My Parkinson's Is An INVISIBLE Cloak
I am in the early stages of Parkinson's. I don't have tremors or shaking yet. However, I have severe balance issues and I have severe problems with my gait and with my legs freezing in place.
I don't have tremors but I do have the pitch forward.
I have the shuffling gait, am unbalanced, and walk in small steps.
I have masked facial expression, rigidity, stooped posture, and reduced arm swinging.
Yesterday the phlebotomist at the blood bank was annoyed that I took so long to get up when she called my name. Today I had an appointment with my oncologist. I had breast cancer about 9 years ago so I have to see an oncologist once or twice a year. I went over all of my meds with the NP before the doc came in. After he came in, he looked over my chart. Then he said to me, "Are you still taking the Sinemet?" I said , of course I am, I still have Parkinson's! I wanted to say to him ...Is there a cure I wasn't told about? Last time I was there he told me that I was his first PD patient who didn't have tremors and he asked me if I had gotten more than one opinion. I told him that I had gotten 3 opinions and they all concurred that I have PD. He is on the younger side, he is probably in his early thirties. He said to me " I didn't see you come in with a walker!" I told him that I don't always use a cane or walker. What is it with some of these docs? I went to the ER in Nov because I was vomiting blood and I was admitted. The ER doc told me that I did NOT have Parkinson's. I told her that I was diagnosed by the head neurologist of the hospital system that she worked for and she said, "well, he's wrong. You don't have Parkinson's!!" What is with these docs and medical personnel?? Who would lie about having this disease?? Who would want to have it?? I told my neurologist about these incidents and he told me to be glad that I presented as if I didn't have it and that they were just misinformed. He said that they must be young and have not been exposed to people in the early stages of PD. None of them were young! He told me to have them call his office next time if they think I don't have it. I feel as if I am wearing an invisible Parkinson's cloak when I am just sitting down without a walker near me. I think it is quite visible that I have a movement disorder when I try to get up and/or start walking. I am OK after I start moving, then I look OK walking except that I pitch forward. I think that most people think of Parkinson's people as people with shaking and tremors and that can be true. But there are PD patients like me who have other symptoms and may later develop shaking and tremors.
Yesterday the phlebotomist at the blood bank was annoyed that I took so long to get up when she called my name. Today I had an appointment with my oncologist. I had breast cancer about 9 years ago so I have to see an oncologist once or twice a year. I went over all of my meds with the NP before the doc came in. After he came in, he looked over my chart. Then he said to me, "Are you still taking the Sinemet?" I said , of course I am, I still have Parkinson's! I wanted to say to him ...Is there a cure I wasn't told about? Last time I was there he told me that I was his first PD patient who didn't have tremors and he asked me if I had gotten more than one opinion. I told him that I had gotten 3 opinions and they all concurred that I have PD. He is on the younger side, he is probably in his early thirties. He said to me " I didn't see you come in with a walker!" I told him that I don't always use a cane or walker. What is it with some of these docs? I went to the ER in Nov because I was vomiting blood and I was admitted. The ER doc told me that I did NOT have Parkinson's. I told her that I was diagnosed by the head neurologist of the hospital system that she worked for and she said, "well, he's wrong. You don't have Parkinson's!!" What is with these docs and medical personnel?? Who would lie about having this disease?? Who would want to have it?? I told my neurologist about these incidents and he told me to be glad that I presented as if I didn't have it and that they were just misinformed. He said that they must be young and have not been exposed to people in the early stages of PD. None of them were young! He told me to have them call his office next time if they think I don't have it. I feel as if I am wearing an invisible Parkinson's cloak when I am just sitting down without a walker near me. I think it is quite visible that I have a movement disorder when I try to get up and/or start walking. I am OK after I start moving, then I look OK walking except that I pitch forward. I think that most people think of Parkinson's people as people with shaking and tremors and that can be true. But there are PD patients like me who have other symptoms and may later develop shaking and tremors.
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