Parkinson's: What is it and what are the symptoms?
In his 40s, Vikas Chinnan found that his muscles were stiff and he started to have strange, vivid dreams. Dismissing these early warning signs of a neurological condition, the father-of-two believed they could be the result of an earlier viral infection. Chinnan, from California, then felt like he had “hit a wall” with physical therapy and the medication he was trying to alleviate his symptoms.
“I was just exhausted,” Chinnan revealed on the Today show. “I had been searching for an answer for so long.”
Apathy and cognitive impairment soon followed, which prompted a diagnosis of depression.
Over time, doctors decided to explore whether Parkinson’s was a possibility.
“They were sceptical,” said Chinnan who, by this point, had been taking two to three-hour daily naps.
Landed with a young onset of Parkinson’s diagnosis, Chinnan “attacked it head-on”.
“I was open with my family about it,” he said. “I had already started seeing a therapist because of the cognitive and emotional things that I was dealing with.”
Chinnan admitted: “I find myself in situations where I don’t enjoy those things that I previously enjoyed.
“That was really unnerving. It’s unsettling for my wife because she didn’t know that side of me.”
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Chinnan has since quit his job, as he deals day to day with his health condition.
Young-onset Parkinson’s
The Parkinson’s Foundation says this classification is given to those under the age of 50 who are diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
The symptoms of this type of Parkinson’s is similar to that of late-onset Parkinson’s.
Over time, a person might develop tremors of the hands, arms, legs, jaw, and face.
There can be rigidity of the limbs, slowness of movement, and impaired balance and coordination.
Non-motor symptoms can include:
- Depression
- Sleep disturbances
- Changes in memory and thinking
- Constipation or urinary problems.
People diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s more frequently have a family history of the condition.
The charity adds: “Each person’s treatment is unique and can require fine adjustments of multiple medications.”
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