I do not have a diagnosis of Parkinsons but I am worried that is where I am heading fast. I am not asking for a diagnosis just if my symptoms matchthe disease.

For years I have had pain, stiffness, poor motor coordination and mild tremors. I have been told I have spastic tight muscles and was given the diagnosis of fibromyalgia. My tremors have always been accounted for as a side affect to my thyroid disease (I had Grave's disease and did the radiation treatment (rai) to ablate the thryroid and became hypo) The bone and joint pain was diagnosed as degenerative joint disease and recently I was told I have neuropathic pain.

This past month I had 3 "fits" of hours of tremors that resembled a fully conscious seizure - my entire upper body was twitching and jerking along with my head and I was stuttering and slurring when I talked) The last one being this past Friday, they gave me benadryl through my iv after talking with my neurologist. This calmed the constant jerking and twitching, once it calmed down the nurse came in and said the neurologist wanted to test the benadryl and now he could give me toradol and a muscle relaxer to ease the pain. When I was discharged I was told that I had to see the neurologist within 1-2 days (which is impossible since it was Friday and when I got home from the er Friday the number went to the after hours emergency line) I am calling him on Monday

As of now my left arm and head are having little twitches now and then and my speech is still a little affected but much better . When I looked up what tremors benadryl can stop the only thing I can find is Parkinson's.

The "fits" started with constant migraines while I was on savella for fibromyalgia, I was switched to amitryptiline and a week later was the first fit. I was immediately changed to gabapentin and was fine for a month then two more "fits" 2 days in a row after increasing the gabapentin from 300 mgs daily to 900 mgs daily.

Is there a chance that I may hear Parkinson's when I go to see him? Do my symptoms sound like that is a possibility or can it just be a reaction to one of the drugs that will fade and I'll be back to normal soon? I have a family that I take care of and a really good job that I love and I don't want to lose over this and I am only 42

Hi there... I have a suggestion for you. Seek out a good endocrinologist and have your parathyroid functions checked out.
The parathyroids control calcium and when they malfunction there are all sorts of derangements of muscle functions, spasms and the like.

It may be only a lack of Vit D, or other things up to a tumor on one of them (there are 4).

Too much calcium in the blood and not enough magnesium to balance it can cause rigidity and spasms of muscles. Since you had radiation of your thyroid and the parathyroids are right in the same place, I'd look at this before considering PD.

Here is one article about this:
http://parathyroid.com/parathyroid-symptoms.htm

This link discusses other problems that can result:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parathyroid_disease
(including hypoparathyroidism).

Thank you so much for replying MrsD. I so appreciate it.

I wrote a long reply back but "twitched" & don't know if I hit enter and replied or lost the entire reply. But I am reading the articles & you very well could be right.

Seeing GP on Wed. and will ask for him to refer me, I will suggest the endo my mom & dad go to and love

thank you

It sounds like you have a lot of issues going on and if I were in your position I would try to find a common link AFTER listing out all your symptoms, even the ones that already been accounted for as one already diagnosed problem or another. Do that BEFORE you see your doc this week and present what you have to them.

Try to find "one good doctor" to try to piece the symptoms together and then investigate like hell for any kinds of tests that might lead to a common problem. Finding a doc like that is not easy in these times. Specialists for instance, will blow right past anything that is not "their specialty". A good doc will ask questions and require tests, not proclaim some disease upon your few meetings. Encourage them to dig for the problem.

I hate to say it like this but as the patient in today's health care you HAVE to investigate and advocate for yourself and you must firmly demand better care if you feel like you're not being seriously considered. This problem will likely not be found in any single 15 minute office meeting.

BTW, I would also advocate for some vitamin tests (B absorption especially) and detailed blood tests in addition to the hormones suggested above. This is your one chance to guide the accurateness of your outcome.

I am also sitting in the precipice of a diagnosis. Understand what a diagnosis will and will not do for you. Do not let a doc jump to conclusions and show you the door. There isn't much of a treatment available for PD so keep that as the last option when all else is ruled out.

Best of luck ..

Best of luck

bottom line, you need to be diagnosed by a doctor.

here's a site to start investigating pd

http://www.parkinson.org/parkinson-s-disease.aspx

Rating scales pdf listing-
http://www.movementdisorders.org/MDS...ing-Scales.htm

Thank you for your reply BreezyRacer. I am actually pretty lucky as my GP truly listens to me and accepts the fact that I dig into everything to know what is happening to me. I lay more blame on myself as I don't like to complain and only tell the dr. the symptoms I think are important. I've always been afraid that if I tell them every little weird thing I felt they'd send me to a psychiatrist lol

I think I'm lucky to have the doctor's that I have as they tend to seem more worried over my health than I am and they talk to me and explain everything to me.

I only brought up the thyroid b/c the tremors I have had for years were stated to be from the effects of the Graves disease I had in '99, and it made sense and was very possible but now it seems my worst problem is the tremors. They have seemed to take over and have knocked me out of life for a little while. We do watch my thyroid closely b/c for some reason my levels fluctuate every few months and we have to keep making adjustments to the levothyroxine. He keeps a close eye on both T3 and T4. I am going to have to ask him if he has checked my calcium levels (thank you MrsD) and I will see about getting in to see an endo.

I have had spastic muscle tone since I was in my teens, no one has ever really looked into it, they blamed it on scoliosis and kept me on muscle relaxers taken only as needed and I've done my time in PT and water therapy. I gave up the water therapy 3 years ago when I could no longer keep my balance in the water. I never really told my GP why I quit going, and I figured as long as I'm moving and able to work and take care of the family there was no reason to complain.

I was diagnosed with degenerative joint disease about 15 years ago through x-rays and had been fine up until a year ago doing 800 Ibuprofen doing PT and taking soma at night whenever I hurt too bad to sleep. I never complained b/c I knew that no matter what we did or tried I was going to hurt and as long as the pain was manageable I was fine - my GP has at this point scolded me for this

A little over a year ago I started getting worse muscle spasms and deep stabbing burning pain in my thoracic region mainly the muscles following around the curve in my shoulder blades. My GP was concerned because I complained and started by doing x-rays and a lot of blood work mostly looking for antibodies since I already have had one autoimmune disease (Graves thyroid) All that was found was that the dark cloudy area (arthritis) had spread completely up my spine and into my neck, and that once again my thyroid levels were off and I needed to increase the levothyroxine again. He immediately got me into a rheumatologist. The rheumatologist did more blood work but unlike my GP he did not go over it with me and slapped the fibromyalgia diagnosis on me. He started me on Savella which did nothing for me except make me always want to sleep and started bringing on horrible migraines one after the other. This is when all heck broke loose.

My GP took over my care again and tried the amitryptiline saying with the fibro diagnosis he was able to choose from a wider variety of medicines and that he believed that my stabbing and burning pain was neuropathic pain.

When the first "fit" hit me, the ER thought I was having a seizure and called in the neurologist. I had more blood work, an mri and an eeg. My thryroid again was off but the mri and eeg were fine. The neurologist said A-typical migraine to get me out of the hospital but said there was more going on but he did not believe it was seizure related, and wanted me to follow up with him. He also switched me from amitryptiline to gabapentin in hope it would help with the nerve pain and stop the headaches. The gabapentin eased the pain immensely and I haven't even had so much as a tension headache on it.

However a few days ago the hours of tremors that were very rapid jerking and twitching in my head neck shoulders arms and weirdly my stomach/chest began. When I was in the ER they were on the phone with the neurologist and they kept making me answer questions staring at my eyes whenever I'd answer they kept making me talk even though it was frustrating me since it was coming out like I was a stuttering drunk then they kept doing weird things with the muscles that were jerking, like trying to hold the area down with a gentle pressure, then kind of stroking one of my jumping arms, then try to hold it again, then like lightly stroking it, they asked me to raise my arm and try to move it, then they asked me to try to look different ways by following a pen light. They called back the neuro whom then said to try benedryl, when it slowed the twitching to mild muscle spasms they gave me the toradol and some type of muscle relaxer. Discharged me with paperwork saying tremor (until then I thought it was some type of seizure) and said the neuro wants to see me in 1-2 days to change my meds.

I have stayed on a low dose of benedryl and my soma and gabapentin and so ffar this weekend the shakes are only after I do something and the horrible quick jerking is just periods of my muscles twitching enough that you can see it and sometime I get like a slow tug in my shoulder or neck that makes my arm or head kind of roll.

I think I'm in the hands of 2 good doctors at the moment, and am impressed that after seeing me a few times while I was admitted to the hospital and listening to what the er staff said about me his first suggestion worked. I also know I have to start being a little more honest with them and not wait until I cannot take it anymore to tell them.

If anyone made it this far I'm impressed. I guess even just typing into a computer screen is easing my nerves, and it's helping that I know tomorrow I am calling the neuro to see when he can fit me in. Maybe I will have some answers soon so I can get back to work and back to normal - at least normal for me.

Since this is the only forum that actually responded to my post I will follow up with what I find out. Thank you to those that responded, I truly appreciate it, my thoughts are with you all - may you find at least one small thing on a daily basis that can put a smile on your face as even the smallest things matter and can mean so much

So throughout this whole set of symptoms have the medications ever really helped? Taking Ibuprofen will certainly help with the inflammation and pain but it's no "cure" and actually steady use of anti inflammatories can get in the way of healing .. inflammation is a healing aid.

If my memory is correct benedryl type of drugs are bad for your brain.

Also have you tried any supplementation for any of your symptoms? If not I suggest getting some B2 (riboflavin 5'-phosphate is what you want .. about 200 mg a day up to 400 mg). It's good for migraines and nervous system disorders. Your body might have a hard time absorbing it in small quantities. Also begin taking about 2 grams of vitamin C a day. Vitamin C is needed to build collagen and tendons in joints. I have found that it helps with lots of joint pain.

Neither will hurt you and you can stop them if you don't feel a difference but I would give vitamin C at least 2 weeks. I would even take more vitamin C if your bowels can stand it (vitamin C loosens you up). You can take these in concert with whatever meds you take as well.

Your chronic problems will take time no matter what actions you and your doctors take. Look for small improvements that become big over some time. I know that it's difficult to be patient.

Best of luck ..

Why not consider seeing a neurologist who specializes in PD to help better understand risks / rule out Parkinson's?

An online tool for finding a Movement Disorders Specialist (MDS) is available at www.partnersinparkinsons.org

Best of luck,

Debi

My mom is taking me to my GP appt tomorrow, will have her take me to get the b2 and c, I am also going to ask if he or the ER tested my calcium levels.

I'm on a cancellation list for the neuro, in a smaller town so don't have a lot to choose from but if needed I can go to either Pittsburgh or Cleveland as I am pretty much half way between the 2.

We never thought any of this was neurological before so I am at the very beginning of trying to find out what is going on. The Ibuprofen and Meloxicam are completely ineffective in my point of view but the GP has been worried about inflamation. The only drugs that have helped me are the Gabapentin which stops the burning and stabbing pains and the soma that when I do take usually makes me fall asleep.

I am lucky enough that as soon as I get some kind of clearance through any doctor my employer is willing to set me up to work from home or find a way that I can come in to work even if I can't drive... I think that will be the best thing to get me through all of this.

I will post after my GP appt tomorrow morning & again I do thank you all for answering. My anxiety level is dropping which is making me not twitch as much, it's more of a slow muscle pull that makes my arm or head move a little