What to Expect:
Parkinson's progresses in five stages:
Stage 1: Symptoms appear on only one side of the body. Functional impairment is minimal or non-existent.
Stage 2: Symptoms appear on both sides of the body. Balance is not impaired.
Stage 3: Posture may be off-balance. Some activities become restrictive.
Stage 4: Inability to walk or stand without assistance.
Stage 5: Individual requires wheelchair unless assisted and may become restricted to bed.
As previously mentioned, symptoms will increase in frequency and severity as the disease progresses. Though your muscle strength may be normal, useful power may be diminished and it is difficult to perform rapid, successive movements. Initiating movement (such as walking) and coordinating muscle control becomes more difficult over time and you will find it increasingly difficult to walk and perform other motor functions. Drooling and choking often occur as the stiff muscles in the face and throat make swallowing difficult.
Falls are common and can lead to further complications, such as a broken hip. You will need to learn new strategies for accomplishing daily tasks as the disease progresses.
Depression may accompany Parkinson's in some people, though this may be confused with the open mouth, reduced blinking, blank stare, and mask-like expression accompanying the loss in facial muscle control. Dementia occurs in fifty percent of cases.
