Trust, but verify

After my initial visit to the neurologist, and many hours on google, I had no reason to doubt his diagnosis, despite his rather simple testing method.  However, I asked for a referral to another neurologist, one I knew slightly.

This time, my wife accompanied me (she is going to be the care giver and should know everything).  This doctor gave me the most thorough physical I have ever had, even using his stethoscope against my eyes (don't know what for; if you do, please enlighten).  As expected, he then announced that he agreed with the diagnosis.  I asked him to take me on as a patient.  He did and we started treatment for the symptoms right away.  This is a good choice as he seems to care what happens to me and has informed me that his office has an open door policy as far as I am concerned.

In a way, I was relieved that he concurred.  After all, it could have been MS or ALS.  A diagnosis of parkinson's I could live with.  I know people with both diseases and so, I consider myself lucky.  Oddly, I do not know anybody with parkinson's.

I keep googling my symptoms, just to make sure they are PD symptoms but that never changes.  Then I google my prognosis.  Could be OK, could be awful.  Then I google famous people who have had parkinson's because I would have seen them on TV and could measure myself against their advancement.  Of course the most famous is Michael J. Fox, a Canadian who makes me proud to be a Canadian.  His work on helping science look for a cure is amazing.

Once, when I was in university, I had the opportunity to do a TV interview with another famous Canadian, who later developed PD.  At the time he was running for the leadership of the federal liberal party - Pierre Elliot Trudeau.  I remember asking him (you Brits will like this) "You are in favour of Canadianizing the constitution, yet you favour retaining the monarchy.  How do you reconcile those?"  I don't recall his TV answer but afterward, he came up to me and said, "Don't worry, we will get rid of her later."  His aide overheard him and quickly dragged him away.  Pierre became my instant hero.  He never did get rid of the queen and lately I have begun to be happy about that.  The recent tour by the young royals is turning me into a monarchist (gasp!!).

By the way, PD may have saved Europe from more years of war during WWII.  It is thought by some researchers that Hitler was a victim of parkinson's, which could have slowed down his thought processes and may have caused him to make poor decisions.

PD - some good; some bad.