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What do you think caused the onset of your PD?
I believe my PD was triggered by the severe emotional trauma I suffered when my life partner of 33 years took his own life. Seven months after Steve passed, I was diagnosed with PD. I clearly remember something “snapping” in my brain while seeing Steve in a horrible panic attack. More than one neurologist has told me that intense trauma (physical, mental or emotional) can very well cause PD. I truly believe we are born with certain genetic weaknesses (prone to cancer, PD etc.) that may lay dormant until something such as trauma, triggers them.
Read my article for more background on the events that precipitated the onset of my PD.
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35 Replies
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I believe my PD was caused by prolonged use (20+ years) of zoloft.
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Wow, I didn’t realise there could be a link between antidepressants/SSRIs and PD… that gives me something to think about for sure. Thanks for sharing, Christine.
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My PD is presumed Agent Orange-caused as was my prostate cancer due to Vietnam service. That appears to be completely cured. This doesn’t appear headed that way.
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Christine, that would not surprise me. My late husband Steve had mental health issues and he had tried a spectrum of anti-depressants, zoloft included. Although Steve did not have PD, I do believe those anti-depressants are bad for us in the long run. Thank you for your feedback.
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Steve, I am happy to hear you are cancer free. I tonsil cancer in 2006 and am now considered cancer free. As I look back, dealing with cancer seemed so much easier. There was a definitive diagnosis and an established treatment path, things that dont seem to exist with PD.
Thank you for your service.
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I believe my PD was caused by a genetic mutation.
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Hi Paul, did a blood test confirm that for you? Do you have a history of PD in your family?
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Just luck of the draw.
There’s no history of PD in my family. Dementia, yes.
All my life I’ve NEVER been a pill-taker, so haven’t been slowly poisoning myself that way.
Been a smoker, tho’. Packed that in 20 years ago.-
William, Luck of the draw, so it seems with PD. I always had a healthy lifestyle, exercise, non smoker/drinker, no PD history in my family and avoided drugs at all costs.. Congratulations on quitting smoker. That could not have been easy..
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I believe my sister’s PD was triggered by being infected by the herpes simplex virus which got activated through her left gum. That day since her herpes was activated, her immune system was very low and we ate a huge quantity of cheese. Most specifically camembert and cheesecake. Since then her gut completely changed and 7 months later she is having parkisonism and about to be diagnosed with the disease. Hopefully this cause can raise more awareness or be included as two important factors if it hasn’t been known yet. Much love to all of you.
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Hi Cam, thanks for sharing that. That is interesting. I have had herpes on my mouth since I was a child. I also believe diary products are inflammatory and try to avoid them. I believe many of us with PD have an inherent weakness for he disease and some kind of body trauma, physical, mental or emotional triggers it.
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I believe my pd was caused by years of welding as a steamfitter.
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hi Chuck, as a welder, were you exposed to toxins?
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Yes I was exposed. Manganese in particular.
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it seems there are many factors that contribute to PD onset. No wonder why there is no cure
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All of these answers are so interesting and varied. We truly have so much more to understand about Parkinson’s disease and what could potentially cause it…
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My husband had a deep brain tumor removed in 2014 indicated by a Gran Mol seizure. A year later he started to have occasional smaller seizures. In 2017 he had a hemorrhagic Stroke. In summer 2018 we began to see tremors and confusion. The neurologist say they aren’t connect. I don’t believe it. Multiple head traumas followed by a PD diagnosis?!?!?
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Donna, it is no wonder there is no cure for PD, there appear to be many theories as to what cause the onset. Like I said in the original post, I believe my PD was triggered by severe emotional trauma
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Thanks for sharing, Donna. That must’ve been a really hard time for you and your family. How are you guys doing today?
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For me I’d guess luck of the draw; if there’s a rational explanation, I don’t know. Smoked a lot of pot when I was sowing my wild oats, but that stopped at 30 and I didn’t have PD symptoms till 63-64.
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Lou, when I look back on my life, I think other things may have contributed to my PD, coloring my gray hair for years (stopped that a few years ago). As you say, sowing my wild outs smoking marijuana, drinking and doing other drugs in late teens and early 20’s, also, I had radiation therapy to my head and neck for tonsil cancer in 2007.
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Then again, all my friends are in their 60s now, including some much more hard-living folks than me, and I’m the only one with PD.
My vote is “luck of the draw”.
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Hi Lou, does finding an answer matter to you, or have you accepted that PD was just your lot in life?
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I’d like to know for curiosity’s sake and I think it would be great if finding this out helped eliminate PD, but since I know that no one knows, I really don’t think about it much.
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This is a speculation on my part with no hard evidence; but I believe my four siblings and myself were exposed to insecticides when we were living in Phoenix, AZ. We moved to Arizona in 1959, to a brand new home located a block away from a cotton field. My guess is that our new home was either built on ground that had previously been a cotton field, or the land was sprayed with herbicides before the homes were built. In addition, the nearby cotton field was sprayed with herbicides/insecticides on a regular occurrence.
Per the American Cancer Society regarding exposure to certain chemicals and drugs:
“Some studies have suggested that chemicals such as benzene and certain herbicides and insecticides (weed- and insect-killing substances) may be linked to an increased risk of NHL,” (Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma). My sister died of NHL. I’m sure a wide-spread of diseases can be attributed to chemical spraying – especially before the 1970s when crop spraying wasn’t considered dangerous.Per Scientific American in its article, “How Dangerous is Pesticide Drift,” wrote that “The biggest risk from pesticide drift is to those living, working or attending school near larger farms which employ elevated spraying equipment or crop duster planes to apply chemicals to crops and fields. Children are especially vulnerable to these airborne pesticides, given that their young bodies are still growing and developing.”
Happily, both of my parents lived long lives. They had their own health issues, but they did not contract any of the diseases their five children had. Since I don’t believe genetics played a part in our diseases, I am confident that environmental factors were at fault. Had we known then what we know now….
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Janice, that is interesting… I grew up on a part of Long Island that used to be potato farms. From what I understand, pesticides were heavily used on potatoes. I also remember chasing behind the truck that was spraying some toxic stuff to kill mosquitoes in the neighborhood.
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Mine started when I was under a lot of pressure at work. We were building a large wall in August very hot that year! Noticed a tremor in right hand thought it was just fatigue few months later it was worse diagnosed with PD in January still in disbelief how quickly it came from nowhere!
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I truly believe stress (mental, physical or emotional) can trigger PD, Yes, I was in disbelief myself when I was diagnosed. One does not want to hear they have a progressive, incurable disease.
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Agent Orange.
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Dan, thank you for your service..
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I believe we tell ourselves stories, or make agreements with ourselves, about why things happen in our lives. With enough repetition, they become “truth” for us, even if they have no basis in fact. For something so important to us, we prefer a credible story, rather than no story at all.
Sometimes this might be dangerous, leading us to make important decisions on the basis of some unreal agreement. Other times, it doesn’t matter at all, and does no harm.
My suggestion: Become more comfortable with “I don’t know, and may never know, what brought me here, but I know I can chart a course for myself regardless, and enjoy the journey, even if my ultimate course is not the one I choose.”
Dan
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dan, i have my thoughts, but as you say, i will probably never know why i have pd. i think if modern medicine knew what causes it, we most likely would have a cure.
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I’m going for luck of the draw.
I can’t think of anything that caused it. I never took any pills except Lipitor. Never was into drugs. Never smoked.I think I missed a handful of days for work since I started working at 16, 47 years ago. Before this I was the guy who was never sick a day in his life .
The only thing I do in excess is eat ice cream on the weekends. It’s a treat. I prefer to think there is no link between PD and ice cream lol.( if there is don’t tell me).
Some things are just random. I’m just gonna keep on keepin on!
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scott, i think you could be right, luck of the draw. i too led a clean healthy life, exercise, good diet, good sleep etc… keep eating your ice cream…..we all need guilty pleasures and the beauty is in the valance
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All these comments are familiar to me. All. So I think in my case it’s probably family genetics of tremors, environment and personal body makeup and experiences. Which adds up to anything or everything, time and unforeseen occurrences.
I always tell people each day is a gift and no amount of healthy food, practices and sleep is going to erase the fact that I could walk outside and get hit by a piece of space junk or a bus lol. So everything in moderation.
I say, “May you live long and grow as old and ugly as me because that means you did as best as you could. If you didn’t, you’ll exit early by making too many unwise decisions or being too ill. You’ll get another chance in the next life with God’s mercy.”
I just can’t dwell on the negative. It’s been a hard road so far and I like looking at nature and still doing what I can. As we used to say in the 70s, “Keep on Truckin”
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