OYE!!!!! <--- Barb smacks self on forehead!  I GOOFED!  I had
meant to say I"m NOT the most PD-knowledgeable amongst the List
members, but have SOME knowledge 'bout the disease after all these
years living with it/

That' "NOT" not being there sure made me sound arrogant!  WHEW!!!
T'ain't that when it comes to this steeeenkin disease.

Barb Mallut
[log in to unmask]


-----Original Message-----
From: Barb_MSN <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Tuesday, April 11, 2000 12:29 AM
Subject: Re: PD Med's Question


>Hi Sue....
>
>First of all, there's never been a "posting limit" on this List
>that I know of, and I've been logging on daily for 'bout 6 years
>or so.
>
>If there IS a limit to the number of messages one can post at a
>time then SOME of us are in BIIIIIIIG trouble! <grin>
>
>So relax, m'dear, and post away - get it all out and know you can
>count on the folks here on the List to be supportive as well as
>knowledgeable about our mutual adversary, Parkinson's Disease.
>
>Regarding your questions, please keep in mind that I'm not an MD,
>but rather have had PD for 25 of my 57 years.   I"m the the most
>"up" on the disease whom you'll hear from over the next few days,
>but I have a more than a little general information.
>
>Your question #1:
>
>Your mom should be seen and diagnosed by at least once by a
>neurologist who is a "movement disorder specialist.  This time
>might be the best time for for your mother to see this type of
>specialist since you both have unanswered questions with her
>current neuro.
>
>There's one easy way to find out if someone has PD
>and that's to give them Sinemet (the "gold standard"
>of  PD drugs).  If it dosn't work then mom almost
>certainly doesn't have PD.
>
>As far as PD not being diagnosable at "this stage,"
>there ARE noticable symptoms and a half-way decent
>neuro SHOULD be able to diagose your mother
>based upon those symptoms.
>
>Question #2:
>
>Parkinson's CAN be inherited, tho it's not terribly
>common to find familiel PD families on every street
>corner.  There are lots of folks here in the List and at
>many of our local PD support groups who know someone
>ARE someone who's the third or forth direct decendant of
>someone or other in their family to have PD, or one
>of the other PD-like diseaes, referred to as
>"Parkinson's Plus."
>
>Question #3:
>
>Mom's neurologist is just plain wrong!   See
>above response....
>
>Hang in there, Sue.  And the next time you go to or
>speak with mom's neuro or  another MD who might
>see her, go armed with a list of all your, AND a
>portable tape recorder (if possible) so you can tape
>the MD's response.   It's SOOOO easy to forget
>to write down the doctor's response to those questions.
>his way you won't have to worry about rushing to write
>it all down.
>
>Hang in there, Sue, and hugs to mom 'n you...
>
>Barb Mallut
>[log in to unmask]
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Sue George <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Monday, April 10, 2000 8:44 PM
>Subject: Re: PD Med's Question
>
>
>>Morning all.  I feel nervous of ... posting a query ... (very
>ignorant about
>>it all) ... but ... would like to ask:
>>
>>My mother has uncontrollable tremors that are getting worse.  My
>grandfather
>>had similar tremors but was never diagnosed as having PD, in
>fact, for all
>>we know, it was never diagnosed as anything.  He died at 87 ...
>with bad
>>enough tremors that he couldn't write and had difficulty walking
>... but
>>other than that ... quite ... healthy (if that's the word?).
>Anyway ... mum
>>has now got these tremors and they are getting worse and she's
>been to the
>>doctor and then the neurologist ... who said ... "it isn't
>hereditary" and
>>"there isn't any real way to diagnose it at this stage" but "you
>could have
>>it and a i can't say that you haven't got it and we'll just have
>to wait and
>>see what happens".  I'm paraphrasing here and from mum's
relating
>of the
>>conversation but .. that's about it.
>>
>>Mum feels anxious and upset about it and believes, i think, that
>she
>>definitely had PD ... that it is just a matter of time before it
>is
>>diagnosed.  This is just her "feeling" but it is still a very
>difficult time
>>for her.
>>
>>Anyway ... i got onto the net ... found your list ... and i was
>wondering if
>>someone could help me understand a few things:
>>
>>(i) i found some sites on the net where they were advertising or
>talking
>>about diagnosis services (imaging, dna) .... are these useful
...
>why not
>>recommended by the doctor?
>>
>>(ii) i also read on the net that PD was not normally thought to
>be
>>hereditary ... which made me wonder ... "then how can they use
>dna
>>diagnosis?  what is that about?"
>>
>>(iii) also, if PD isn't hereditary ... then perhaps the
>neuromuscular
>>disorder that mum and grandpa have/had is not PD but something
>else?  what
>>are the other neuromuscular disorders which cause this sought of
>symptom?
>>
>>This seems like too many questions.  Sorry.  I feel like i
>suddenly have a
>>thousand questions?
>>
>>I hope it is OK to post so many at one time.
>>
>>thanks
>>sue
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Nancy Burnham <[log in to unmask]>
>>To: [log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask]>
>>Date: Tuesday, 11 April 2000 10:33
>>Subject: Re: PD Med's Question
>>
>>
>>>In the very beginning Don's doctor prescribed Artane.  We read
>the side
>>>effects and decided to keep the tremors.
>>>
>>>Nancy B  cg for Don 66/17
>>>
>>>
>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>From: Brian Collins <[log in to unmask]>
>>>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>>Sent: Monday, April 10, 2000 5:32 PM
>>>Subject: Re: PD Med's Question
>>>
>>>
>>>> On Sun 09 Apr, plmaddux wrote:
>>>> > Hi Folks,
>>>> > After having a tremor for 4 1/2 years I decided to try
>taking a med
>>>> > prescribed by my doctor. He thought that Artane was the
most
>approiate
>>>drug
>>>> > for my symptoms, that being a left side tremor. I had been
>taking
>>>Benadryl
>>>> > which was giving me some relief but it was not helping much
>and I was
>>>> > beginning to have a headache all the time.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Hello Lanier, Re your 1st paragraph :    You show me a doc.
>who thinks he
>>>> can select an appropriate treatment based on the patients
>symptoms, and
>>>> I'll show you a fool !
>>>>
>>>> Artane is an Anticholinergic drug. It blocks the production
of
>>>acetylcholine
>>>> (another neurotransmitter) The reasoning (!!) is that if
there
>is less
>>>> acetylcholine , it may make more room fpr Dopamine. I was
>prescribed
>>>Artane
>>>> immediately upon diagnosis, and I think went up to 10 mg in
>the first
>>year
>>>> (Well it was 21 years ago). Of course at that time, I thought
>that they
>>>> knew what they were doing.  I suppose there was a slight
>reduction in
>>>tremor
>>>> but it was never in control . I made a fuss and was switched
>to Sinemet,
>>>> which I urge you to do also.
>>>> Regards,
>>>> --
>>>> Brian Collins  <[log in to unmask]>  (60/39/34)
>>>>
>>>