“Get and KEEP a positive attitude.”
—CALE B., PWP
Everybody’s different, but in general people with Parkinson’s whose main problem is tremor (relative to stiffness, slowness of movement, or challenges with walking) tend to have a milder course of disease. These folks also progress more slowly and most likely live longer as well.25
Some people (especially those who have a tremor in only one arm) may not require treatment for several years. One additional note about tremor is that if it is the only symptom experienced, it may improve on its own. Some people have seen tremors practically disappear over a period of 10 years.26
Mom had a tremor in her right hand for at least 3 years without any other major symptoms. Also, her doctor was very surprised at how slow the progression was to the left side of her body. She had only a slight tremor in her left hand 17 years after her diagnosis. We later found out that not everyone’s tremor necessarily progresses to the other side—many people with PD have a tremor only on one side of their body.
Parkinson’s is often referred to as a snowflake disease because no two people with it look quite the same. Some will have more debilitating symptoms than others. Some will see their disease progress faster than others. Remember also that there are those with a Parkinson’s look-alike, whose course of disease may last just a few years from diagnosis to death.