Last year, my wife has been diagnosed with Parkinson on the basis that her left arm doesn’t ‘swing’ properly (bearing in mind that 7 months earlier she had a bad fall and used her left arm to break the fall). She had a DaTScan to ‘support’ the diagnose but only the neurologist has seen this… I would like to ask the forum some questions as the scan can be very useful in the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, but typically only early in the course of the disease, and in certain clinical settings.
- There are diseases that can mimic Parkinsons. But has anyone been misdiagnosed while they had Fibromyalgiam instead? Symptoms of Fibromyalgia are very similar to those of Parkinsons but does not appear on the list of diseases that can mimic PD.
- What does happen to your body and mind if you take Levodo (a low dose) while in fact you do not need it?
- Resting tremor is one of the characteristic features of Parkinson’s disease. But after a night sleep my wife wakes up without any tremor - in fact she feels good until she takes the levodopa…
Hello and welcome to our forum, @Dutchman1011. We are a friendly and supportive lot and other members should be along soon to chat. It sounds like you have a lot of questions.
Your wife’s diagnosis would be based on her symptoms, her medical history, and a physical exam. There is no conclusive test and there are other conditions which mimic Parkinson’s. Since you have doubts and questions, you should absolutely ask to speak to the GP or neurologist again and voice those concerns.
You can also call our helpline on 0808 800 0303. Our Parkinson’s advisers are here to answer any questions you may have. You can also read about supporting your wife here.
Best wishes to you and your wife. I hope you have answers soon.
Janice
Forum Moderation Team
Hi, this is a reply for @ Dutchman1011. I have similar concerns. After 2 1/2 years of being told there was nothing wrong with me and it was psychological I have now received a diagnosis of Pd. I am now on my third try of Pd meds but they only make existing symptoms worse so, I am beginning to doubt whether I do have Pd. I did have a DaTscan which supported the diagnosis. Is there anybody out there with similar experiences and does anybody out there knows how long it can take to be established on a particular Pd medication. The levodopa did not agree with me at all one of the main concerns was the blood pressure going through the floor and also the symptoms got amplified. This is the case also with the dopamine agonist group of medicines I am now on Ripinnia XL. Would be grateful for some feed back as i am now getting quite anxious and the pain I have is getting worse.
