DIAGNOSIS: STEP BY STEP

Diagnosed at 27

Things in life couldn’t be better! My husband worked at GM, I have 4 beautiful kids and a nice home. Yup, content and happy!

Then, in the Summer of 2007 we went camping on an 11-day adventure. I had just developed a small tremor in my right hand and a twitch in my eyelid. At the time, we took it as stress and thought nothing else of it, but I started to walk strange. My neck was so stiff, and the tremor was already starting on my right side. So I went to my doctor. He said you have Essential Tremor and put me on medication. I was at the highest dose of the medication, was pale, almost grey, and couldn’t do a thing but lay on the couch. The next step was to a local neurologist who said I was causing the shaking and it was all in my head. Then to the shrink that didn’t help. About a year passed, and I saw a Movement Disorders Specialist, and I was diagnosed with YOPD at 27. Now I am 31 and and my husband has been my caretaker. I have mobility issues: tremors, speech (mumbling). Thankfully, my family gives us great support. Parkinson’s can be really lonely. If you wanna talk or if I can try to answer some questions, write me at nicole.l.silver@gmail.com. I look forward to talking with you.