Mouka, if you think that ending your life will be less devastating for your family than having a PD diagnosis then you really do need counseling!.

As our guidelines request that members please keep discussion of suicide to our special forum for that I have had to edit your post. Here is the link to our SOS forum http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum29.html

We have this guideline as it can be very triggering and upsetting for others to read suicidal posts on our other health forums.



I really do think our members have tried to be as helpful to you as they possibly can be. You have had a physician tell you that you do not have PD and our members have mentioned many other issues that could cause the symptoms that are troubling you.

Once you are back home, you can follow up with other physicians who will hopefully confirm what you have already been told, that you do not have PD.

I am slowly getting a handle on this PD issue. I was dreading what's in store for me. But I am clearing up my mind a little.
I have bradykinesia in my left arm and it feels a little numb too. So I am back to square one.
I will wait until I am back to the US to see a MDS specialist, and I will take it from there.
I will keep up a journal of how I am doing.

I have been reading all of your posts and if you don't mind could you answer a few questions for me. Have you been out of the States for long and secondly when and what led you to the "conclusion' you have parkinson's

You seem to have gone to the Neurologist with a diagnosis that you felt was accurate and looking for validity. Why how did this occur that led you to Parkinsons and not anything else. Are you related or aquainted with someone who has or had this foul disease.

It's a horrible experience for you it seems and I hope this can be of use in getting to a decisive conclusion. Good luck

My hands and arms go numb all the time. Even while sleeping on my back.

Sorry to hear about your troubles it can be very frightening assured. Hang in there and always remember " Its called practicing medicine " because they are still practicing. Doctors don't know it all AT ALL ! Even in a 2nd opinion one doctor will say one thing and the next one says the other one was wrong. They in general like to be right period ! It may take 2nd, and 3rd opinions. Take it one step at a time, try to relax even though its hard. But you will know when your diagnosis is right, it will make sense to YOU ! Like an Ah Ha moment. Don't stop until you get it. Medications only mask the symptoms, not the cause of what's going on. You don't want to cover up your symptoms with medication to a point where any disease underneath gets a lot worse until they diagnose it. There are so many disease labels that match your symptoms so it takes time, patients and persistence to get to the truth and a darn caring doctor not a factory physician pushing patients through as fast as possible for a plushy bank account balance. Have you ever taken Cipro or Levaquin or any antibiotics that have the word Floura in them ? Your may also want to look up Floraquinilone (SP) Toxicity. These antibiotics can cause symptoms such as yours. Even after one pill. Symptoms can happen right away, months afterwards even later. The symptoms can last for months, years after being floxed. Floxed is a nick name for getting poisoned by this family of treats were given easily for infections. Not sure but looking up the side effect to the Central Nervous System after taking those babies might help you out if you have had any of those antibiotics. Hope this helps and Good Luck. Signed by a " Floxie " short for others that have been poisoned by these Antibiotics.

I have been out of the states for over 5 weeks now. I will return on the 11th of this month. So I have only a few more days left here. Thank god.
The neurologist I have seen talked to me for a few minutes. I told him what I was afraid of: PD. He looked for the primary signs of PD: Tremors, muscle stiffness, and walking posture.
He ordered an EEG and found some discharges that should not be there. But he said they were within the normal ranges.

Here are the main reasons why I am thinking I have PD:
1. My muscles are all stiff and tight. There is too much tension and they feel tight, I can't relax them even if I wanted to. As of now, while I am typing, my biceps are so tight they hurt a little.
2. I had several episodes of tremors in my arms and legs that lasted a couple of days. The last one happened not too long ago.
3. I started sweating enormously. The heat cannot explain the sweat. It's anxiety that is the only explanation. I have always been sweating abnormally. But lately it got worse.
4. I lost my sense of smell gradually.
5. I pee several times before going to bed.
6. I have what one might call generalized anxiety. Sometimes I even have panic attacks.
7. When I go to sleep. My legs would jerk while I am relaxing and getting sleepy.
8. I feel that muscles in my left hand are slow.
9. The general anxiety I am feeling is preventing me from sleeping. And this in turn aggravates the whole situation. Instead of breaking this vicious cycle, it's feeding it.
10. When I walk, I am pretty balanced, but not as much as I used to. I have a hard time walking along a straight line if I wanted to.
11. My voice got softer. I can't explain why. But it got softer. And sometimes I even have a hard time saying some words. After a long walk, if I bump into someone I know and start talking. I feel disconnected from the whole conversation. As if I am doing it by reflex only. I am not into the moment if this can make any sense.

Well there you have it. These are all the symptoms that have led me to believe I have PD. And it's a pretty darn long list of issues I am dealing with.

I know that the cardinal symptoms for PD are:
1. Tremors
2. Bradykinesia or Akynesia
3. Stiffness
4. Posture and gait

I also know that if 3 out of 4 of these cardinal symptoms are present, then PD is a possibility.
in my case, I think I have all 4 symptoms. Although the tremors are not visible yet. Sometimes the tremors show up for a couple of days and go away.

Mouka,

Anyone as unhappy and anxious as you right now could dip into a low dopamine state and exhibit some symptoms of pd, temporarily. If I were you I'd be in no rush to get that dx set in stone.

Anyone in withdrawal from benzos/tranquillisers is going to have massive rebound anxiety. In order to ditch Stilnoct I had to go without sleep for three nights. But it was worth it to get off that rubbish.

What u should be addressing right now is the cause of your anxiety and an apparent tendency to ruminate. Seek counselling immediately. Get away from the computer. For god's sake approach diet in a grown up fashion. Take up exercise. Do yoga, meditation, anything to retrain your mind. Try and restore some balance to your life.

Mouka,
Parkinson disease is very hard to diagnose, even for experienced neurologists. It is mainly what is known as a diagnosis of exclusion, i.e. when all other potential cause of symptoms have been excluded then Parkinson is considered.

This is because the symptoms can be caused by many other conditions, especially as there are so many of them. People with PD have often travelled a long road to diagnosis. While many hear will freely say that it is a difficult diagnosis to have, and a difficult disease to manage, on the whole most people with Parkinson disease lead full and happy lives, they get one with life, because actually idiopathic PD is a slow moving and long term condition. In fact many people have transformed their own lives after such a diagnosis, and some have gone on to be extraordinary in the way they advocate for better treatments and possibly a cure. Some of those people visit this forum.

I am in no place to tell you what you should or should not think or do. I can say though that the things that you mention could be the symptoms of a number of other conditions, as well as the side effects of medication withdrawal. Some of the things you think you know about PD are not accurate, neurological signs are more complex than you suppose.

I will advise you to go to your GP doctor and discuss your fears, and let him/her investigate what you are experiencing without you insisting it is PD. It is possible you have some wholly treatable problems, and this approach would help clear them up. If your symptoms persist after other possible causes have been eliminated, then see a neuro, but one experienced in PD.

Don't be in a hurry, PD never is, and even those who do have a diagnosis do not always go onto medication straightaway these days, as exercise and a good lifestyle can help, and the medications, to be absolutely honest, are no picnic to be on.

is it time to move on? everyone seems to be giving him the same advice, see a MDS and/or get counseling and it seems to have no affect. he's convinced he has pd, 2 healthcare professionals said he didn't, i seriously doubt he's going to take any advice given here that disagrees with his strong opinions. we've made a noble effort as always to help a newbie. just my opinion, but he seemed to come to this board to help relieve his anxiety about pd, to hear from long time pd'ers to see how they are doing and we have responded, life isn't perfect but we adapt. what more can we do for him?

just my opinion.

Not to minimize anyone's fear of being diagnosed with any illness, PD or otherwise (and yes there are much worse than PD) but titling your post "PD VICTIM" already sets you up mentally for a horrible mindset.

As many here have said, attitude is everything. We all know millionaires in this world with nary a concern and they are not happy. They not only are miserable themselves, but seem to have no problem with spreading that unhappiness to those around them, often ruining lives in the process. Take a look at Hollywood, what an example of how not to live.

Seeing yourself as a victim, particularly after the only dx you have gotten is a negative, sets yourself up for harder coping than need be. And it can't be good for your health! Look around you at the incredible people living full and happy lives with PD, cancer, MS, etc. We all have a choice in how we live our days, why not make them as good as possible

(Before I get booed off the forum, I realize we all have crap days, sometimes crap weeks or even months.....I get that, just trying to share the bigger picture)