What a busy week! I had two appointments and will have a third on Monday. The dentist appointment wasn’t too bad, at least there were no new cavities. This appointment had a cleaning plus relaxation treatment. There were all types of spa things: soft music, dim lights, cucumber slices, massage chair, and a neck massage. The only thing wrong was that she sprayed a fine mist that had a type of essential oils and my body didn’t like it.
The lotion she used with the massage caused me to have a reaction to it. I had to go home and shower to get the itching to stop. Something so pleasant turned into a unpleasant side effect.
I had a new-patient appointment with a neurologist who specializes in motion disorders. He read my notes from the neurologist who sent me here. He spent over an hour with me, asking tons of questions. Then, he gave me the basic Parkinson’s test. I had to walk so that he could see my walking. He checked my balance and that wasn’t good.
There were other things I had to do. I wasn’t jerking while I was there, but he could see some shaking of my head and left hand. I hate it, but I will be having a brain MRI, so that they can make sure I haven’t had a stroke or brain tumor.
He told me that he didn’t think either of those two issues were my problem. His opinion now is that I’m either showing signs of Parkinson’s Disease or having Physiological Tremor. So, I’ll need to wait. I understand that the MRI won’t show Parkinson’s. There is no specific test, but many things go into testing for Parkinson’s. But, these tests are certainly expensive.
Now I’m keeping this in the back of my mind (and sometimes it’s up front) and worrying too much. He said that my active dreams (kicking, hitting, and screaming) are an early sign of PD. When I am awake, I have had some events where I saw something move out of the corner of my eye and there was nothing there. When I turn, my balance goes is bad and I almost fall.
The tremors and jerks had been smaller until today, when I had numerous jerks that would be obvious to anyone around me. When I am dozing in my chair, I wake up talking to the person in my dream or making movements that were a part of the dream.
Waiting to find out exactly what’s going on is very hard. I’m praying for good results or helpful treatments. No one wants strokes, brain tumors, or Parkinson’s. But today all I can do is live each day to the fullest, try to lose weight, and add beauty to my life.