April is Parkinson’s disease awareness month and for those impacted by the condition, it can be a devastating diagnosis. Although there is currently no cure, there are some options to treat the symptoms but knowing what to expect and how to plan for the life changes is imperative.
“It’s a progressive neurological and movement disorder,” said Dr. Ben Christiansen, a neuropsychologist with Tanner Clinic. “We’re not sure what causes it. The symptoms seem to follow those like Lewy body.”
The telltale sign is tremors, he said. “Then it usually progresses to where patients can’t use their hands and have difficulty walking and standing. They kind of shuffle and lose movement in their face so they can’t smile.”
Christiansen said the course of treatment is usually medication for the tremor behavior to help their body move and calm down. “The biggest concern I have is how it impacts daily living,” he said. “As it progresses it can turn into forms of dementia and as it affects motor ability to walk there is an increase in falling.”
Men are more prone to the disease than women, he said. “Genes play a role and toxic hazard environment increases the chances, but we don’t really know why. It mostly affects people in their 40s or 50s but we have seen it in younger patients.”
An essential tremor is very similar so it can be confused with Parkinson’s, he said. “That is actually a nerve issue so there are treatment options and it doesn’t usually progress. Parkinson’s is a brain issue.”
Parkinson’s causes the dopamine receptors to start breaking down so the body can’t respond to it. “That causes bigger issues with depression and emotional regulation,” said Christiansen. “The neurological part is more tremors, problems walking and speaking because the motor function doesn’t work correctly. Patients know what they want to say but can’t get their mouth to form it.”
Along with that comes difficulty in swallowing and writing. “It’s a very lonely experience because others are left trying to guess what the person wants,” he said. “That’s the problem with a neurological disorder. You know it’s there but it’s hard to treat. We know how to fix some of the symptoms.”
Christiansen said sometimes patients experience tremors and immediately assume it’s Parkinson’s. “They think, ‘my life is over.’ It might be Parkinson’s but it could be something completely different. Any Google search can give you the worst disease. If you’re concerned go see your doctor so you know your options.”
He suggests patients start with their regular doctor who knows their history. “When it starts getting really impairing see a specialist,” said Christiansen. “They can see how it might impact your cogitative and emotional daily ability to live independently.”
The key is finding out what’s going on. “Make sure you’re getting answers to the questions you have,” Christiansen said. “Then you can make plans for the craziness that is life.”
http://davisclipper.com/life/navigating-parkinsons-disease/
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