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Hi Susan, Welcome to the list. We were all new to this and confused about our symptoms at one time - you'll find lots of understanding and support among the PIEN list members. The symptoms you wrote about all could be signs of PD, but you'll need to be evaluated by a neurologist, if possible a movement disorders specialist to confirm a diagnosis. There is no widely diagnostic test available test for PD at the present time - most neuros will have MRI, blood tests, EEG performed to rule out other disorders. The diagnosis is determined by clinical exam and your history and description of symptoms. Also as stated previously, some neuros will start a trial of sinemet to see if you improve on it. There seems to be more awareness these days about young onset PD than when many of us were diagnosed or misdiagnosed and often told by doctors -" you're too young to have Parkinson's" I'd suggest before your visit with the neuro to read as much as possible and educate yourself about Parkinsons. Two good web sites to start: National Parkinson Foundation web site has a lot of information: http://www.parkinson.org Also you should contact Parkinsons Australia. There is a list of state PD organizations in Austraila at: http://www.quartec.com.au/parkinsons/parkorg.html and they should be able to give you local contact information as well. Maybe some of our Australian list members can tell you more about this. If you have any questions just ask. Linda Herman diagnosed in 1995 at age 45 On Sat, 4 Oct 2003 20:34:48 +1000 susan robinson <[log in to unmask]> writes: > Hi, I’m Susan. and I live in a country town north of Sydney in > Australia. > I am new to the List, and have not yet been diagnosed with > Parkinson’s. > Having read quite a lot lately about symptoms, though, I’m pretty > sure > that’s what I’ve got - either that or MS, but at 52 years of age, I > think MS > is less likely. My local doctor has referred me to a neurologist > (appoinment later this month) and wants him to send me for an MRI. > I’ve had > a CT brain scan - normal - and the usual blood tests are normal. > > I’ve read that a “frozen” shoulder is a common early symptom. Can > anyone > tell me whether, when it is a symptom: > - the arm remains “frozen”, or > - physiotherapy can get it moving almost fully again ? > > My shoulder was "frozen" early this year, though it was diagnosed > as“rotator > cuff dysfunction”. Physio got it working again, with only stiffness > remaining - which exercises relieve. For months I thought the other > problems I am having – poor balance, severe writing difficulties, > unable to > brush teeth - were caused by the shoulder. But those other symptoms > haven’t > eased with the improved shoulder function, and in addition my speech > now > sometimes gets “caught up” – as though the tongue/lips can’t move > fast > enough [especially saying “Mama Mia” :) ] – definitely not related > to the > shoulder! I also get a bit of "foot-drag". I wonder whether my > shoulder > problem was an early Parkinson’s symptom. > > I’ve read that there is no treatment that slows down the disease, > but > elsewhere I read that treatment should be commenced as soon as > possible. Is > that only to relieve symptoms, or can the drugs actually slow down > degeneration? Isn’t it better not to use the drugs till later, > because > their effect diminishes and a higher dose is needed? I’m confused > about > early treatment and the need for a definite early diagnosis. I can > put up > with my symptoms at present, but I want to know if treatment > actually slows > down the disease. > > Thanks for reading this, and for any advice you can give. > > _________________________________________________________________ > ninemsn Premium transforms your e-mail with colours, photos and > animated > text. Click here http://ninemsn.com.au/premium/landing.asp > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn