Juvenile Parkinson’s

There is such a thing as Juvenile Parkinson’s. See link: bbc.co.uk/news/amp/stories-...

This brings me to an interesting conversation that I had with a phlebotomist at Stanford University hospital. I was having my blood drawn and I was tremoring, so I asked the phlebotomist to draw from the other hand. I just told him that I have Parkinson’s.

I tried to strike a conversation and so I asked him if he had drawn blood from other Parkinson’s patients. He said he had not. I asked him if he knew what Parkinson’s was and if he had seen anyone with Parkinson’s. He said he had not in a professional setting, but he had met someone with the condition.

After the blood was drawn, I got up to leave. The phlebotomist surprised me with a question, “have you had Parkinson’s since birth?” I said “no” and said nothing more because I was not sure if I should be shocked or amused at his ignorance.

The article I have referenced in this post suggests that the possibility of being diagnosed at or near birth is not as far fetched as it would seem.