecules of defensive chemicals that are intended to fight the invader but which also do a lot of collateral damage. I know that it is complicated but, if it were not, we would have a cure by now.

[salon]

yes my sister left her husband for someone she met on internet . i was the only one she told her husband our parents friends noone else knew.Then our dad passed .My first grandchild was born with a heart defect that was life threatening.I started with all kinds of symptoms.was told by several Dr.s after mri's muscle tests xrays every test imaginable that my illness was my imagination.then i met my current Dr. I am about to have dbs.

[quirkyme]

my husband wanted to have elective surgery for deviated/blocked septums but the ENT cautioned him against it because of the possible effects of the anesthesia on his brain. It would have been a 90 minute surgery.

He said yesterday that he really likes being retired and not having a lot of expectations to meet. After working since he was 14, it's like a burden was lifted off him and he can make his days his own.

[Melodysam1890]

Yes, I experienced a light stroke in 2008 and never really regained all of my strength & energy .. My general practitioner prescribed depression medication .. But the symptoms continued to increase with more trembling, chronic fatigue, unbalanced walking, difficulty focusing, lost volume with voice, stiffness, shuffling gait, rigidity of right arm while walking. My neurologist dx me on my first visit in 2010. He began me immediately on Amantadine & gradually added other meds. I've wondered if the stroke was a trigger to the Parkinson's ..

[beauxreflets]

Stress and being prescribed medicine that suppressed the natural Dopamine production!

[Joanne_Joyce in reply to beauxreflets]

Sorry about the problem with your medicine. Would you be able to tell us what medicine you were given so we can avoid taking it. Thanks.

[beauxreflets in reply to Joanne_Joyce]

It was one to quieten the mind - no idea what it was called but any dopamine suprressing medicine is the last thing that should be prescribed - Some doctors obviously need better training

[Joanne_Joyce]

Thanks to everyone for your contributions. I'm trying to see a pattern. It appears a combination of emotional ( stress) and physical factors contributes to both the onset and progression of PD. I guess what really concerns all of us who already have PD is what can we do to minimize, or even eliminate, these factors in order to halt, or at least delay, the progression. I'd love input from our forum members about this.

[RoMo]

I believe stress was the main trigger with my Dad. Mom had major surgery at 80, and we all thought she would die. Dad went steadily downhill after that.