Newly Diagnosed Mother

By deepa

1 min read

My 90 year old Mother has been diagnosed with early Parkinson's via observation of her symptoms. No MRI or blood tests were done. Can I be sure she has Parkinson's or could she be exhibiting Parkinson's symptoms without actually having PD? I am not sure what that means for her treatment and prognosis.

What to expect?

She has been prescribed medication and am waiting to hear back from her on what it is.

At 90 I don't expect her to live forever but what can I expect if she has Parkinson's?

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Lorraine Wilson Member
<inline-mention user-id="3056964" username="deepa"/> , the diagnosis, as you noted, is clinical and thus the doctor looked for at least two of the following: tremor, bradykinesia (slow movement), rigidity, and balance issues. Parkinsonism is a general term that I understand is used to refer to essential tremor, PD and some other neurological disorders. I imagine that one of the meds given your mother is carbidopa-levodopa, although I could be wrong. If her symptoms are reduced or subside completely while on C-L, then my understanding is the PD diagnosis is appropriate. A friend of mine was diagnosed first with stroke, then PD. He did not respond at all to C-L and upon further examination as his condition was worsening he was seen by a movement disorder specialist who diagnosed Multiple System Atrophy. I am including all of this to address your query about whether a person can exhibit the symptoms of PD but not have it. Yes, they can exhibit the symptoms and not have PD but have a related neurological disorder. You may have already done this, but if you are uncertain and she is seeing a neurologist instead of a movement disorder specialist, then you might want to make an appointment with a movement disorder specialist. I wish both of you more time to continue loving and caring for each other. Warm regards, Lorraine, <a href='https://parkinsonsdisease.net' target='_blank'>parkinsonsdisease.net</a> moderator
oscar4717 Member
I had a very similar situation. My husband, age 73, has Parkinson’s. My mom started exhibiting symptoms of Parkinson’s at 89. She had the same neurologist as my husband. She was diagnosed with PSP, progressive supranuclear palsy. The neurologist told me it’s the same as Parkinson’s, but it progresses at a much faster rate. They did an MRI of the brain which determined it was the PSP.
lear4752 Member
She's lucky because having it diagnosed at an older age means it is unlikely to become as debilitating as it would for someone diagnosed at a younger age.