If one is said to have Early Onset Parkinson's, what ages are used used for that definition?
My husband has Parkinson's, is now 75, and we are now tracing his symptoms back to the early 1980's. At that point, he was about 52 and had slightly stooped posture, a slight shuffle and a feeling of pressure in the head, and his right hand was somewhat stiff and not swinging with the rest of his body. The drs. dismissed my questions by surmising that: 1) he was 6'3" and bent over to talk to people, bent over his desk all day, etc. 2) he was too tired to pick up his feet, 3) his work was high pressure and deadlines, ...therefore Prozac was prescribed, 4) they asked if his family walked like that, and said it was a family trait...etc.,etc.
It was not until 1998 when we were affected by a great trauma (our home was struck by a tornado) that the BIG symptons appeared. He was hospitalized and even though I asked many questions, he was only treated for Diabetic foot ulcers which had become infected. After he was discharged, and after consulting with some nurses in our church, I got an apt with a leading Neuro in our area for a complete workup.
The Neuro took one look at him and said PD, but unfortunately the treatment was to start my husband on a huge assortment of meds all at once which was too much for his system and he was virtually bedridden for about a year. Continuing on the advice of others in the med. profession, we continued muddling along, before we turned to a MD who practices alternative medicine and gradually weaned him off pres. meds and on to herbs and individual vitamins. We saw great improvement for 3 years, but with the progression of his PD symptoms, we are now back on the prescription meds.
In retrospect, how could he have been treated earlier, and is there a difference in how the disease progresses ?
Thank you for you time and help.
Post Edited (eureka) : 6/10/2006 11:58:10 AM (GMT-6)