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I still have controlled eye movement, and coordination of fingers, legs get stiff feet get stuck,my speech is low, my swallowing is affected, my bowels are affected. i do not have tremors of hands etc. I can feed myself, i can bathe myself, this doesn't seem to be typical parkinsonism, so what else could it be.

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It sounds like Parkinson's only early stages. In neurological diseases, symptoms are hit and miss. They ebb and flow. You need a speech therapist to help with the swallowing and low tones. While in these early stages start lifting weights at gym on weight machines. Avoid free weights. Start walking, stay active as much as possible. If your muscles are strong when you fall you will bounce rather than break bones. Good luck invest in long term care insurance.
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Has your doctor checked for low levels of vitamin B12? Low levels affect your central nervous system. My husband tested below normal and his neurologist put him on 1000 mg of B12 over the counter. She said if he had a problem with his body absorbing it he would have to use the injected version but he's doing great on it. He also is being treated for central sleep apnea and since he began these two treatments he's gone from being almost comatose to being able to take care of himself.
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Yes as others have said get neurologist to run a check or update.

My mom has Lewy Body Dementia and LBD is somewhat similar in Parkinson's. She had the shuffle walk and leg stiffening and swallowing issues that is both Lewy and Parkinson's. Her doc's have her on Exelon patch and really it made a significant difference in her range of motion abilities. She could move more lyrical & fluid rather than stiff. Exelon is a patch and you have to move it about in different places on your body, but it's nice and time released so no highs and lows on dosage. Mom's cognition was improved too. Doesn't last forever as dementia will eventually run it;s course, but was a definite positive for her. Perhaps ask you doc's if Exelon could help you. Good luck.
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With a diagnosis of Parkinsons, is it even possible to get LTC insurance?

Try that B12! Good luck.
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I agree with checking your B12 level! And maybe have them run a panel for other vitamins as well, just for insurance that they've looked at everything from a vitamin deficiency standpoint. I was low in B12 and D and was having all kinds of symptoms. Good luck!!
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P.S. I'd also check your thyroid levels to make sure you're not hypothyroid (low thyroid).
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You might also be checked for Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, which is treatable. This condition significantly affects balance and gait.
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Also, suggest being checked for Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus. Husband was diagnosed with AD - it was NPH. I had him tested and then received treatment after reading an article that said this used to be a routine test, but that younger Dr's no longer test for NPH. Also, that many people in NH had NPH and would be helped by treatment.
Symptoms mimic many dementias, but feet being "stuck to floor" and a "wide apart" gait are a sign of NPH. Incontinence and falling issues. Also, mental problems. Find a geriatric specialist to help you.
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What does your medical doctor say? Without a medical workup, it could also be MS. Seek medical advice from a qualified licensed medical doctor. I am just a nurse and this is beyond my license.
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If you're going to take oral vitamin b12, be sure it is of the sublingual variety. Ingestable b12 pills and foods that contain b12 (mostly animal products), when they pass through the digestive process, they can only be absorbed into the body along with what is called the "intrinsic factor". Digestive capability as well as intrinsic factor diminish with age. So b12 from food or pills that passes through the digestive system is of more and more questionable value as we grow older.

Sublingual (under the tongue) is absorbed through the mucosa of the mouth directly into the bloodstream and research has shown that it is as effective as an injection.

The forms b12 comes in are cyano-cobalamin and methyl-cobalamin. Research leans in the direction of the methyl- form being preferred but both actually work quite well. I like the "b12 Dots" from TwinLabs or the "b12-b6-folic acid" sublingual combo from Trader Joes. Both are cyano-cobalamin. Be sure to allow the tablet to fully dissolve in your mouth under the tongue, even if the label says to chew it up and swallow it after a while - don't do that.

When first starting b12, I like to start with a "loading phase" to really get it in the system. This could be 2000 mcg daily for about a month, then drop down to 500 mcg daily.

Dementia patients are often low in Vitamin D, b12 and brain magnesium.

Vitamin D mediates over 400 bodily functions. It's interesting to note that D researchers say the more they find out about it the more they take. I myself take between 8,000 and 10,000 l.U. of D-3 daily.

There is a new magnesium available today, magnesium threonate, that is a small enough molecule to cross the blood brain barrier, particularly good for getting more magnesium to the brain. I buy the Swanson Vitamins private label products and use according to bottle directions.
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I've just read this morning, that an iodine deficiency causes
Parkinson's symptoms.

Cheers,
Liz
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Also, check out "normal pressure hydrocephalus". Neurologist can confirm this
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I would want to know what you did for a living, if you worked with pesticides or other chemicals, where you live, if there was toxic material around you from industrial or farm waste. A complete medical history.
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