I immediately thought, Is this psychological?
Am I having conflicts about caring for my daughter?
the clinical psychologist and assistant professor at the Yale School of Medicine, department of psychiatry, tells SELF.
Courtesy of Rebecca Miller
I was very blase about the whole thing, she says.
I didnt think much about it and wasnt concerned.
It wasnt until just before Miller met with a movement disorder specialist that things changed.
Courtesy of Kelly Weinschreider
I Googled my symptoms and all it came up with wasParkinsons disease, she says.
Then I got upset and was really nervous.
The specialist reached the same conclusionit was likely Parkinsons, a chronic and progressive movement disorder.
Courtesy of Kelly Weinschreider
Thats a mantra echoed by Kelly Weinschreider, who was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease when she was just 29.
I had symptoms a few years before that, like stiffness andfatigue, she tells SELF.
Parkinsons is slow to creep up on you.
Courtesy of Rebecca Miller
And, after a series of tests, Weinschreider was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease.
She started taking medication right away, which she says made a big difference in her quality of life.
But she didnt come to grips with her diagnosis until later.
I was only 29.
The disease has been made famous by Michael J.
But what is it like to live with Parkinsons at a young age?
It can be challenging at times.
Weinschreider, who is now 43, says she worked for 10 more years after her diagnosis.
At that point, the side effects of the medications she was taking became too much.
I had to go on disability and left a big chunk of my identity behind, she says.
That was really hard for me.
I dont want people to pity me.
I just want to be as normal as can be.
That extended to her romantic relationships as well.
Weinschreider kept her diagnosis under wraps for a few months when she first begandatingher now-husband, David.
I couldnt have been happier about how he reacted, Weinschreider says.
Its scary to tell others when it could impact their lives as well.
I would be upset and crying but then it was like, The baby needs me.
She decided to be open about her diagnosis and says the support has been overwhelmingly positive.
I shared the news with friends and family right away, she says.
I really appreciate it, she says.
But they also stress that their Parkinsons doesnt define them.
you’ve got the option to live well and live a great life with Parkinsons, Miller says.
Its a scary thing and its terrifying at first, but you just have to keep moving.
Ive always had a positive attitude about Parkinsons, she says.
I never really feel like its going to get the best of me.
Truly, its not that bad.
Watch: A Nose That Knows: Sniffing Out Parkinson’s Disease
