When a person shows up in a doctor’s office with symptoms that may be related to Parkinson’s disease (PD), the diagnosis may not be obvious since symptoms often differ from person to person or could be indicative of other conditions. It’s not uncommon for people go from doctor to doctor over months or even years before they get a correct diagnosis. A visit to a movement disorders neurologist may result in a faster PD diagnosis, but unless PD is suspected, that may not be the first medical specialist on someone’s list.

 

For some, a Parkinson’s diagnosis comes as a relief; an explanation for previously unexplained symptoms. Others may be stunned, struggling with what the future may look like. As you begin processing your emotions, which can be wide-ranging, it’s important to know you are not alone. In this episode, Gretchen Rosswurm describes her experience with getting a PD diagnosis and how she dealt with it. One way was to take advantage of many of the resources of the Parkinson’s Foundation. Gretchen is now the Chair of the People with Parkinson’s Council of the Foundation. Certainly not everyone accepts or approaches a new PD diagnosis in the same way. So Anna Hedges relates some of the questions she has fielded from newly diagnosed callers as a Parkinson’s Foundation Helpline Information Specialist for the past ten years.