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My MRI Experience

    I wanted to talk a bit about my MRI experience.  Since there's no definitive test for Parkinson's Disease, the diagnosis come by ruling out everything else, and examining symptoms.  So, part of the process is getting an MRI.  PD doesn't show anything on an MRI so it would appear normal, thus ruling out any other conditions.        Let me say right away that I'm not one who's ever gotten claustrophobic, and I didn't really in the MRI, but I can definitely see how someone could.  The whole process took about 40 minutes.  25 for the first scan, 5 minutes to get the contrast injection, and another 10 or so for the contrast scan.   The worst part for me wasn't so much the size of the tube, although my elbows did touch the sides with my arms folded over my chest, but was with the cage that they had to put over my head and the shims shoved in the sides of it to keep my head still.  That, combined with trying to lay ...
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I have Parkinson's...What makes you tic?

     I'm starting this blog to document my journey through having Young Onset Parkinson's Disease.  For those people that may be reading this, I figured I'd start by telling a little bit about me, who I am, and how I came to where I'm at now.       My name is Aaron and I'm really just your average type of person.  I'm 43 years old, spent 90% of my life living in the Philadelphia area, and yes, I have Parkinson's Disease.  For most of my adult life, I've noticed that I had a slight, very slight, shake to my hands or tap of the foot.  It wasn't anything that kept me from accomplishing anything that I needed to do, but was just a simple resting tremor, so I never thought anything of it.  At some moments it would get a little bit worse, but I always chalked it up to anxiety or just being a little bit high-strung.  Nothing to ever think of or become concerned about.  About 7 or 8 months ago it got significantly worse....
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