I don't know why I have such a hard time treadmilling, I can always walk
better afterwards.  Ray

Parkinson's sufferer, a cyclist, shares story in Mill Valley
Richard Halstead
Article Launched: 04/25/2007 12:06:50 AM PDT

 Jim Wetherell, diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1995, rides his
recumbent tricycle after giving a presentation Tuesday at The Redwoods in
Mill Valley about the benefits of exercise in battling the disease. (IJ
photo/Jeff Vendsel)PARKINSON'S DISEASE cost Jim Wetherell his job and his
marriage, but he says cycling on a three-wheel, recliner-style bike has
given him back his life.
Despite being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1995 at 52, Wetherell
takes a minimal amount of medication. His initial symptom, a tremor in his
right hand, disappeared after his first 12,000 miles on the bike.
"I call my tricycle my bridge - because it's my bridge between having a life
and not having a life. It kept me sane," Wetherell told a group of a dozen
Marin residents with Parkinson's disease gathered at The Redwood retirement
community in Mill Valley on Tuesday. The Parkinson's support group meets
there on the fourth Tuesday of every month.
Wetherell, who lives in Hemet in Riverside County, drove a tour bus for 21
years before his diagnosis. Soon after he lost his job, he also lost his
wife.
"The last woman I was married to couldn't handle the Parkinson's, so she
asked me to leave," Wetherell said. "We got married just before I got
diagnosed."
Wetherell, who has experienced mild anxiety all his life, fell into a deep
depression. He had no idea what the future held.
Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder that results from
degeneration of neurons in a region of the brain that controls movement.
Some Parkinson's sufferers become severely disabled. The wife of one of
Wetherell's friends who was diagnosed with the disease at the same time he
was died two years later. The disease can cause depression, personality
changes, dementia, sleep disturbances, speech impairments and sexual
difficulties.
Because exercise helped Wetherell with his anxiety in the past, he turned to
that as a refuge. He no longer had the balance required for
 The large 60-tooth chain ring on Jim Wetherell recumbent tricycle gives him
the extra speed he needs to keep up with his two-wheeled cycling companions
during their lengthy rides. (IJ photo/Jeff Vendsel)a two-wheel bike.
"So, I tried a tricycle," Wetherell said.
During his first 15 months on the bike, he logged 10,000 miles. Currently,
he rides with friends three or four mornings a week - riding anywhere from
20 to 50 miles on each ride. He also participates in bike races throughout
California and sometimes travels to rallies in other states. Last year, he
rode 385 miles in six days during a race in Iowa.
Marilyn Munyer of Novato, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in
1998, invited Wetherell to speak to the support group. Munyer said she
discovered Wetherell's Web site, www.inevergiveup.org, when she was looking
for alternatives to taking medication. Munyer said Wetherell inspired her to
buy her own tricycle.
Dr. Ilkcan Cokgor, a San Anselmo neurologist who treats a number of Marin
residents with Parkinson's disease, said there is a theory that exercise can
delay the onset of dementia in patients with Parkinson's disease.
 Jim Wetherell is reflected in one of his bike's side mirrors below. (IJ
photo/Jeff Vendsel)But Cokgor said she is unaware of any studies
substantiating the theory.
Still, Cokgor said the theory makes sense to her.
"Exercise always delays the mental, cognitive decline and the deterioration
of the muscles," Cokgor said. "If you don't do anything, you're going to
atrophy, and you're going to get more balance and cognitive decline."
Although there is no official count of people with Parkinson's disease in
Marin, Cokgor estimates there could be 500 people with the classic disease
and another 1,000 with similar symptoms.
It is estimated that at least 500,000 people in the United States suffer
from Parkinson's disease, and about 50,000 new cases are reported annually.
These figures are expected to increase as the average age of the population
increases.
THE DISEASE
Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder that results from
degeneration of neurons in a region of the brain that controls movement. The
loss of these brain cells results in a shortage of dopamine, a brain
signaling chemical.
- Often, the first symptom of Parkinson's disease is tremor of a limb,
especially when the body is at rest. Other common symptoms include a slowing
or inability to move, rigid limbs, a shuffling gait and a stooped posture.
- The disease can cause depression, personality changes, dementia, sleep
disturbances, speech impairments and sexual difficulties.
- Usually the disease affects people older than 50.
- There is no proven cause of Parkinson's disease and no cure. Usually
patients are treated with levodopa, which helps replace the brain's
dopamine.
- About 500,000 people have been diagnosed with the affliction in the United
States.


Read more Mill Valley stories at the IJ's Mill Valley page.
Contact Richard Halstead via e-mail at [log in to unmask]

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