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Linda,
Best wishes for your quest for your mom! My understanding is that usually a Parkinson's tremor is at rest, like you said. Mine is quiet when resting, but my legs can dance when I'm standing still! There are a lot of ailments with some charachteristics of Parkinson's, and a lot of Parkinson's with charachteristics of other ailments. We are quite a mixed lot!

It sounds like your mother is going through the process of ruling out the things that are easier to rule out - MRI of legs, for instance. Seems like I had a brain MRI to rule out Multiple Schlerosis, blood tests to rule out ailments in the arthritis family, other blood tests to rule out ailments in the muscles themselves, thiroid tests . . . Does you mom have symptoms like stiffness, slowed or delayed movements, shuffling footsteps, balance problems, or other movements "issues" in addition to what you mentioned? I don't need to know, of course, but these are things to watch for and to write down for the doctor's information.

Lucky mom to have her kids looking out after her like you are!

Mouse

Thank you for taking the time to reply Mouse!

My mother does have some other movement issues, but it's still unclear what the cause is. One dr. gave her the dx of Rheumatoid Arthritis, then later recanted that dx. Arthritis runs in our family, I have severe osteo arthritis myself. It's really hard to say because I have so many of the same symptoms she's having, but supposedly mine are coming from my back. She shuffles, but she says she does it on purpose because she's afraid she'll hurt herself. I personally have not noticed the lack of facial expressions as my sister has. She was here in the Spring and she was slowing down a lot, but heck she's 75 and never was very physically active. I shuffle too, especially in the mornings or when I'm worn down. I think so much is overlapping and a proper dx for her will hard to get. It's going to require a lot of testing, which she hates. I've got a medical background, and have done a lot of research when I was dx'd with ET. My gut feeling is that it's not Parkinsons, but rather a combination of lack of movement, arthritis and possibly a few pinched nerves in back. It's not like she was a tennis player and suddenly everything has stopped. She led an active lifestyle, but nothing to ever make herself stronger. When she started quilting, she stopped moving and doesn't believe in working at it through the pain. She's just given up I think.

Anyway, I'll keep doing my research.

Thanks again,

Linda

Since I am close in age to your mother, I will share the symptoms I first noticed only a few years ago. I would unconsciously walk with a stiff right arm and my children would ask why I was walking that way. Then I realized I had no arm swing on that side. Next I became aware that my handwriting was getting smaller. I taught school and the kids commented on my small writing as did a couple of store clerks when I wrote checks. Third, I acquired a tremor and yes it was a tremor at rest. It was worse under stress. My voice also became softer and harder to hear ie kids in back of classroom had a harder time hearing me. The cough could be a side effect of other medication if she is taking something else. I hope tests show she doesn't have Parkinson's but something very treatable. However I have found this site to be encouraging and full of helpful information and you couldn't be in a better place to learn about Parkinson's.

http://www.lifenph.com/content/Bob.htm
Maybe mention this to her doctors, it might help if this could be it
Deborah