Today is the 12th day of taking a full dose of my medication. I have recently read online that it may take up to eight weeks for my medication to start working. Oh well, I guess that I will have to be patient.
If you have been reading this blog you may remember that my Movement Disorder Specialist thinks that my frozen shoulder (which originally masked my Parkinson's disease) was actually caused by the Parkinson's disease itself. It is important to note that there is research supporting her theory:
Frozen shoulder and other shoulder disturbances in Parkinson's disease
In at least 8% of the patients frozen shoulder was the first symptom of
disease, occurring 0-2 years prior to the onset of more commonly recognized features. Parkinson's disease should be added to the list of
causes of frozen shoulder, and clinicians must be aware that the latter
is often the presenting symptom of Parkinson's disease.I should also point out that it took exactly one Google search and a single click for me to find out this information! Is this information that an orthopedist should know? I would argue that it is. Is an orthopedist wrong for diagnosing you with and treating you for frozen shoulder? No, but when someone points out that their gate is off and that they are holding their arm in an awkward way, it might be important for you to speak to the patient's neurologist and suggest this as a possibility. In fairness, my orthopedist, he did refer me to a neurologist. This neurologist saw me for less than 15 minutes and diagnosed me with carpal tunnel syndrome. Had the two doctors spoken to each other and had they been knowledgeable about the link between frozen shoulder and Parkinson's disease, I may have gotten treatment a year earlier! Am I angry at anyone about this misdiagnosis? No (well maybe my original neurologist). I am, however, upset especially about the time and sick days that I lost to needless doctors appointments and I wish that I would have listened to my wife when she suggested that these doctors were wrong.
The human body is an amazing thing and often times, the skeletal system and different organs are treated by specialists who do not speak to each other or understand that problems with the skeletal system can also affect or be caused by the brain and other organs. In short, a patient is more than the sum of her or his individual parts and doctors should take the time to speak to each other. I have attempted to call my orthopedist twice and share this information with him, but I am still waiting on a call back…
I am going to see Nicole, my therapist, tonight. I am looking forward to discussing this and other issues with her.
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