Selecting your general practitioner and neurologist are 2 of the most important decisions that you will make when it comes to your Parkinson’s treatment. It is in your best interest and well-being to know the various drugs and treatments that are available for your condition.
Here are 5 things to consider when picking your doctors if you have Parkinson’s disease (PD) :
1) Is your neurologist a movement disorder specialist? A movement disorder specialist (MDS) neurologist has additional training/education specifically about Parkinson’s and other movement disorders.
2) Does your general practitioner understand Parkinson’s and the potential dangers of the combinations of other medicines and surgeries that when combined with PD meds can lower or increase your blood pressure? Make sure your physician understands the medical side-effects of your drugs.
3) Consult a PD local support group for a referral of a good doctor. You’ll hear patients who are satisfied and unhappy with their doctors.
4) Research your doctors on the web. Start with Google and Yahoo. (I’ll have more detailed sites in a future posting.)
5) Keep a notebook with questions about any symptoms or changes that you may be experiencing. It is helpful to know what symptoms are medicinal side-effects and what might be due to the progression of Parkinson’s. Here’s a checklist I created that may be of help.
These are just a few tips that I hope you will find helpful. I am not a doctor.
Send me some of your tips.
Thanks, Karl
