http://parkinsons-disease.emedtv.com/
According some"Parkinson's Disease Foundation" around one million people in America have some form of Parkinson's disease. The disease strikes more men than women and usually people over 50 years old are more likely to be diagnosed.
There are six main kinds of Parkinson's. Sixty thousand will find out they
have Parkinson's this year
Parkinson's Plus or MSA is my current diagnosis. Doctors think I have
MSA.
There's no known cause for brain changes in multiple system atrophy (MSA). Some researchers are studying whether there's an inherited component or environmental toxin involved in the disease process, but there's no substantial evidence to support these theories.
MSA is associated with deterioration and shrinkage (atrophy) of portions of your brain (cerebellum, basal ganglia and brainstem) that regulate internal body functions, digestion and motor control.
Evaluation under a microscope of damaged brain tissue of people with MSA reveals nerve cells (neurons) that contain an abnormal amount of a protein called alpha-synuclein. Some research suggests that this protein may be overexpressed in multiple system atrophy.
Source: ( Mayo Clinic)
The only way to know if a person has MSA is for the person to die, and their brain can be examined.
Source:( Marie Davis Neurologist, University of Washington, Veterans Hospital in Seattle.)
Parkinson's Plus is the diagnosis I have. It's tough to diagnose, and it takes years for the Doctor to be sure, if then.
Patients lose flexibility so much it's tough to get out of a chair, some (like me) are forced to wear diapers, swallowing and choking become an issue. Dementia is becoming a problem. Life expectancy my age with my symptoms usually is six -seven years. No one knows when the "execution date "began for me.Doctors see my illness in my brain but wonder out loud why I'm not more of an invalid.
I share all of this with you because it'd possibly you or someone you know has some form of this disease.
It's important to reject negative news and fight like hell to live every moment as normally as possible. If you can't run anymore, walk. If you forget things, write them down. Walk as long as you can if even it hurts like hell. Try writing as I do with little help. Keep trying
every action you can't seem to do. Practice everything you can't do well five times, if you fail,
start over. As long as you're alive, do what you want.Don't let labels define you. Laugh often. Do you feel sorry for yourself? Trying being a refugee fleeing Syria or other countries. Try living in huts with raw sewage to bathe in or drink. I'm thinking of Bangladesh and India.
Never take anything for granted. It's true this moment is all we're promised.
-If you asked my kids to describe me, they'd go through a whole list of words before even thinking about Parkinson's. And honestly, I don't think about it that much either. I talk about it because it's there, but it's not my totality.
Michael J. Fox