My Parkinson's Path

I had Parkinson's for five years before I was diagnosed. Now my symptoms are becoming...

I didn't know anything about Parkinson's until medical people started using the word to describe some of the symptoms that I was experiencing. What was especially frustrating is that I'd had many of the symptoms for a couple of years, but nobody said anything about repeatedly falling down two or three times per week being an indication of anything specific.

Several of the area paramedics came to recognize me, my name, and that I was calling them for help when I fell to the floor and couldn't get myself back to my feet.

I went to the ER more than a dozen times with my falling problem. They kept referring me to an orthopedic doctor. I didn't want to waste my time and money pursuing that possible diagnosis because I could tell my problem was a weakness that came on the muscles in my legs. My ankles got weak. My knees began to let loose, and by the time the weakness got to my thighs I was on the carpet, the sidewalk, or a couple of times walking across the street between red lights of street traffic.