Symptoms of PD, seeking answers. Anyone experiencing the same?

Hi @bobconfused. Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Going through a lot of testing without answers yet sounds confusing.

I applaud you for noticing these symptoms and being brave enough to go in and get it checked out.

Does your doctor anticipate the DATSCAN will definitively solve whether you have Parkinson's or not? What else did the neurologist say about the drawing, walking and other tests you've already done?

He say the DATSCAN will tell him if it's Parkinson's or at least what plan to follow, the drawing was a continuous circle i had to follow the line with a pen but wasn't possible. Tremors. Walking my right arm doesn't swing and drag right foot..said rigid on that side..had me write several sentences didnt look to good..

Yes, they do not have a real test for Parkinsons just symptoms. It took us 2 years to get a final diagnosis so don't give up. In the meantime learn all you can about Parkinsons and exercise seems to be the real key to delaying progression.

Thank you, it is frustrating, ill continue to look into all i can ..

It sounds like you're on the same path I've been on, but six months behind. The DAT scan should tell you if it's PD. Good luck to you!

It may help to look at other associated symptoms of PD. There is a questionnaire for screening autonomic responses called COMPASS-31 used by neurology.
The newest tech FDA approved
in 2024 is the SynOne.
Three tiny skin specimens are lab evaluated and it is highly sensitive to find Parkinson’s abnormal protein in our nerves. I was greatly relieved when mine was normal.

Ask about syn-one skin biopsy test. My neuro said that would provide definitive diagnosis.

P.S. I heard they are training dogs to detect Parkinson's. I don't know if or how you can access them for testing.

Also, I want to say that my life got better after my diagnosis. There are so many organizations out here to educate and help you, and people are so kind and generous.

I started here - https://parkinsonvoiceproject.org/
with the "What is Parkinson's" video. I hope you experience thee same.

Thank you so much ...

Almost everybody I've seen participating in this Support Group has had a long, weary, confusing, frustrating experience in getting a diagnosis of PD. I had excellent primary care doctors,(who did all the right things) and excellent neurologist, and went through 3 complete hospital neurology depatment regimines, testing for everything known to western civilizaation,(one of which was rated the 7th best hospital on the planet, had the 4th best neurology department, and was the European eqivalent of the Mayo Clinic, before I was diagnosed.) If I had to guess, there are at least 20 symptoms associated with PD and almost every single one of us has a slighty different collection of these symptoms. One thing that made my diagnosis hard to find was that I didn't have the courtesy to have enough symptoms to give the diagnosticians much to go on - ONE symptom- increasinglyl profound exhaustion. Also, lots of other diseases mimic PD, but if they accidentally diagnose you w/PD without having some reasonable espectation that they're right, and you have one of the imposters, you won't get the right treatment and you may miss an opportunity to get healed because some of the mimicers are curable. It is indeed a very, very wicked wicket cf a conveluted maze that patients and doctors have to go through. So, the good news (and simultaneously the bad news) is that what you've been going through is pretty much consistsent with what your compadres in the PD Support Group have experienced, so I'm assuming it's par for the course. OR perhaps the folks who had ONE round of exams and the results were as conclusive as you can get when diagnosisng PD,so they don't need a support group. So,this is often the normal deal and your confusion and frustration are rational responses to the reality of PD - you' e NOT nuts; it IS frustrating and confusing; your doctors are most likely competent and concerned and doing the right things.It just takes a lot of time, a lot of work on everybody's part,. to come up with the optimal things for YOUR version of PD. The best advice I can give you is to help your doctor help you. Because each patient's experience is different, it's important for your doctor to have as much detailed information on how you are feeling as you can offer. Get a notebook and keep it in reach at all times so you can accurately record your expereinces AND jot down any questions you have so you can ask about them at the next appointment.Treat yourself as your own research subject. You are both Jane Goodall and her chimps. Jane observed and noted everything she could about her subjects. She may not know which things would relate to others, or whether some actions were just random, one-of events, or meaningful. but when she had enough data, she might reach some conclusions (If every time any chimp started making a particular sound (say, 3 short hoots) it seemed that the others rush to climb to the very top of a tree . And perhaps a bit later, a very disappointed , hungy lion might wander around, and it happened enough that it would be reasonable to assume that 3 short hoots mean ":here comes a lion!! Climb for your life!!!And write your observations down promptly, because you may well get PD brain, where your short term memory (which used to serve you very well) has gone over to the darkside in service of the pesky demons of PD and isn't that much interested in tending to your needs nearly so much as it used to. Treat your appointments with your neurologist like you would a business meeting. Maybe your Dr. wanted to try a new med and see how it worked for you. Try to take notes on when yout took it and anything different that you may have experienced after taking it. Maybe is's something meaningfull and maybe it's not. only time will tell. But if you don't pay close attention, you may be missing an opportunity to get better results from your meds and that's not something you want to throw away. Among the things I make sure to record for my next appointment are: 1.Prescriptions that need to be renewed; 2. any symptoms that might be the result of a new med the doctor was trying to manage your symptoms; 3. Questions that pop into my head approximately 13 minutes and 18 seconds after I left my doctor's office.. 4. Anything that seems better, or worse, or new since I last saw her. 5. Whether or not a new med she gave me at my last visit seems to be addresing whatveer it was that she gave it to me for. Prepar If I have to send him to bed without dinner, so be it.ing for the apointment like this helps you to get a better awareness of what's going on with your body, and may give your neurologist a key piece of info that answers a question she's had in the back of her mind for awhile and BOOM! this piece is something that helps her pull everythng together. The other thing this prep for your appointment does is save both you and your doctor some time, and time is precious, especiallly as most developed coun tries are experiencing a a shortage of health care personnel. And for me, it makes me both pay closer attention to things my body may be trying to tell me and it gives me some power over this new, unwanted intruder in my llife. There are things I can do to deal with PD and make my life a bit better, and no stinkin' PD is going to stop me!