Is this bradykinesia? Three years ago the neuros decided I had MS. After two years on tysabri infusions they said maybe it's PD. I never felt I had either condition. Six months ago I planned to run the local marathon; The Run With the Wild Horses in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. It's a difficult race at 8000ft altitude with no level areas. After an hour or so I started falling. After the 3rd or 4th fall people were stopping to help me up and I decided it was time to quit. Sunday I did a long walk, wearing a backpack with a 30# weight. I've done this for several years. I used the local rec center half-mile path. After an hour or so I felt their was a problem. I generally average 12 minutes per 1/2 mile lap. But found each lap was taking 18 minutes, I didn't feel anything odd, I just couldn't speed up. After another hour I decided to quit. Walking from the path to my truck I drew stares because I was walking like a drunk. While on path I felt the urge to turn around and walk backwards . I usually have to stop once or twice to water the weeds (pee) but wasn't able to cross the snow berm to reach the privacy of tall sagebrush. It's only two ft high but I couldn't get across it. I literally had to walk backwards to a low spot to cross and reach the sage. It was about 20 degrees and very icy but I had added sheet metal screws to my shoes to act as cleats.
So there was definitely a balance problem just like the race last July. Right now sitting at my desk I'm having spots of vertigo. Hoping it passes. I've got several surgeries waiting. I quit the sinemet several weeks ago. I never felt I needed it. Also it never helped the hand tremor.
kevin
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kaypeeoh
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Bradykinesia is slowness... For me, examples are slowness in moving the razor across my face as I shave. Or slowness in moving a hair brush across my head... It's as if I am moving in molasses. It is a key sign of PD. It goes away with carbidopa/levodopa, and comes back if/when the carbidopa/levodopa wears off...
Note, I have a lot of experience running with PD, but I only run when I am properly medicated with carbidopa/levodopa (i.e., on), and it is a beautiful thing, for its almost as if I don't have the disease... and i say "almost" for a very narrow case, when I am running high intensity intervals on the treadmill... I hold onto the treadmill with one hand when I am running very fast, to avoid wiping out (before the disease, I would rarely hold on)...
One other weird symptom. I'd forgotten about it because it stopped over a year ago. Now it's back. I hear a tapping sound in my head. If I look hard to the left or right I hear a half-dozen tapping sounds. I don't hear it when looking straight up or straight down. Only when it's left or right. I wonder if it's coming from the semi-circular canals.
That and the incident of vertigo you mentioned makes me think you have BPPV - a condition that occurs when the otoliths in your semicircular canals get misplaced. If so this can be remedied by an exercise known as the Epley maneuver. BPPV:
Regarding your Parkinson's diagnosis, failure to be helped by levodopa medication is evidence that it is not Parkinson's. Do have a one-sided resting tremor?
I have a resting tremor in my dominant hand. It's been there at least 3 years, never better or worse with PD meds. I'm a veterinarian doing surgery 5 days a week. The resting tremor doesn't affect me in surgery. I can still make accurate cuts in length and depth.
Kaypeech, Yes an MRi of your brain will rule out MS. That is what they thought I had at first too. With MRI they are looking for lesions in the brain which would mean MS. I had a DATScan and that confirmed my PD. But prior to all this , looking back I was running a 50k race and I fell 5 times and there was nothing that I tripped on. That was a sign . And then running and my leg would lock and not move. PD meds helped greatly and enabled me to continue my long distance running but right now I’m recovering from a severed hamstring . So no running for 10-12 months which doesn’t help with my PD. And I too over the years my body does the slow-mo movement as well and no matter how hard I try to work through it , I make it worse. The more I stress the worst it all gets. One day at a time is all we can do . Take care . Karen ❤️
I've treated "severed hamstring" non-surgically a few times. Prolotherapy or PRP or stem cells are all ways to treat without going under the knife. Are you getting PT? A solid year of no running could fill the leg with scar tissue. PT at least keeps the muscles limber.
“The most recognizable symptom of akinesia is “freezing.” This can make you feel stiff in one or more muscle groups. It can make your face look like it’s frozen in one facial expression. It can also make you walk with a distinct rigid movement known as “gait freezing.””
So it's been a year already. I tried to find other reasons like 'welders disease' but the DAT scan last month confirms as much as possible it's Parkinson's. I take Rytary 3 times a day. I don't see improvement in the tremor and I don't have other signs like bradykinesia.
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