Listen to your body

It's been a while since I wrote anything, but lately things have been pretty quiet. Luckily meds have been balanced and keeping things on an even keel . Even sleep is beginning to come, the CPAP machine is making a big difference. I never thought it would make much of a change, but I will be the first to say I was mistaken.

Something that has come up in discussion has been people who don't believe you can have Parkinson's with out a tremor. People with Parkinson's being told by others in the medical field that “you can't have Parkinson's, you don't shake”. This is one of the things that make this disease so difficult to get a diagnosis. Many physicians don't have an understanding of what it is. About one third of the people with Parkinson's do not have visible tremors. I told my primary care physician a couple of years ago that I sometimes walked like I was drinking, but hadn't had a drop. He said he never heard of that as a symptom of Parkinson's. I carry a wallet card that states “I am not intoxicated, I have Parkinson's disease” and then provides the necessary information. The card was provided by the National Parkinson”s Foundation, so it must be a part of it.

As part of my journey to get a diagnosis I had a sleep study that said I had mild sleep apnea, and something called Limb Movement Disorder, the Dr. who told me that added that doesn't necessarily mean you have Parkinson's, both of which are none movement symptoms of the disease. I had balance problems that I had no idea that it meant much , but it was another symptom. I used to get sweats anytime I did anything physical, I would be drenched with any physical activity, another symptom. I went to a Dr. who was at the time my primary care Dr. and he said after I told him what was going on”I'll be sure to note your multitude of symptoms,” That was my last visit with him. Trying not to beat a dead horse, but that is one of the problems with the MJF show, he is the face of Parkinson's disease, and his portrayal of a man with pd and his family life. He just continues the lack of information, and misinformation about Parkinson's.

It is important for people to understand what pd is and how to notice it, on reason for that is if you have a family member with it, it may hit in the family again. Another big reason is that the cause of Parkinson's, and Alzhimers and other degenerative brain disorders are unknown, in many instances they may be enviromental. If you have been exsposed to certain pesticides, or solvents you may be at risk. I just read, and posted an article about sleep, and that if you don't get enough there are toxins that build up in the brain that can possible contribute to your chances of developing on of these diseases. If you don't know what to look for you wont know when it may be a problem. Most people with Parkinson's just start out years before knowing something is wrong, not knowing what, but just not right. By the time most people are diagnosed have already lost 80% of the dopamine cells in the brain. Knowledge is so important, pay attention to your body it is trying to tell you something.