Tag Archives: psychosomatic

Back to Square One Plus

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by 6

OK, first of all the plus side of the meeting we had with Dr. Watt’s team this week. My fancy MRI and EEG did not show anything particularly abnormal, and certainly nothing that I need to be worried about. The ultra strong MRI did show signs of several Transient Ischemic Attacks, or TIA, what many people call little strokes. The doctor said they were normal “for my age.” (I hate to think I’ve reached the age where something wrong is normal, but I guess I have, huh.)

My reaction again is not what anyone would have expected. I guess I should have been jumping up and down with joy that I did not have a brain tumor, but all I could do was cry. The whole time he’s telling me that they didn’t find anything that explained my symptoms, I was jerking and wreathing all over the place. I asked him point blank if this could be that I’m just crazy, but he assured me that there really is something physical going on, they just don’t know yet what it is. If I understood him correctly, he says in time my symptoms will become more obvious, so they can make the diagnosis.

The Clonazepam had already made me very depressed, so I have been way low since Thursday. They are weaning me off the Clonazepam, since it did not help, and it was making me feel so depressed. I think they plan on calling in a prescription and trying something else, once I have finished weaning off the Clonazepam.

Hubby was really angry with me Thursday night. We finally talked about it yesterday, although I still begin to cry when I do discuss it or even think about it. He was so mad, because he said I acted like I was disappointed that I DID NOT have a brain tumor or some horrible disease. I really can’t explain it, but to have my body jerking and wreathing and nobody being able to tell me why is extremely upsetting. I know I should just put my faith in God, that this will either improve with time, get worse and provide enough information to make a diagnosis, or stay just the way it is now. If this is the way I will be for the rest of my life, then I am going to have to deal with it somehow. But for now, all I want to do is cry.

The only diagnosis they will even name as a possibility is Tardive Dyskinesia, which just means they think this was caused by some medicine I have taken some time in the past. Trouble is, whatever it was is obviously not in my system now.

They have told me for sure that I do not have Peripheral Neuropathy. I asked him if that meant the original diagnosis was wrong, or if it had been cured. He said it was possible that it was cured, but seemed to be leaning more toward the idea that the original diagnosis was incorrect. I did not get the nerve up to ask him if Parkinson’s was ruled out. That seemed kind of pointless right now, since Parkinson’s is so hard to diagnose anyway.

So, I’m left feeling miserable, with no coping strategies working for me at all. I’m crying even as I write this. I cried in church today. I cried in the car yesterday. That’s basically all I’m doing – just crying. It’s a grief that I can’t name, but it’s there.

Misery Loves Doesn’t Love Company

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by 12

I am so counting the days until my appointment next week! The depression level I am feeling is so pervasive that I am not fit to be around right now. Hubby is doing what he can to leave me alone and not trigger another crying spell. Or worse, make me mad. We had an actual verbal fight last week, which is most unusual for us.

I knew when I worked in the basement while he was gone that he would be livid when he found out, but I did it anyway. I just needed to be “normal” for a little while so badly that I didn’t care that it would cause a fight. He won’t let me go down in the basement, because he is afraid I will fall. We do have a horrible mess down there, that needs cleaning out terribly, and I am much more impatient about it than he is.

I hate depending on someone else to get something done that I should be able to do myself. I hate being sick. I hate shaking. I hate being off balance. I hate being seen in public jerking all over the place. I hate using the cane and looking like each step is going to be my last. I hate looking old. I hate not being able to do any work in the yard long enough to accomplish anything.

But most of all I hate this horrible feeling that they are not going to find anything physically wrong with me, and that I am going to end up on some psychiatrist’s couch or on mind altering drugs. This Clonazepam is bad enough. I looked up the side effects, and depression and loss of balance are right there in black and white. I’m taking a med to stop some of the very things it will give me – doesn’t make much sense does it. I still have the strong mouth tics when I am the least bit upset, and my face is definitely beginning to contort, with right eyebrow high, left eyelid drooping over the eye, and mouth pulled to the left. It looks like I have had a stroke, and can’t control the left side of my face, but it’s actually quite the opposite, the muscles on the left pull it that way.

I did finally recuperate from the left leg weakness and pain left over from the EEG test, but my nerves have yet to settle back down from the super loud MRI last week. I’m crying at almost everything right now, and can’t stand noise at all. The loud TV commercials are bothering me so badly that hubby has started hitting the mute button when they come on. Last Sunday, for some strange reason, the young fellow who runs our sanctuary sound system had some of “his” kind of religious music piping in the auditorium before church. As far as I know that has never happened before. People were talking louder than usual to be heard over the extra noise. I sat there for a few minutes, and then told hubby we had to leave. I just couldn’t take it. So, we were some of the first folks at our favorite Chinese restaurant last Sunday. I went to church that night, and it was fine. But that morning was horrible.

I am not sleeping as well as I was, either. Some nights have been good, but there have been a few of the kind I used to have, where I am up at 3 or 4 in the morning. I am not using the TAP, as I just don’t think I can deal with it right now. Somehow I just have to make it through until next Wednesday.

I’ve completely rearranged one of the bedrooms we keep part of our plush lovies stock in, and I have worked some in the yard, trying to get the area ready to plant grass where I worked on the lasagna compost all winter long. I’m trying very hard to stay busy and focused on something besides me, but it ain’t workin’!!

Wow! That was quite a rant, even for me!! But it felt good to put it down on paper and acknowledge it. It’s real, and I’m not exaggerating. Hopefully, I will be able to look back on this post soon and be thankful it is all over. I always cling to hope, even in my darkest despairing times. God is good. AMEN!

3T MRI Today

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by 2

I had the high powered MRI today. Up until a few years ago it was only used in research facilities, but now it is being used for clinical diagnoses. It uses a much stronger magnet than a regular MRI, which means it gets a much finer image of the brain. That’s the good part.

The bad part is that it is horribly loud. Even with the headset on to muffle it, I found the high pitched sounds at the beginning and somewhere near the middle to be excruciating. I took a whole Clonazepam pill before having it done, hoping it would diminish my tics somewhat, so they could get clear pictures. They also put extra padding on each side of the helmet like halo to further stabilize my head. They had a good cushion to put under my knees, so I did not have to try to keep my legs bent to deal with the back problems. That was a blessing.

We had to walk through about 4 blocks of hospital buildings (all the buildings have crosswalks over the streets)to get to the MRI section, because the Parking Deck we were supposed to use was Full. There was no way I was going to be able to walk back after the test, as I was way too wobbly, so we waited for transport to take me in a wheelchair.

We have two weeks now to wait for our next appointment with Dr. Watt’s team to find out the results of all the tests. so, I’d appreciate it if you would keep us in your thoughts and prayers. There’s still a part of me that cannot let go of the thought that all that has been going on with me for the last two years is psychosomatic. I may not be crazy, but I can’t shake the thought that this is all my fault – that I have brought all these symptoms on myself as a stress reaction to the last ten years plus of difficult care giving. I desperately need to KNOW what is going on. I need strength to survive the wait.

I Have Been to THE Appointment

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by 8

Well, we went Thursday to see Dr. Watts, the head of Neurology at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, who has a great reputation as a Movement Disorder Specialist.

We were both very impressed with how personable he is. One of the other doctors on his staff did all of the preliminary questioning and testing. He was very easy to be with, too. Most of the tests were ones I have been asked to do many times in the last couple of years. A few were different. They both had me make big smiles with my teeth showing several times, which is not something I remember being asked to do by anyone else, and Dr. Watts had me repeat a few of the tests the assistant had already done.

They also gave me the impression that my family history of neurological problems is an important clue – mother with Senile Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s – uncle with ALS – aunt with depression, drug addiction, alcoholism – grandfather was senile, possibly Alzheimer’s? Until they asked lots of probing questions I had never connected my Grandfather’s behavior and my Aunt’s behavior as being pertinent. That’s why doctors ask things over and over, isn’t it.

Of course, they asked me a million questions about what my symptoms were like, and when and how they started, many questions asked several times. Some I could answer, and some I really couldn’t. He was very interested in knowing about anti-depression and tranquilizer drugs I have taken in the past. I have been on several for short periods of time because of the stress of caring for our parents and our daughters, but I couldn’t tell him much about which ones I have taken. I should be able to get that information from my Primary and from our Pharmacist, plus I rounded up a bunch of prescription bottles of them that I had kept – just in case.

Dr. Watts sat down right in front of me, looked me in the eye, smiled, and talked with me. I had no sense of him being in a hurry to move on to the next patient. That is so rare in doctors these days, and certainly not what I expected out of such a highly renowned specialist.

OK, so now to what happened. I put on quite a show of jerks, tremors, and facial tics the whole time, partly because I was so nervous about what they would find or not find. There is a big part of my mind that is just sure this has all been a psychological problem, but at least he never said that. At least not yet.

I gave a pint of blood in the lab (OK, so I’m exaggerating – but it was maybe 8 vials full), looking for some clue as to what is going on. He talked to me about the possibility of some kind of antibody/autoimmune problem where my own body is causing the problems. He also seemed to think it might be symptoms caused from one of the medicines I have taken in the past.

He has also ordered an MRI at UAB. He says their MRI equipment is different from others I have been in, in that it is more powerful and may see something that the others did not. Plus, it’s been 2 years since I had a brain MRI, and whatever is going on might show up now that hadn’t progressed enough to show back then. They will call me with that appointment, so I don’t know when that will be.

He talked with his assistant, Dr. D, about lots of things it might be, with all kinds of medical jargon. Dr. D was jotting down notes the whole time and seemed to be making a list of possible diagnoses as they discussed my symptoms. Every once in awhile Dr. Watts would ask me to do something or ask more questions. It was exactly like watching a real live “HOUSE” team in action. When he was through talking back and forth with Dr. D, Dr. Watts gave us a layman’s explanation of some of the possibilities. I am not going to list them, since obviously they can’t all be it, and maybe even none of them are “it”. I did come home and get busy Googling every term I could remember hearing them discussing. You knew I would do that, didn’t you. LOL!

He did put me on a titrating dose schedule of Clonazepam, to see if that would calm down the jerks and tics. He said I would be sleepy with it at first, but that this would wear off as my body adjusted to it. I am to take 1/2 tablet at night for a week, then morning and night, and work up to 1 full and 2 halves a day. I have an appointment to see someone else in the practice in May to go over the findings. He said that Dr. D and Dr. Watts would be in on the conference with us at that time.

At this point about all I do know is that it is looking less and less likely that I have Parkinson’s, but that I do have some type of Movement Disorder as yet to be named.

We’ve not told family or friends about all this yet. They know I had the appointment but not why I had it. We decided there was no point in making anyone else worry about all this. We will wait until we actually know something to tell them. I can write it all here, which helps me process it all, because nobody I know personally reads this blog.

Still Doing Without Parkinson’s Meds

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by 2

I’ve been off all PD meds now since Jan. 25, and not doing a whole lot differently now than I was when I was on the meds. That has several possible meanings, so it really doesn’t tell me much.

It could mean that I don’t have PD.
It could mean that I have PD, and I’m one of the people who is not helped by the usual or any meds.
It could mean that these symptoms are related to lumbar and cervical disk problems I have.
It could mean that it’s all in my head – that it’s psychosomatic.
It could mean I do have some kind of neurological problem that has not been determined at this point.
It could be that these symptoms are from the Peripheral Neuropathy that I definitely have.

Whatever it means, I’m certainly not able to decide, so I continue to count the days until I see the MDS in April.

I have had several “spells” lately when I felt particularly stressed emotionally. Trying to get our taxes done, and dealing with my insurance company about the TAP claim both increased my symptoms.

But the worst was last Sunday during Sunday School. Our teacher was not there, but had left an outline of what she wanted us to discuss. We’ve done this before, as we are quite capable of carrying on a discussion on our own. For some reason, though, we weren’t getting anywhere with the discussion, so they asked me to lead it. These are people I’m used to being around, I taught Sunday School for a long time before I had to stay home with parents, and I taught school for 29 years. Leading it meant moving from the back row I normally sit on, and sitting in front of everyone, instead. Trying to lead the discussion up front brought on the facial tics big time, and I was shaking much more than usual. The worse it got, the more self conscious I became of them seeing me jerk and shake, and that made it just that much worse. I finally just told them I needed to stop, because it was making me too nervous. Time was almost up, anyway, so that was the end of class.

It took me a long time to relax after that, and just thinking about it now is bringing back some of the stress.

I really don’t think my symptoms are psychosomatic, but there’s no doubt that stress makes them worse. That’s why I’m usually at my worst at the Neurologist’s office.

I’ve just bought a new laptop computer, and this one has the built in camera. I took a notion the other day to video myself while I worked at the computer. It was a very revealing look at my facial tics, even when I am busy and not particularly aware of them. Maybe I should save some videos and take my computer with me to the MDS appointment. Well, probably not, but I may keep some for myself, anyway.

Hubby and I talked about how I’ve been doing lately, and he is in agreement that I really don’t seem much different off of the meds than I was when I was on them.

I continue to use the TENS device for my neck pain, as well as the Cervical Collar that I pump up, so it works like traction. I’m also doing the series of neck exercises daily, but we haven’t started back to walking yet. Hubby is having a bad flareup with his back, and he’s just not up to it right now. So, I piddle with the compost heap a couple of hours a week, and I am still working hard to get all our toys online in our shop catalog. That involves a good bit of shifting and lifting of tubs of toys, so I am getting some exercise each day.

All in all, I’d say my quality of life is better than a few months ago, at least, and for that I am grateful.

Less Computer Time = Getting other things done!

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by 15

Well, I have pretty much stuck to my intention to stay away from places where PWP are describing their symptoms. I have visited the PLM site a few times, and even made a few comments, but I have been cautious about the type of posts I opened, to avoid reading about anything tremor related. I have not done any research on PD, either, other than to try to find a correlation between heavy steroid use with Parkinson’s. This was not for my benefit, but for one of my readers, who asked some interesting questions.

My neck continues to be very stiff and painful, but I can put up with it, knowing I will be getting help next week when I start Physical Therapy.

I am pretty much caught up with posting requests for help on the Plush Memories Lost Toys Search Service, and we are over the Christmas rush on eBay. I still need to put a new post on our Yesterday’s Memories blog, and there is always work to do on the BLOG VILLAGE TopList that I run.

So, I have been getting some much needed house clutter cleaning done, but there is plenty more that needs to be done. I would like to have the house straight for the New Year. At least it can start that way LOL.

We did have a great Christmas, seeing all of our family all at once, and enjoying being with our grandchildren. It looks like we actually managed to buy them some things they will enjoy, and that’s not easy to do when they hit those preteen and teen years. They all have birthdays right after Christmas, so we will be seeing them again real soon, too.

Hubby gave me a blender for Christmas, so now I can learn how to make Raw Foods Smoothies, something I have been wanting to try for some time now. Jackie, from The Vegan Diet, clued me into The Raw Food Coach, and since we eat a lot of raw foods, anyway, I have been learning as much as I can about what foods are the best for me. I have been doing a lot of research on the high anti-oxidant Super Foods, and we are gradually changing our diet to include lots of them daily.

We have had a lot of fun at our house of late with trying to get our very spoiled (neurotic) inside cat to accept our two outside cats as occasional inside visitors. They are too young to leave outside all night when it is freezing, so we bought a pet cage for them. They don’t mind being in it at all, which surprised us, but it sure makes going out of town easier. We keep our inside cat in the hall bathroom when we are gone, and now we can keep the outside cats protected, too. Our only problem is that Miss Queen Fluffy doesn’t like having them inside. There have been quite a few fights between Fluffy and Mr. Salt. Miss Pepper stays out of the rough stuff, as she has some kind of nerve damage to one of her hind legs. She is the main reason we decided to bring them in on cold nights and when we are out of town. Fluffy surprised us last night and behaved the whole time they were in the house. Maybe she’s finally adjusting to them, I hope.

One of my anonymous readers has given me a clue as to what my diagnosis might be, if it’s not Parkinson’s. So, I have started doing some research on Dystonia. Also, there was a new post today on PLM discussing Ataxia, and that sounds familiar, too. I already feel better, knowing that there are other conditions that my symptoms seem to fit. It makes me feel less like this is all going to turn out to be psychosomatic. I can’t bear the thought that my body has been going through all this due to an emotional problem. With other possibilities in sight, I am in a much better frame of mind than I was yesterday, thank goodness. So, Marion, the glass is looking more and more like it’s half full, again.

As always, I appreciate your prayers and concern, and love to hear from you, even if it’s just to say HI!

Back on the PD Meds

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by 8

I considered not going back on the meds, but we will be out of town for Christmas, and it didn’t seem prudent to have even a slight possibility of ending up in a strange ER. So I stuck with the original plan, and went back on the full PD regimin yesterday afternoon.

It was very interesting to see what my right foot did last night when I got ready to go to sleep in my recliner. It must mean something, and I wish I had a video of it to show my doctors.

The toes and ball of my foot cramp sometimes very painfully, and no amount of pressure will make it stop. Hubby will get up and stand in front of my recliner, and I will push my foot into his thigh, which normally stops the cramp pretty well. But last night, each time he released the pressure, the cramp started again. At one point, when I thought it had quit, I moved my leg away from the pressure, and my foot went into this exaggerated flopping back and forth, up and down, and sideways. I had no control over it at all. It didn’t hurt, and it looked so funny that I started laughing. Hubby thought I was doing it on purpose, and was surprised when I told him I wasn’t. You should have seen the look on his face. Then, in an attempt to stop it, I pressed my foot into the recliner. At that point, my knee started bobbing up and down, as if to say, “You can’t stop ME!” It was so funny that both of us ended up having a great big laugh out of it all. And then, just as suddenly as it had started – it stopped all on its own.

So again, I ask myself – if not Parkinson’s – then what in the world could make my body act like that????? The only explanation that makes any sense to me is that this is all psychosomatic, and there is nothing really wrong with me at all. No, I don’t think I am going crazy, but the mind can play terrible tricks on the body. Just think about the Stigmata – that someone’s palms could bleed. I know there is such a thing as hysterical paralysis, so I don’t put anything past what my mind could be doing to control my body. Yes, I spent the last 10 years or so under great stress, taking care of parents and our older daughter. And, our daughter was hospitalized with, of all things, Peripheral Neuropathy! Not that my symptoms look like she did, but it does seem odd that I would be diagnosed with a neurological disorder not too many months after taking care of her.

I’ve had this conversation with myself before, about this whole thing possibly being psychosomatic, way back in August of 2006. And here I am, a year and a half later, still wondering.

Went Off PD Meds Temporarily

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by  

I had my last PD medicine around 3:00PM Friday, so I have been without now for about 48 hours. I don’t know how much of those meds are still in my system, but I suspect there’s not much left.

So, how am I doing? Well, my right foot particularly, and the left to some extent, are shaking some, particularly when I stand in one place for more than just a few seconds. The wobbling foot and knee make my whole body rock rhythmically. It’s nowhere near as bad as it looked in Dr. S’s office Wednesday, but I was very nervous then, so the exaggerated gait was not overly surprising.

My right hand takes a notion to tremble off and on all day long, but I can usually stop it temporarily by thinking about it. Usually, I just start to jerk somewhere else, when I get one tremor stopped by relaxing and concentrating on just that one area. The facial and tongue tics seem to be worse, too, with me off the PD meds. Generally, I see an increase in jerkiness that moves from place to place as I consciously try to stop it elsewhere.

We haven’t told anyone in the family about this possible change in diagnosis, and don’t intend to, until it has been confirmed, and hopefully, we have a name for what is wrong with me.

I am going back on my Zelepar and Requip at 3:00PM today, and will stay one them at least until all the holidays are over with, and I am dismissed from PT. I probably will try going without again in February, just to see how I am doing then.

I wrote once before that having a neurological disease is like being in a clinical trial of ONE. It becomes very difficult to manage all the possible variables, and come to any kind of conclusion about the level of disability and what improves or aggravates the symptoms.

Life Goes ON

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by 4

My Physical Therapy office called yesterday, and the appointment is set for Jan.2, so that’s taken care of. I have been scouring the Internet, looking for some indication of the meaning of some of the neurological tests my Neuro did on me in his office the other day, but still not having any luck. I think I will end up calling his nurse, and see if she can help me understand what happened. We were both just in shock, I think, in his office, and I didn’t ask enough questions. Now I could kick myself for not asking dozens!!

Also, I am wondering if I should try to wean myself off of the meds he left me on, before I see the MDS in April. And I also need to ask if there are any tests that my Neuro should be scheduling before then, too. When I first went to Dr. S, he was less than pleased to see that the Peripheral Neuropathy tests I had already had were only on my legs. They did not test my arms. So it would seem logical to me to have that workup done again, but more thoroughly, sometime close to my appointment in April. Otherwise, I can just see it now. I’ll go in and talk to this fellow, walk, and get poked and prodded, and then he will order a bunch of tests, and I won’t see him again for another 4 months. This NOT KNOWING could last the better part of a year, if that’s the way it plays out.

I have been blessed with so many wonderful net friends showing their support and concern over all these mixed up feelings I am having. It’s humbling to know that all of you are out there, praying for me. With all that love coming my way, and God’s help, I am already beginning to ease out of the horrible funk this news put me in. I can choose to believe I have something worse than PD, or not. I choose NOT, doggonit!!

So, another Friday has rolled around. It feels a little different, with this uncertainty surrounding us, but we will find something enjoyable to do today, and life will go on. Our Christmas stocking gift hunt is finally ended, and it’s time to wrap the presents for the grandkids, and our children, too. I haven’t looked yet to see if there are any Estate Sales today, but I kind of doubt it. Who knows, we might go see another movie.

We enjoyed “Perfect Holiday” last week, as a light, entertaining, feel good movie, regardless of what the critics had to say about it. And we’ll probably end up seeing “Legion” today, even though the critics have panned it, too. Not every movie has to be Academy Award quality to be enjoyed, right? Although I am a little surprised that Will Smith allowed himself to be in a movie that was less than box office hit quality. From what I’ve read, it’s the Zombies that are so poorly done, not his performance. And there are some flaws with the premise of the story, too, which is what makes Science Fiction work as a genre. Once you have decided to “believe” in a certain situation, the rest of the story must stay true to that premise. From what the critics say, this one does not, and that’s a pity. But, flaws and all, I am sure I will enjoy it, as I really like his acting, and I am a Science Fiction buff from way back.

So our lives move along, and I will try to let go of these nagging thoughts, and look on the bright side of it all. I look forward to spending time with our family on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and not think beyond that for now. Here’s wishing you all a very happy Christmas time with your families, too!

Earliest UNDIAGNOSED Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease????

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by 35

Hi Rosemary

First I want to thank you for taking the time to blog. You may not be aware of important I find it to hear others Parkinson’s and day to day life experiences. I appreciate it very much.

I am writing to you because my interest in PD came because I began having symptoms which I suspected might be PD. Fortunately my symptoms are very irregular and inconsistent and not at all affecting my ability to function. The Neurologist I am seeing is not good and is pretty much dismissing my symptoms as nothing. This is fine with me or maybe wishful thinking. I will have resting tremors in my left thumb on occassion as well as jerking limbs, and muscle trembles throughout my body, weakness, etc. Again there are very inconsistent and really could be normal daily problems or another issue. I am very much into Holistic and Natural health so have been doing many things to minimize or slow and potential problem I have. I am 45

I started looking for blogs to see what people reported as initial symptoms long before they were diagnosed with PD. I suspect my symptoms maybe be things people have looked back after they were diagnosed and say yeah, now I remember I had problems long before I realized there were problems. I cannot find such a blog and I am really curious as to when you reflect on your past, when did small signs begin to show up and just ignored or dismissed them. Or whether you had inconsistent symptoms at first. I could be completely wrong, I have no idea!

So after that long winded explanation I have a request. If you have the energy and time at some point, I would like to see a blog from you of your very early years working up to PD. No pressure and no hurry. It would be very much appreciated.

Keep up the blogs and my prayers are always with you

Ted C

Ted wants me to try to look back and pinpoint some of the earliest signs that may have been Parkinson’s symptoms that the doctors missed. I’ve mentioned several things in other posts about what I now believe were warning signs that were not detected. I’m not criticizing the doctors about this, as hindsight is always better than foresight. There’s absolutely no way of knowing if I’m correct on any of the possible signs or not, but I’ll try to list as many things as I can remember that were puzzling at the time and went undiagnosed or ignored.

I really do have back problems that are unrelated to Parkinson’s, as I have Degenerative Disk Disease. There have been many trips to different doctors over the years with back pain and weakness in my legs. There were times as long ago as 15 to 20 years ago when I was walking slower than my parents, who were in their 80’s at the time. Doctors were able to alleviate the pain with epidurals, but the walking problem always gradually disappeared on its own and then returned just as mysteriously.

I’ve had spells of mental fog for many years, which I always blamed on female hormone problems, as I was very young when I had a complete hysterectomy, or on the stress of teaching and later as a caregiver. I was on hormone replacement therapy all that time, though.

I had a diagnosis of Functional Dysphonia while I was still teaching, which means that I could not talk at all, but it was supposed to be psychosomatic. The doctor attributed it to stress. I had bouts of severe laryngitis over a period of many years. I had always been in the choir at church, but about 15 years ago I reached a point where I could not sing through a verse without feeling like I was being strangled, with someone squeezing tightly around my neck. My breath volume was greatly diminished, too.

I went through several years of Migraine Headaches. The Neurologist I was seeing at that time found that I had a positive Babinsky reaction, which means my toes didn’t do what they should have when he scraped along the bottom of my bare foot. He concluded that I had probably had one or more concussions from childhood falls. He did not cure the headaches, but the episodes finally slacked off on their own.

I had a very scary episode about 15 years ago in which my left arm went totally to sleep one night while I was watching TV. It took a lot of massaging and soaking in hot water to finally get feeling back in it. When I went to the doctor about it, she diagnosed me as having Mitral Valve Prolapse. Some years later, I had an echo cardiogram, and there was no indication of MVP. I still have to be careful that I don’t keep my hand too still when we drive for any distance, as it will still go to sleep. The same thing happens in the dentist’s chair. These symptoms are probably from a spur on a cervical vertebra, but who knows??

One symptom that I had never gone to a doctor with was the way I would think I was smiling when my picture was taken, only to see that my face was blank when I saw the photo later. That is a definite Parkinson’s trait, and it’s been something that I was aware of for many years.

There may be other symptoms that I’ll think of later, but I’ve read this post to my DH, and he’s in agreement that these are an accurate list of some of the puzzling things that have happened to me over the years. I hope other Parkies will contribute to this post, too, so it will be as informative as possible.