Being a Doctor Didn’t Stop Me from Dismissing My Early Parkinson’s Symptoms (2025)

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• Three years after retiring from clinical care, Kathleen Blake, MD, MPH, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
• Blake’s background in medicine helps her cope with the condition.
• She teamed up with the Parkinson’s Foundation to advocate for others living with PD.

For 30 years, Kathleen Blake, MD, MPH, practiced cardiology with a clinical cardiac electrophysiology specialty. In 2010, she retired from patient care and embarked on a second career in health policy. Two years later, at 58 years old, she began experiencing aching pain in her left shoulder and upper arm, which interfered with her sleep.

“I attributed the pain to aging, arthritis, and wearing lead aprons for 30 years when performing cardiac procedures,” said Blake.

While an orthopedic surgeon observed decreased mobility in Blake’s left arm and shoulder, a shoulder MRI showed normal results.

“My symptoms improved a lot with two courses of physical therapy about a year apart,” Blake said.

However, she became worried when she developed a fine tremor in her left hand. Her physical therapist referred her to a rehabilitation medicine physician, who then referred her to a movement disorders specialist (MDS). In 2017, the MDS diagnosed Blake with Parkinson’s disease (PD) based on her symptoms and clinical exam.

Healthgrades asked Blake to share more about living with PD, how a background in medicine helps her manage symptoms, and why she chose to join forces with the Parkinson’s Foundation to advocate for others living with the same condition.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarityand length.

Blake: For me, exercise is like medicine. I work with a personal trainer, take a Pilates class twice a week, ride a stationary bike, and go to the gym. I vary what I do so I don’t get bored. My symptoms are “smoothed out” by medication, the mainstay of which is Carbidopa/Levodopa.

Blake: Absolutely! A professional lifetime spent dealing with uncertainty and complexity and helping people and their families process and deal with the emotional and physical sequelae of serious cardiovascular diseases helps tremendously. Having been on the “physician side” of the doctor-patient relationship for so many years, I already knew the importance of keeping my health records up to date and accurate, setting priorities prior to each visit, and asking questions about what matters to me most.

My career in public health and policy has made it easier to see the “bigger picture” through that additional lens.

Blake: I come from a family of diplomats and negotiators. I like advocacy and think I’m good at it. It’s how my brain works—using evidence, science, behavioral psychology, communication, and empathy to make a difference.

Early in my career, I advocated for better health and healthcare access for New Mexicans and for people with heart disease, especially women whose atypical symptoms of heart disease often resulted in a delayed diagnosis and worse outcomes. People with PD experience many of the same challenges: limited access to care, diagnostic delays, and uncertain and variable outcomes. Once I came to grips with my own diagnosis, I realized that I could leverage my personal, clinical, policy, and advocacy expertise to make lives better for people like me, our families, and care partners.

Sharing my experience was initially a bit uncomfortable. My medical training taught me to focus on the person seeking care, and to talk very little, if at all, about myself. Respect for patient privacy and preservation of confidentiality are not just legal requirements; they are among the core principles by which I practiced. Learning how to strike the right balance between my professional and personal identities when sharing my Parkinson’s story has been and likely will continue to be both a challenging and deeply meaningful process.

Blake: In early 2023, I responded to a Parkinson’s Foundation call for applications to join its People with Parkinson’s Advisory Council, which helps ensure the perspective of people with PD is integrated into the Foundation’s programs and priority setting.

It is an honor to serve on the council of an organization that really listens to people with PD and their caregivers. I am currently the vice chair of the council and am looking forward to becoming chair in July.

Blake: If you are wondering if you have PD (or any other medical condition), don’t diagnose yourself and don’t delay getting a diagnosis. I thought that I knew what PD entailed, so I never thought that my shoulder and arm pain could be due to the disease.

If you have PD, exercise. Research by the Parkinson’s Foundation shows that people with PD who exercise for at least 2.5 hours a week can slow the progression of the disease and associated decline in quality of life. Get the information you need about PD when you need it from reliable sources such as the Parkinson Foundation. [You can] call their free helpline at 1-800-4PD-INFO. Don’t try to take all the information in at once; take your time and avoid being overwhelmed.

Also, get involved in the PD community. Having PD confers membership in a club you didn’t plan on joining. And yet, you and your family will meet people with PD who will support you, and you them, on your shared journey.

Finally, participate in research, like the PD GENEration study from the Parkinson’s Foundation. We need people to participate in research to ensure better treatment and someday, a cure.