Hi all,

        On Wed, 26 Apr 2000, the digest contained:

> Date:    Wed, 26 Apr 2000 09:40:40 -0400
> From:    janet paterson <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: Six of one ...PD content / back to the knitting ...

> ...
> prepare for the jaNET INTERrogation! ...

        I'm  ready,  ma'am.   But,  could  I  ask  you to turn on some
     lights, untie me from this chair, take off the mask, and put away
     the rubber hose?  Please?

> ...
> what were/are your symptoms?
> pre-diagnosis? ...

        Ever  since  I  can  remember, I have had tremors in my hands.
     Nothing major, but enough to keep me from doing any kind of  "de-
     tail"  work  with  my  hands.  Initially, my *symptom* was what I
     would have called a twitch in my right  arm.   And,  my  "normal"
     shaking had become more noticeable.

        About  a  month  or two after I noticed these symptoms, it had
     become bad enough to make me seek medical advice.  In addition to
     the  twitch,  the  neurologist  noticed that -- as I walked -- my
     right arm didn't swing as freely as my left.

> ...
> what were/are your symptoms?
> post-diagnosis? ...

        In  the last four years, I have had a variety of symptoms.  At
     times, I would notice that I would unconsciously clench my  hands
     tightly.  I also developed an ache in my shoulder, elbow, or fin-
     gers of my right arm.  A little later, I noticed that the muscles
     in  the  right side of my body would tense up.  And, on occasion,
     my vision would blur slightly or I would require  brighter  light
     to read smaller text.

        These  symptoms didn't always build on one another.  Sometimes
     one symptom would  fade  while  another  became  more  prominent.
     There  was no pattern -- no rhyme or reason I could detect.  But,
     when recovering from an illness of any kind, the  tremors  seemed
     to  worsen.   And,  in  general, the symptoms seem to be at their
     worst in the morning but diminish a bit through the day into  the
     evening.

        I have gone through a range of styles of tremors. What started
     out as a general shaking of the hands eventually changed into the
     classic  "pill  rolling"  tremor.  Then,  it  changed to a clasp-
     ing/grasping tremor. Either one was controllable  at  rest.  And,
     the  non-swinging arm stopped for a while and then changed into a
     raised-arm/clenching fist position on both sides.

        Eventually,  I  started  noticing  the "slowness of movement."
     Walking became harder and it would take quite a bit of effort  to
     do  simple things like walking the dog. And, getting into and out
     of cars and chairs became a real effort as well. I would have  to
     expend a great deal of effort using my arms to pull me out and up
     into a standing position.

> ...
> what were/are your symptoms?
> 4 years post-diagnosis? ...

        At the moment, on the 4 x 50/200 CR, the symptom that is still
     noticeable is the tremors.  I have  noticeable  tremors  in  both
     arms  and both legs.  As I remember, the off-Sinemet tremors were
     much worse than the current on-Sinemet tremors.  And, except  for
     the Sinemet-induced dyskinesia, these are the only symptoms I now
     notice.

> ...
> in what way were they reduced by the 3x25/250IR sinemet doseage? ...

        The  first  thing  I  can say is that I generally felt better.
     People who knew me and saw me regularly  said  I  looked  better.
     The  only symptom that I noticed -- as described above -- was the
     arm/leg tremors and the dyskinesia.

> ...
> in what way were they affected by the 4x50/200CR sinemet doseage? ...

        The  tremors  worsened slightly -- almost imperceptibly.  But,
     in the year or more since I've been  on  this  prescription,  the
     tremors have gradually worsened again to be, IMO, more noticeable
     and getting harder to hide.

        FWIW, if I can sit, undisturbed, and get my body in a relaxed,
     meditative state, many times I can get the tremors to stop.  But,
     the instant I move -- sometimes when I think about moving -- they
     will start up again.

        One  other thing, I do have on-times and off-times.  There are
     periods during the day when the tremors will all  but  disappear.
     While  at  other  times  they appear somewhat strong.  I have not
     been able to determine a schedule or cause/effect or any type  of
     pattern at all in these on/off times.

> ...
> why does your neuro think a fifth 50/200CR
> would benefit you at the cost of interrupting sleep? ...

        *Our*  opinion  is  :-)  that in the period of time between my
     last dose at 6 P.M. and my first dose in the morning  at  6  A.M.
     that all of the Levodopa has been consumed or used.  So, it takes
     a long time in the morning to get the first (and maybe  the  sec-
     ond) to kick in and provide some relief.

        So the theory is that the 2 A. M. dose might provide a sort of
     "running start" for the 6 A.M. dose to make it more effective.

        And,  this  is actually more my idea.  But, the neuro. said it
     wouldn't hurt to try it and see what happens.

> ...
> why you are on your fourth neuro? ...

        With  the  first  doctor,  I had no insurance and the symptoms
     were in their very early stage.  The second doctor chose to  have
     some  elective  surgery soon after I became a patient and was un-
     available for approximately six months.  The third doctor (excuse
     the  use  of  "language")  pissed me off.  Now, I am on my fourth
     neurologist.

        So,  Ms.  "Kinsey," :-) may I take my had out of the Gom Jabar
     now? ;-)

Bill--
  ...who wants to know who stopped the payment on his reality check?
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