please delete if this is if no interesst!!
>
> Hilary Blue's Detailed Description of Disability
> as caused by Parkinson's Disease symptoms and
> Parkinson's Disease medications side effects
>
> 1.0 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE
>
> The symptoms of the movement disorder known as Parkinson's Disease are
> commonly treated with medications; the disease itself is incurable and
> progressive. The major symptoms:
>      a. Tremor,
>      b. Bradykinesia i.e. Slowness of Movement,
>      c. Rigidity,
>      d. Fatigue, and
>      e. Balance Problems,
> all manifest in different intensities and combinations in different PD
> patients.
>
> As the disease progresses, the human brain becomes more sensitive to minute
> variations in medication levels: the medications themselves cause side
> effects; the response to the medications becomes less constant and more
> unreliable. The PD symptom response or non-response to medications, along
> with the side effects caused by the medications, all can manifest totally
> unpredictably, in matters of minutes.
>
> After several years, most Parkinson's Disease victims are seriously
> affected by "on"/"off" fluctuation response to medications. In the "on"
> mode, the Parkinson's Disease symptoms are mostly under control; in the
> "off" mode, the Parkinson's Disease symptoms are not under control at all,
> i.e. the untreated disease symptoms become obvious, and side effects from
> the medications manifest.
>
> 2.0 MY CURRENT STATUS
> RE PARKINSON'S DISEASE SYMPTOMS AND MEDICATION SIDE-EFFECTS
>
> I have been taking PD medications for 17 years and have become extremely
> sensitive to them. I have to take medication every 90 minutes in order to
> try to keep my condition as level [i.e. minimize the "on"/"off"
> fluctuations] as possible.
>
> If I don't take my medication on time, and sometimes even if I do, I go
> into an "off" state in a matter of minutes: I "stiffen up" (rigidity
> symptom) and have great difficulty moving about in any way,  e.g. walking,
> rolling over in bed, or simply raising my arms.
>
> MAJOR MOTOR CONTROL DIFFICULTIES
>
> Throughout the day, I have several periods of dyskinesia - uncontrollable
> jerky body movements. (Dyskinesia is a side effect of the developed
> sensitivity to PD medications.) In addition, I have periods of "freezing"
> (i.e. locked in place due to muscle rigidity) where I cannot move at all
> for several minutes. My sense of balance is severely impaired, making going
> up and down stairs difficult, and climbing a stepladder or standing on a
> step stool impossible. I have had to give up driving and find my lifestyle
> and options severely restricted as a result.
>
> FINE MOTOR CONTROL DIFFICULTIES
>
> I have lost a great deal of fine motor control: it is very difficult for me
> to use a push button telephone; it is difficult or impossible to turn
> pages, file cards, do up buttons; my typing skills have deteriorated
> considerably (this document has been typed for me); my handwriting has
> become smaller and smaller over the years and is now so illegible that even
> I cannot read it. (Micrographia is a secondary symptom of Parkinson's
> Disease.)
>
> COGNITIVE DIFFICULTIES
>
> My powers of concentration have been damaged - especially when I am "off".
> I have to concentrate hard to think straight. I cannot do two things at
> once: e.g. walk and talk. I suffer short term memory loss; I forget simple
> information, especially when under stress, or "off".
>
> SPEAKING DIFFICULTIES
> My speaking voice has become very soft, and at times unclear and slurred.
> (This is a secondary symptom of Parkinson's Disease.)
>
> VISION DIFFICULTIES
> The muscles of the eye, like all the other muscles of the body, do not
> functioning normally. I can tell when it is time for me to take medication:
> my vision slips out of focus; I may see double. In addition, my depth
> vision has been damaged.
>
> FATIGUE
> I suffer constant tiredness, due to difficulty in sleeping, combined with
> the constant muscular stress of dyskinesia or rigidity. (Fatigue is a major
> symptom of Parkinson's Disease.)
>
> NARCOLEPSY
> I tend to fall asleep instantly for minutes at a time, with no warning.
> (This is a side effect of the Parkinson's Disease medications.)
>
> 3.0 SUMMARY OF DISABILITIES AS IMPACTING JOB PERFORMANCE
>
> All of the above Parkinson's Disease symptoms and Parkinson's Disease
> medication side effects have a detrimental effect on my ability to carry
> out the essential tasks involved in the librarian profession, including
> management, customer relations, carrying books and shelving, cataloguing
> and classification, and computer skills.
>
> janet paterson
> 52 now / 41 dx / 37 onset
> PO Box 171  Almonte  Ontario  K0A 1A0  Canada
> a new voice http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Village/6263/
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