Dear Barbara,
     This morning, as I was backscrolling  some week old Digests, when your
note caught my eye and I thought, just maybe there is a positive
interpretation that can be made regarding your husband's stuttering. I'M
one very lucky man who has been given a new lease on the near future due to
successful Pallidotomies. However I've struggled with my speech; volume and
diction.You may have noticed a recent posting that I sent to Craig  re:his
mom and a pallidotomy. In the note I filled him in on my speech problem but
I didn't mention that during the past 3-5 weeks ago I began to have a
problem with very brief bursts of stuttering;usually when I was in a rush
to say something and it usually involved the first letter of any word [Or
so Ithink].
    I have no history of stuttering, I was instead the kind of kid that who
never spoke or if I did  talk it was in a very soft voice. So I am puzzled
by these episodes. I've got enough on my plate but some days it seems that
as soon as I have one PD symptom in check another arises.So it seems to
this naive writer that there are at three interpretations available to
consider.......

                *That the stuttering is just another of the legions of Pd
symptoms
                 that may well make an unwelcomed appearence in our lives.I
suspect
                 that it is a strikingly under reported on the PD symptom list.
                 Mr. Boyer and Mr. Hirsch seem to have reasonable
understandings
                 and solutions. SLOW DOWN!!

                *The development of my stuttering may be related to my adding
                 another drug to my arsenal...Ritalin, which I started some 23
                 days ago in order to deal with my chronic  fatigue.
                 And remarkably, it has done that and a whole lot more. But
Ritalin
                 is considered a stimulant,an ammphetamine-like drug that could
                 produce tics; and the distinction between a tic and a
stutter is
                 lost on me since I notice for that moment or two an
uncontrolled
                 movement of my lips or/and tongue.....a tic?

               *My third understanding has to do with THE PROGRESS I've been
                 making in recovery of my voice. I tend to think of my PD
symptoms
                 as clustering or layering. Remove one symptom and you
                 will surely come across another. In my case I think what is
                 happening is that as my voice volume is restored a new symptom
                 [stuttering] appears filling the void left by the departing
                 symptom[low volume].Perhaps the stuttering was always there;
                 it never had a voice!! But now it does and if there is
anything
                 that a stutter enjoys it is attention and it certainly has
mine.

    What to do?  I suspect that my stuttering is transitory and will
dissapear as I continue to make improvements in my voice. I refuse to yield
any further ground to this damn illness! What ever crops up representing PD
will be meet with a very positive outlook. I do like my third  option noted
above.

    Barbara' if your husband is very concerned and doesn' know the
resources I,in all likelihood, could arrange for an e-mail consulation with
a very experienced PhD Psychologist who has overcome one of the worst
stuttering problems I've ever heard. This consultation would be a one shot
deal that would be a part of our HCP program [are you familiar with this
program? There is no charge for the consultation. Feel free to be in touch
if you would like to know more].

       Good luck to all of us

             george

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AMAZING GRACE

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see
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