Help please

Hi there I am a new member and have not yet been officially diagnosed with PD. I have all the classic symptoms of early onset PD, I'm 43yr old. I have days when I feel like my whole body is shaking inside, cramping of my calves and feet (especially at night), I've gone from having restless legs at night to my legs kicking out. My brain function is really bad, can't hold conversations without getting the words mixed up and sometimes have trouble making sense of what people say to me.
I saw a new neurologist yesterday and he wants me to have a DAT scan, what confused me is that he mentioned that I may have severe depression and not PD. Has anyone ever been told this before?

Regards
Karen
Depression can manifest in some bizarre physical ways but there is a world of difference between the two possible diagnoses! You may have to wait a good while for a DAT scan whereas if you do, in fact, have depression, you could be given treatment which might start to help within a few short weeks. Only you know how you feel your mood is. I guess if you do feel very low in yourself, this might be a natural aspect of floundering with these undiagnosed, worrying symptoms; or something separate. You could seek an assessment of your mood whilst waiting for more neurology advice, to try and find out more of what might be happening. To do this you can approach your GP - there should be a mental health trained nurse attached to your surgery who can assess you; if they are genuinely concerned they may refer you on to your local community mental health team for more in depth assessment and treatment.
Your neurologist I hope is going to inform your GP of his concerns in the meantime, neuro are not qualified to diagnose depression as far as I am aware (I could be wrong).
take care, hope it works out soon.
Hi, thanks for that, I have had depression before but have never experienced any of the symptoms that I have now, which is why I was wondering if the symptoms were similar.
I don't suppose you know how long you would normally wait for this scan and whether it is conclusive (if that's the right word)?
Hi, I've been having similar symptoms as you for about 18 months now. My GP said anxiety/depression but I wasn't convinced. Nonetheless, I agreed to see a counsellor and have been told that I'm no more depressed than anyone else. It might be worth seeing a counsellor so that depression can be ruled out if you don't have it. At least then the neurologist should be looking for other causes. I hope you get diagnosed soon. I've had a scan and some neuroscience tests and I'm seeing my neurologist week after next for the results. Only you know your body - don't accept everything you're told - question it if you feel you need to.
hello Kazseq & KittyCat
As Jo72 pointed out, whilst depression & PD might share some symptoms, they are not the same condition & require different treatment
I am suprised that a councellor wouuld conclude that a patient is no more depressed than anyone else. I was not aware that they could rule out depression as the reason for somebody making use of their services
A DaT scan is expensive, so it depends upon your area if & when it is ordered. It is not conclusive "proof" of PD, but is considered to be the best available
With my best wishes to you both