Hi all,

        I'm not being a geek today. :-) Instead, I wanted to show you
     an e-mail I received the other day and my reply. As the subject
     suggests, I just wanted to find out if other PWPs think I did
     okay. Or, if there is more that I should do to point this person
     in other, more helpful directions.

        The note I received is attached below first. My reply fol-
     lows. Thanks in advance for any useful input or thoughts.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------

> From: "sabrina" < ... >
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: a girl from Taiwan needs your advices!
> Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2000 08:54:26 -0500
>
> Dear William,
>
> I am from Taiwna, and would like to know what is Parkinson deiseas?
> Any kind advices will be appreciated.
>
> I feel sorry to hear of you got"Parkinson" disease, also can understand =
> your
> feelings in physical, emotionly as my mom also got "parkinson" for
> more ten years. She just finished the operation called "Stereotactic =
> Pallidotomy",
> but only one side, next will finish the other side. However, the result =
> I feel
> my mom emotion has changed bad, and still very weak. Yes, her hand can =
> do
> easy action but change not smooth, sometimes her hand and leg will move
> automatically, not out of herself control. So would you please be kind =
> to tell
> me some informaiton about this kind of operation? And shall we need to =
> do
> the other side of operation? I am afraid that my mom will get worst =
> after operation.
>
> Looking forward to hearing form you soon.
>
> Best Regards,
> Sabrina

     -----------------------------------------------------------------

: Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2000 12:15:56 -0500 (EST)
: From: "William A. Parrette" <[log in to unmask]>
: To: sabrina < ... >
: Subject: Re: a girl from Taiwan needs your advices!
:
: Hi Sabrina,
:
: Thank you for taking the time to write. My little "story" on
: the Web has allowed a number of people to cross my path. And,
: like those before you I will do my best to help you understand.
: On Wed, 2 Feb 2000, you wrote:
:
: > ... would like to know what is Parkinson deiseas?
: > Any kind advices will be appreciated ...
:
: It is believed that Parkinson's Disease is disease of the
: brain. Researchers think that this disease is caused by a part
: of the brain -- called the Substantia Nigra -- that looses it's
: ability to produce a chemical called Dopamine. It is further be-
: lieved that this chemical is responsible for "smoothing out"
: movements of the arms, hands, legs, and feet. The theory is that
: if there is not enough dopamine in a person's system, it will re-
: sult in a shaking in their movement that is typically called
: tremors.
:
: The condition is degenerative -- that is to say it gets worse
: over time as the brain continues to loose its ability to produce
: the dopamine. As, the condition progresses, other symptoms ap-
: pear like: the face will show no expression, a shuffle-like walk,
: the inability to roll over in bed, difficulty in rising from a
: sitting position, and many more.
:
: The reason that I said "believe" and "think" above is that
: there is no test currently available that absolutely proves that
: a person has Parkinson's Disease. There is no known cause, there
: is no known cure, and there is no way to prove that someone has
: the disease for sure. To make matters worse, it is rare that two
: Parkinson's patients will exhibit the exact same sets of symp-
: toms.
:
: The *only* way that a neurologist can actually say that a per-
: son has Parkinson's Disease is if they respond to a drug combina-
: tion called levodopa/carbidopa with the trade name Simemet. If a
: patient shows an improvement in their symptoms after taking this
: drug, they are labeled with Parkinson's.
:
: > ... my mom also got "parkinson" for
: > more ten years ...
:
: It used to be thought that Parkinson's Disease was an "old
: person's" disease. It usually shows up in people over the age of
: 60. But, with people like Michael J. Fox, Muhammad Ali, and
: Janet Reno telling us that they have this disease, a lot of at-
: tention is being given to what is now called "young-onset"
: Parkinson's Disease.
:
: Just as there is no known cause, no known cure, and no defini-
: tive diagnostic test, there is also no specific "path" the dis-
: ease takes in every PD patient. Some people become disabled rel-
: atively quickly and have to have around-the-clock care; while
: others continue to live a relatively normal life for a number of
: years. Some patients respond poorly to a variety of drug op-
: tions; while others respond very well.
:
: I really wish that I could be more "definitive" with you. Un-
: fortunately, that's the problem with PD -- no two people are ex-
: actly alike in their symptoms or their responses to drugs. I can
: only say that there seems to be a good deal of research going on
: to try to address these problems and issues. And, in the PD com-
: munity there is also a great deal of hope and optimism for drugs,
: therapies, and medical procedures that are under development ...
: perhaps, someday, even a cure.
:
: > ... She just finished the operation called "Stereotactic
: > Pallidotomy", but only one side, next will finish the other side ...
: > ... So would you
: > please be kind to tell me some informaiton about this kind of operation?
: > And shall we need to do the other side of operation? ...
:
: The operation that your mother had is one where the doctor in-
: serts a probe in the patient's brain and, with the patient's
: help, determines which brain cells are producing signals to try
: to compensate for the lack of dopamine and causing worsening
: tremors. Once located, the doctor "zaps" the cells with an elec-
: trical charge to destroy the cells and hopefully reduce the
: tremors.
:
: The issues with this operation are that the doctor has to be
: very exact and careful to get the right area of the brain and the
: correct cells. If they are wrong, the patient may develop other
: problems and symptoms from the loss of the "wrong" cells.
:
: You might be aware that the brain operates in an X-like,
: cross-over way. That is to say the right side of the brain con-
: trols the left side of the body and the left side of the brain
: controls the right side of the body. So, if the patient is ex-
: hibiting tremors on both sides of the body, two pallidotomies are
: required -- one for each side of the brain.
:
: The only other surgical procedure that has been shown to help
: some Parkinson's patients is a "deep-brain stimulation." In this
: operation the doctor also inserts a probe in the brain. But this
: one is left in the brain and wired to a control box that is usu-
: ally placed somewhere in the patient's upper chest. Then, when
: symptoms appear, the patient activates the control box to send a
: signal to the probe in the brain. Instead of destroying cells,
: the probe "stimulates" them in a way that causes the symptoms to
: be reduced for a period of time.
:
: Although I have only been diagnosed for four years, I have
: spent a bit of time researching this disease -- mostly on the
: 'Net. As a result, I have found a number of useful Web sites
: with a great deal of useful information. The last page of my
: story contains links to some of these resources -- including some
: better descriptions of the two surgical procedures as well as
: discussions from people who have had the operations. So you
: might point your browser to:
:
: http://w3.one.net/~wap/wapTremorPart7.html
:
: and surf around a bit. There are lots of things to explore
: and other PWP's (People With Parkinson's) to contact that may be
: of further use to you.
:
: Again, thanks for writing. I hope I have helped you in your
: understanding of Parkinson's Disease a little bit. If there is
: anything else I can help you understand, please feel free to
: write again. Take care and I wish you and your mother well ...
:
: Bill--
: ...who really *believes* 42 is the answer...
: ///// (42?)
: .___. William A. ....._..._ .......7177 Heritage Drive+--- [ o o ] / ----+
: | _ \__ _ _ _ _ _ ___| |_| |_ ___ .Westchester........| \_=_/ |
: | _/ _` | '_| '_/ -_) _| _/ -_).OH 45069-4012......| _| |_ |
: |_| \__,_|_| |_| \___|\__|\__\___|.513/779-0780.......| / \_/ \ |
: ..... http://w3.one.net/~wap/ .... [log in to unmask] .......+--oOOO---OOOo-----+

     -----------------------------------------------------------------

Bill--
  ...who thinks that life is a yo-yo and mankind ties knots in the string.
.___. William A. ....._..._ .......7177 Heritage Drive+------------- __ -+
| _ \__ _ _ _ _ _ ___| |_| |_ ___ .Westchester........| ___|[]| |
| _/ _` | '_| '_/ -_) _| _/ -_).OH 45069-4012......| \__|______| |
|_| \__,_|_| |_| \___|\__|\__\___|.513/779-0780.......|(42!) /-(o_o_o_o) |
..... http://w3.one.net/~wap/ .... [log in to unmask] .......+------------------+