"Many people live with Parkinson’s for years before an official diagnosis is made. Looking back after diagnosis, some people can pinpoint the onset of their disease, recognizing symptoms which make sense only in retrospect. Foot cramping is very common in the early stages of Parkinson’s. Other symptoms, such as small handwriting, decreased arm swing on one side when walking, shoulder pain, depression, sleep problems, constipation and loss of sense of smell can begin before clinically-evident motor symptoms emerge. Since symptoms like these can be subtle at first, they are not always evident or meaningful prior to diagnosis."   Every Victory Counts