I also began with symptoms on my left side too, it started as a numbness which was initially considered a stroke but within a few months exactly the same thing happened in my right arm. My left is still the primary affected side, my tremor is bilateral and I was told this is an echo in the body so I have a DMO fitted on my left arm to control the right one - it works too!

I hope this was just a sleeping issue (it could be your bod's way of telling you to take a well earned rest) so take it easy. Wishing you well

Julie

Alex, Yes the same thing has happened to me. The tremors started on left in 2009 and stiffness same side. About 8 mos ago i noticed a slight tremor on right hand and neuro said it may get worse like the left side or it may not sometimes that just happens. Since then i have had a slight tremor on the right only 2 other times and it was when i was stressed. So maybe that's just an overload sign..

hugs, paula

Yes, Started on left. sometimes shows up on right. Still primary on left side.

For now, tremors only on left side. What is it about our left side, I wonder? Are any of you left handed? I am right handed, thankfully!

Thanks for the comments. I am right handed and all my symptoms are on my left side tremmor,stiffness, rigidity, I can't event brush my teeth with my left hand. I wonder if most pders symptoms start on the left side?

I'm also right handed. May have to become ambidextrous! :-(

Yepper Me Too!! My left hand started out with internal tremors on and off and i ignored it. several Months later my left hand commenced with actually moving and as of this date my left arm and hand has tremors. Back in February, twice while sleeping had a cramp on my left arm as if i could'nt move it. I just started massaging it and got the blood to flow,LOL!!

CM, I am left handed!

My symptoms began on left side also. I noticed a slight tremor in my right hand for less than 30 seconds a month or so ago. I was standing in the kitchen with right hand resting on the counter. No right hand tremor since.

Here is an interesting read.

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100117114122AAcDysK

I was told by one of the nurses that the majority of people with PD, the symptoms start on their dominate side. I don't know how true this is, but this ladies answer seems to say the same thing. I am very thankful that mine did not start on my dominate side because it has allowed me to keep working longer.

I find it interesting that so many of us had it start on our left side and so far Julie is the only one whose left side is her dominate side.

Alex, to answer your original question, occassionally I notice a slight tremor in my right hand, but it usually is in high stress situations. I too wonder if these are the start of it moving to the other side and it freaks me out when I realize it probably is. But if it does mean that, there is nothing I can do anyways, so I try to just take things as they come, one day at a time. I know you do the same! Hugs!

Alex:

I am right handed with my primary tremors on my right side. It's a bummer since my occupation is Office Manager, so am constantly writing, using a computer mouse, or typing during my work day.

When my tremors, cramping in my left thigh or left calf, and that super weird foot twist (you know - the one where your foot twists completely around so the bottom of your foot ends up on top to tell you "Hi!"...followed by days of ankle aches - kinda like you ripped apart the muscles or whatever there!) moved to my left side vs. my right I kinda freaked (to put it lightly). My neuro didn't see this as a progression of my PD and told me not to be concerned. (Does that fit with what others have been told??? What I have read makes it sound like it IS a progressions when this happens.)

Glad you brought this issue forward. Very interesting to read others responses.

I am left handed and my tremors/symptoms started in my left hand. But the thing is I only write with my left hand and do the rest with my right hand. Reason being is when in grade school I had a mean teacher who yelled at me to write with my right hand until my dad told her to leave me alone. Guess I am ambidextrous.

My tremors have now started in my right hand too. Not sure what the timing is though because I think I had PD for sometime and ignored it.

PGrandma----I really do hate those cramps so much. Especially the one in the foot and side of leg. Those are the worst of all. There is no reverse way to stretch the muscle when it is going up the side. Seems I have tried everything and can't get it to stop sometimes. Sooooo painful.

Hi, I am right handed and my tremors are on my left side, but my first tremors were in my jaw both sides. I started going to a neuro in April of 2010 and was not "officially" diagnosed until July 2010 and in between those months I started with an occasional tremor in my right hand - usually when I am dosing off to sleep and sometimes a right hand tremor will wake me up. Because I have an occasional tremor in my right side I was diagnosed in Stage 2 PD. This past month I have noticed now that my neck/back rigidity that I experience on my left side is now on my right side quite often.