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After results of DAT scan few years ago, Mom's neurologist sent her to a second neurologist who did NOT think she had Parkinsons. This was before she came to live with me so I wasn't involved. I heard that he said her face doesn't look like she has it although I'm sure he did more than look at her face. But I would think that if it's "atypical" then maybe she does have it. I'm gonna order her records from that dr. So last week I brought her to Strong Hospital in Rochester (for her neuropathy which causes her right foot to feel very heavy when walking). They ended up saying she still may have Atypical Parkinsons and is referring her to their Movement Dept. specialists. Besides the above mentioned weak voice, slow chewing, poor taste and smell, slow arm movement, memory problems, incontinence, she also gets poor sleep (if it isn't restless legs, it's plain old insomnia). As I said no tremors. Her walking is a different problem because she developed drop foot and a kinda club foot after hip replacement (probably nerve damage). So I'm basically looking for what neurologists have told others on this site about this whole "atypical parkinsons" and if the symptoms I've mentioned are indicators. She's 84.

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Those symptoms (foot drop, slow arm, slow chew, weak voice, incontinence, memory problems) all sound like stroke too. Has this been ruled out?
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My mom was labelled as having Parkinson's but I'm pretty sure she had Parkinsonism as a result of her multi infarct vascular disease, her doctors were so focused on reducing her stroke risk that they never looked beyond that (or if they did they never explained it to me). I think that unless they can pinpoint one of the main Atypical Parkinson's disorders (Lewy Body Dementia, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Multiple System Atrophy) it is really a non diagnosis - looks like Parkinson's but it isn't and we don't really know what it is.
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There are "motor" and "nonmotor" symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. The slowness of movement is called bradykinesia and is a motor symptom. The softening of the voice is very common in PD, as are the other symptoms including the incontinence and sleep disorders are called non-motor symptoms.. Looking at her face the doctor was trying to observe the "masking", a not expressive movement of facial muscles. Muscles can get very tight and stiff all over, including the face. But there are in office clinical tests the doctor does to make a diagnosis other than just looking at a face. Absolutely get to a Movement Disorder Specialist, hopefully one at a Center of Excellence as designated by the Parkinson's Foundation. General neurologists seem to be hit or miss on Parkinson's. Call the Parkinson's Foundation at 1 800 4 PD INFO to talk with someone who can tell you what is available in your area and send you a lot of free booklets about many aspects of this disease. As a "Parkie" myself, her symptoms sound like typical PD to me and what I've learned through physical, occupational and voice therapies and through numerous PD organizations, books, webinars, support groups and YouTube videos that are out there. There are a lot of resources for PD so find them. DaTScans are not definitive for PD although they can help in making a diagnosis and are now used a lot in PD research. I just had my first one this month for a clinical trial.
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