Parkinson’s disease has been classified into five stages by Hoehn and Yahr. Their classification is based on the severity of symptoms and the degree of disability the patient experiences.
When prescribing treatment, the neurologist will take into account the stage at which the patient is perceived to be, among other things.
Stage 1 is called unilateral disease. [...]
I feel I can talk about my Multiple Sclerosis with confidence because my body has experienced just about everything MS can dish out. I’ve only been in my current condition for the past three years and I feel it’s still not that bad! I’m still looking forward to the future! That is [...]
This is the story of a ham and egger. A close friend of mine uses that term quite often and his definition of a ham and egger is someone who’s out in the real world grunting out a living. I wish I could say I’m rich and famous but I’m not. I’m [...]
Common pain is a reaction to any sort of detrimental stimulus that teaches us not to repeat the action that caused the pain in the first place. Neuropathic pain is very distinct from every other type of pain a patient may experience. Neuropathic pain, or chronic pain, is not a symptom of another disease, but [...]
Seizures have been an important part of my life since I was 3 ? years old. At birth, it was believe that the forceps were responsible for lesions in the brain. At the tender age of three, I fell down the stairs, hitting the top of my head three times before my dad could catch [...]
We know the answer to that unasked question is ?No.? The question is not asked, because asking the question would force us to talk about it. It is the two thousand pound elephant in the middle of the room that we walk around and pretend not to see. Something is changing. [...]
The principal dilemma in current management of multiple sclerosis is that while early diagnosis enables damage-sparing treatment to begin, diagnosing MS too early increases the likelihood of treating people who don’t actually have the disease. Current disease-modifying drugs are all given by injection and cost about $14,000 per year. Apart from being inconvenient and expensive, [...]
I ignored my symptoms of epilepsy, and nearly killed
three people.
One morning I offered to drive my youngest brother and nephew to
the beach. I drove along Highway 246 with the boys in the back seat.
Next thing I knew I woke exhausted and confused strapped to a gurney in an ambulance speeding toward a hospital.
I [...]
“Dementia” means an acquired, persisting decrease in mental functioning. Dementia is not a disease or a final diagnosis; instead, it refers to a category of symptoms that can be the result of a diverse group of conditions and diseases.
Everyone with eyes and a brain of their own knows that dementia is a very common and [...]
?I know what you have,? the neurologist said with certainty. ?Really,? I responded with the ring of a question in my tone. No wonder. I spent years asking every physician I encountered in five different states about the progressive problem of weakness in my left arm, hand and both ankles.
?I?m sure,? Dr. [...]
