Hi all im new from Oz. neuro says I have PD...he thinks......but he was not sure about the MRI which showed a small old R lacuna infarct in and next to the caudate nucleus (thats part of the basal ganglia and works with movement / behaviour / speech and is part of one of 4 dopamine pathways from the substantia nigra) anyway I have a left tremor which fits a R infarct, no other symptoms.
Comments?

Also I have been reading how an injury FIRST say in a foot or arm can cause PD like symptoms as the feedback from the limb causes some brain dissociation which sets up a dysfunction. When neuros diagnose this as Pd the meds they prescribe eventually cause the symptoms they are expecting. Toxicity leading to dopamine destruction = tremor etc. Nasty loop. Have a link but cant post it yet, some rule

Jak

First let me say that PD is usually diagnosed through observation over a period of time. Are you seeing an MDS (Movement Disorder Specialist)??
Dr.Peter Silburn in Brisbane is a good one, as is Paul (can't think of his last name!!) at North Shore Private Hospital in Sydney.
You can get a PET scan that will indicate whether you have PD or not. Not sure if they are offered in Oz or not. If you private message me, (top right of the page) I can tell you about support groups, people to talk to, doctors etc. Include your email and where you live.

Charlie
DX'ed w/ PD 1990 @age 40 . DBS/STN in 2002 at UCLA

get a 2nd opinion from a MDS. my MDS diagnosed me from seeing i scraped my right foot, decreased dexterity in right hand. took about 5 min.

the injury to an extremity theory causing pd symptoms is hokus pokus, think how many high school atheletes suffer ankle sprains and don't get pd. regardless, you'll need to treat the symptoms some way as they progress. going to someone to massage your foot ain't going to help.

think what you want. l-dopa works well for me, i've tried everything else with no beneficial affect.

Well your entitled to your opinion. If a neuro makes a misdiagnosis and then prescribes L dopa which decreases the bodies capacity to produce L dopa and can have side effects like PD his mis diagnosis becomes self fulfilling.

Tell me that has NEVER happened.



Jak

I don't have Parkinson's Disease Jak, therefore I'll not comment on anything related to PD, but I do have another chronic neurological disease, and I do want to comment on what chasmo said about Dr Silburn in Brisbane.

In my opinion, Dr Silburn would have to be the best neurologist I personally have ever met, and I've consulted (and worked with) quite a few since my own diagnosis, 33 years ago. I saw Dr Silburn as a patient, and I worked with him during my career as a Registered Nurse, and I can't fault him.

I've seen maybe a dozen neuros since my diagnosis way back in 1977, and you really couldn't go past Dr Silburn. He knows his stuff, and he's one of the nicest doctors I've ever met, and we all know how hard it is to get both those qualities in the same person.

We no longer live in QLD, but I've seen neuros in NSW, Tas and Vic, and for me ..... it's well worth the airfare for me to fly to Brisbane to see him, and let's face it....airfares between states are so cheap now that most of the time it's cheaper to fly between states than it is to catch a taxi into the city.

Charlie, Yes all the major teaching hospitals have f-dopa scanners here.
Koala, i agree with you. Dr Silburn is a nice fella and an excellent Dr rolled into one and well worth consulting. I've seen my share of neuros and he is I think the most knowledgeable in the country regarding PD.

A dose of levodopa if given to you and were to result in a reduction of P.D. symptoms would be a quick way and one which is often done to diagnose PD.
I've never heard of levodopa reducing the bodies ability to produce dopamine alongcamejones.

[QUOTE=Koala77;671025]I don't have Parkinson's Disease Jak,

Thats good to know. I like my neuro hes also the head of a big hospital here in SA but he was a bit puzzled by a small deep brain old infract that showed up in the MRI> Right in the correct place for a tremor. I didnt even know it was there.
Still what can a neuro do. They cant look at it and from all the research I have read now there are as many opinions about what does what where as there are research papers

Still I will keep your guy in mind as QLD is calling us back with its warmth. Im an RN too.

Thanks for the reply, I was seeing masses of views and no responses which is different from down under sites where people are well........different

Jak

Oral L Dopa is involved in the destruction of L Dopa inherent Dopamine producing sites. I cant post links but its out there.

Jak

Hi Jak,
Welcome to the forum. Look at it this way, in the end the doctors diagnosis was right. Is that like having your cake and eating it too?

GregD

what's your point except to say don't take l-dopa? l-dopa is very old news.