Shelley

Diagnosed at 50

Hi, my name is Shelley, and I am 53 years old. I’ve been married for 30 years now.I have three daughters and six grandsons. I’m normally a ‘suffer in silence’, kind of girl. So, when I first began sharing my life and feelings on my blog . I wondered how it would help not only me but also other people in my situation.…. What a lovely community to be a part of. So positive and forward thinking. A few years ago I had pneumonia and my heart had to be stopped twice to reset it. A few months after that I got a very bad tremor. It came overnight, on my right side. Thinking it had something to with my CMT, I just carried on coping, until my family forced me to visit the doctor.! I went to see the neurologist about my tremor, I was told that it probably was ‘essential tremor’. I wasn’t responding to treatment. Saw another neurologist who carried out more tests. I had an MRI, certain blood tests then went to London to see a top neurologist, who suggested I should have a Dat-scan.I was finally diagnosed with Parkinsons. I was told that three neurologists weren’t convinced of the diagnosis until they had the results of the dat-scan.
Being able to speak to so many people and hear other peoples stories has helped me so much. I always think of my glass as being half full. Smiling through is the only way to go.