Parkinson's Disease Blog

In the medical world, a symptom is

• What you feel or perceive before you see the doctor.
• The reason you ultimately decide to make an appointment.
• The details (vague or specific) you give when the doctor or nurse asks why you’ve come in.

Let’s cut to the chase. You suspect that you or someone you love may have PD or you wouldn’t be flipping through this book and you definitely wouldn’t have turned to this chapter. Ask yourself what’s behind those suspicions.

• A slight shakiness in the hands? Does it occur in only one hand? If the shaking occurs while the hand is at rest, does it stop when that hand picks up a cup of coffee, a pen, or a tennis racket? If the shakiness is in both hands and doesn’t stop when the person grasps something, then PD probably isn’t the cause (but get it checked out anyway).
  

• A general slowing down of movement? Does it take longer to walk from one place to another or to get in and out of the car? Has there been an increase in stumbling, clumsiness, or loss of balance? Do you (or does the person) feel tired, stiff, or just not yourself?
  

• A significant change in energy level or outlook? Everyone experiences days when they’re tired or weaker than usual. And everyone has theblues from time to time. But if you’ve been feeling unusually weak, fatigued, depressed, or anxious for longer than two weeks, those symptoms need attention — even when you have a plausible cause (such as an unusually busy week at work or the death of a loved one).
  

• Gastrointestinal problems (like constipation) or psychological problems (like increased nervousness or anxiety)? In some cases, patients show none of the usual symptoms, so don’t stop with the more traditional PD symptoms.
  

These are the symptoms — the feelings, aches, and pains that have made you think something’s not right. It may be PD or it may not. Either way, you owe it to yourself to get your doctor’s assessment.