[chase]

I was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease at the age of 48, following a DAT scan that confirmed my neurologist’s clinical diagnosis. I am currently 50 years old and taking Sinemet three times a day.

I believe my Parkinson’s may have been triggered by having shingles approximately ten years ago. The shingles affected the right side of my face, near my nose, where a blister formed. I experienced such severe headache pain from the shingles that I went to the emergency room, where I was treated with painkillers that reduced my pain level from a 10 to a 5. After a day, the headache finally subsided, and I was able to go home.

My initial symptoms started with a tremor in my left hand and a lack of arm swing while walking on that same side. Since the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, and my shingles appeared on the right side, I believe the shingles caused my symptoms. However, my neurologist is somewhat dismissive of this belief.

I have never been told that I act out in my sleep, nor have I been diagnosed with REM sleep behavior disorder. Additionally, I have no known family history of Parkinson’s disease, and a genetic study revealed no variants linked to the condition.