Hi, hubby has Parkinson's, prior to his dx he had fell of scaffolding, only 3ft, had several X-rays, the last time he had a X-ray I went with him to the doctors, she asked if he had any other symptoms I said that he had started to shuffle, she straight away within a few weeks had arranged for him to see a neurologist, she dx him straight away.
Bettyblue,
I had frozen left shoulder for a year. Also stiffness in both shoulder blades.
I visited a very good osteopath which helped loosen the muscles,
but this became expensive at £40 per visit weekly.
Then I developed tremor left side and was d/x by the neuro with PD.
Arsene
Yes, another victim. I reached into the back of my car, and think I tore my rotator cuff. Couldn't lift my arm horizontally and it just didn't get better. Went to G.P, sent for physio, given exercises. Eventually had a scan of my shoulder - which apparently looked really good. Nothing wrong with it. Consultant wanted to send me to a shoulder surgeon, but by then I had a tremor, and my leg started to drag. G.P thought I might have a brain tumour - but eventually was diagnosed with PD. My arm is better, but do now have a bad neck, hurts when looking over my shoulder.
I wonder how many people were going through a very stressful period of their lives when they developed PD. I'm sure that is what triggered mine.
My wife who has PD had a very stressful 12 months including the loss of her mum before being diagnosed
Billywhizz
I had frozen shoulder a couple of years before diagnosis with PD. My trusty Daily Telegraph Parkinsons guide by a Canadian Neuro [pub. 2004 so out of date as far as OCD is concerned but very practical) says shoulder problems inc. frozen shoulder common in PWP's before and after dx. and often respond to anti PD meds. . I had a car accident in August 2008 in which another car crossed the road and hit my car head on and I developed tremor a few months after although I did have minor indications before . I also developed polymyalgia rheumatica about the same time which was only diagnosed 12 months ago. I blame the shock of the accident (no bones broken but whiplash) for both conditions especially as I had no apparent mental effects not so much as a bad dream. I may have repressed any reaction as I have often done in the past. Childhood stress has also been associated with PD.
Hi Eileenpatricia,
Sorry to hear about this the childhood stress is rather interesting to me, My Father was extremely difficult is the most polite manner in which I can describe him. Anyone else watching this thread can you say you had a similar problem such as Eileenpatricia and I?
BB xx
Hi BB
The spot where it all started was between the right shoulder blade and the spine.
A dull annoying ache and a desire to stretch as the muscles there felt tight
L
Hi BB
Im guessing your heading down the route of what is / are the causes of PD and what early warning signs are common to us all.
I had the same idea a few years back re the shoulder problems and stress and even a link with tourettes as I could associate with the minor tics that occur and the emotional feelings when i was younger.
Tourettes is the opposite to PD as it is an overload of dopamine instead of a deficit. I asked the question on another forum if pwp had suffered from minor habit forming tics in their youth and also had their spouses had the same. Not a large study maybe 12 answered but 11 said they felt the same. In addition I saw a Horizon episode re creativity and tourettes and put it into context with my increased creative drive since taking Mirapexin.
Thinking I was onto something I mentioned it to my neuro (this was before this forum existed by the way) only to be looked at like I had dropped from a tree.
When this forum started I joined to ask if people were getting creative urges, answer yes but not pd related surely. I came back 6 months later to find everyone writing poetry and when I went to my neuro appointment I was asked about creativity.
I noticed that I was under a lot of stress at the time my pd symptoms first occurred at 21 similarly at 35.
It was the sort of stress caused by problems you feel cant be voiced and become internalised.
Try this you tube video and see if it rings any bells
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYG0ZuTv5rs (note ldopa is involved in adrenaline as well as dopamine production)
All this seemed to make sense and at the very least warranted some research.
The other "obvious to me" and seemed crazy that it wasnt in existence was a PD database. Why weren't we asked pertinent questions on dx and at clinic which could be used in research?
lI had a lot of negative reactions to these ideas from various pwp.
Be interesting to see if things have moved on.
L
Hi Leyther
I to suffered a " stressful " childhood developing nervous tic in the form of jerking my head and making small huh noises, I was sent to Bristol hospital for mentally ill children, many years later I found out it was really for my mothers benefit not mine as it was the only way the Dr could get her to see a shrink,I was about 4 when the tic started and11 ish when I grew out of it though I guess I just learned how to suppress it as I always had the urge to do it. Until my late 20s . I was DX with Parkinson's at 57 .
My mother was manic depressive n father was only interested in cows n farming.
Anyway that's my story. Live well Cc
Hi everyone i also had problems with my shoulder I was DX as having a trapped nerve I was having physio
Injections ,acupuncture,you name it .It was my right shoulder and my PD affects my right side, There was something on the forum a few years ago . And there was quite a good response There was also quite a few PD sufferes who had had a fracture I had a fracture to my right arm A4Ux
A correction to my previous post which on re-reading I feel could give the impression I thought my PD caused by the car accident whereas what I meant was that the PD became apparent sooner than it might have.. I'd have posted this yesterday but the site decided it didn't like my password and I couldn't log on.
PD data base. I too like Leyther was surprised as I gradually realised that there seemed to have been no attempt to harness the power of the computer. Since then we have had the US " 23 and Me" genetic testing of thousands and thousands of people, free for PWP's and they have made a lot of interesting discoveries about a number of diseases by analysing the data. I volunteered for longitudinal study based in Oxford in 2009 but there still seems to be a lot of manual inputting involved.
I had a frozen shoulder, had surgery and during post op physio noticed "twitch" in my forearm. Spoke to physio referred back to my Ortho consultant, MRI of neck arranged to rule out any other disease well no surprise wear and tear found so discharged from Ortho. Things didn't improve so went to GP referred to Neuo and diagnosed April 2012.
I had a frozen shoulder too still a problem now . I had two steroidal injections nerve block physio ultrasound osteopathy . Had an x ray but not a scan . If I'd had a scan they probably wouldve found a normal result which may have made them question why I was in so much pain . I might have been diagnosed quicker .
Hi I too was dx with an impinged shoulder on my right side prior to being eventually dx with PD, my right side being the first side to suffer.
At 19 I had a period of clinical depression, and have suffered debilitating episodes of anxiety since then. However, once I was dx with PD and started the meds. I have not suffered an anxiety attack. I am convinced that these health problems are the cause of/reason I developed PD.
Hi juju I agree with you about the stress thing . I wonder whether stress has been a major factor too . I suffered from post traumatic stress disorder I worked in casualty on the day of the Hillsborough disaster . Like leyther said it was that sort of internalised stress I could not voice and for ten years I shelved it . I had counselling ten years after the event . I probably should have had it at the time but I refused it . I couldn't deal with it at that point . I suppose we will never know but it certainly affected me in a big way and I feel changed me as a person because since then have been more of an anxious person and very over protective of my children . I suppose it taught me how precious life is .
Hello all,
Interesting no Healthcare Professional ever asks 'were you suffering from stress'? Do you think anything 'triggered' you PD?
It might actually be worth investigating - is it a different type of PD from the more usual 'later in life development' of PD?
I was 55 when diagnosed following a very difficult year - so stressed I left my job.
Interesting thread!
I am 47 and have Familial tremor-dominant PD. I had an abusive childhood, and had various nervous 'tics' which in retrospect I attributed to the stress of it al.
As an adult, my PD symptoms were first suspected by a psychiatrist (I had depression, and was treated with meds and ECT) in the year 2000, when I reported loss of balance, and a mild tremor. He referred me to Neuro but (for various reasons) I was not formally diagnosed with PD until 2013.
In the interim, I had a number of loss-of-balance related falls as my symptoms increased in severity. The worst were in 2002 when I fractured my coccyx, and in 2010, when I fractured my right shoulder. I have never regained full mobility in my shoulder and it's still stiff and painful. Not sure if this is PD related though, however, the shoulder pain was exacerbated by my severe right-sided tremor.
Back problems for years poo-pood by various doctors as reading too much(*****)! final straw was fractured shouder also ignored which led to decision to 'jump before you're pushed' resignation ... and then the long walk to aParky diagnosis over4 years
lots of other signs have been identified since including life long depression ....
still - nil desperandum!
I am amazed and very disappointed in that you go to see your GP with a problem (ie shoulder, bladder.dizziness) and you're referred to a physiotherapist, urologist, anyone other than a neurologist.
It has taken me a good 3 years from my first symptoms appeared, which in my case was bladder problems, to get referred to a neurologist.The websites say if you have this problem it may be PD or MS, but when you ask the consultant if it could be PD or MS, they say not my field, don't know/won't refer.
From seeing a neurologist, it took just a month to get a confirmed diagnosis. Why can't other consultants from other fields just do a few simple tests to give some indication of what may be wrong with you, instead of just sticking to their own field.
Surely it is better for us all to get a speedy dx.
With regards to the frozen shoulder I had that too, but only recently, and my chiropractor is helping me with this.
I've had a painful left shoulder for a few years now (although all my PD symptoms are on the right).
However, I'm really interested in the stress-related experiences. I went through two years of really bad stress at work, as well as a pretty stressful time at home, and then suddenly got this twitch in my right foot, which very quickly (a couple of months, I think) turned into tension all down my right side. Not long after, I got a tremor in my right hand (although I didn't realise at the time it was a tremor - thought it was just fatigue).
I too had a very stressful childhood - I was a self-conscious, nervous child with no confidence. My mother and her mother were both "nervy" people who took tranquillisers (no prozac in those days!).
It feels logical that there's a link with all this and PD.