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........|     \_=_/        |
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: ..... 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] .......+------------------+