[Sara Beth Haven]

Looking back in my mom’s history and having done some research, I would say her first symptom was loss of smell about 12 years ago.  Of course that was not even a consideration when it happened – just a weird event that we all laughed about when she could no longer smell unpleasant odors!  Now over the past 4 years, she gradually developed a right arm tremor (non-dominant side) which we blamed on benign essential tremor as it is familial, then over the past two years, she has become quite stooped in posture, but we attributed that to her scoliosis, and in the past 6-9 months, foot dystonia, which we blamed on her knee issue which was treated with TKA in July.  Needless to say, after general slowing and worsening arm tremor prompted a visit to the primary care physician and a new diagnosis, we can now connect many of these dots from many years prior.  At 79 and with many things still left on her bucket list, the rapid presentation of worsening symptoms over the past year has been quite unsettling.