I encountered an elderly gentleman at the cafeteria the other evening.
I noticed him because of his shuffling gait, his expressionless face and he
seemed to he holding his tray higher on one side than the other.
Afterwards, I visited him and asked him he had Parkinson's. He said that his
wife had recently died and prior to her lengthly hospitalization, he used to
walk 6 miles a day. He said that the sitting at the hospital had seemed to
have effected both of his hips causing walking any distance to be painful. He
also had "stiffness" in his upper left arm. He attributed these discomforts to
arthritis.
He also said that he took heart medication. His skin had a reddish color on
his face and hands.
He hadn't been seen by a doctor. I recommended that he see a neurologist.
For discussion, I wonder how many undiagnosed parkinsonians are being seen by
family practictioners, and other specialists but remain undiagnosed and
untreated due to its' "not fatal" nature and/or expense even though the
classic signs are featured?
John Cottingham "The parkinsn list brings Knowledge, Comfort,
Hope, and Friendship to the parkinsonian world."
[log in to unmask]
