Dear Jeff:
As another sufferer to clinical depression I want to thank you for sharing
your succeses with us. What are you taking for meds? I take Paxil and
Zypexia once a day and have noticed an improvement after about 3 weeks on
the medications.  Since I also have PD it is sometimes difficult for me to
sort out the symptons for both diseases.
-- Eric

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>From: Jeff Jones <[log in to unmask]>
>To: Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: CD Follow up
>Date: Mon, Jul 6, 1998, 9:21 AM
>

>Good day List Members,
>
>        A group of time ago I shared the fact that my not-so-finely tuned body had
>embraced Clinical Depression (CD).  A number of you wrote to me to share
>thoughts.  This is a follow up to share where my own wonderful self is today.
>
>        The anti-depressant is now working 100% so the chemical imbalance that is
>CD has now been corrected.  I am currently dealing with normal mood swings
>rather than the intensely negative moods brought on by the lack of
>serotonin in my body.  I am slowly replacing self-destructive paradigms
>closely held for many years.  These are paradigms that affected my self
>worth and my ability to socialize with others.
>
>        In the midst of the climb out of the morass of CD, I started looking at
>me.  This was something that I had not done in the past because I didn't
>like what I saw.  I knew that something had to change and the only thing I
>could possibly change was me so I looked.  I began to discover things
>inherently me and, amazingly enough, began to like what I saw.  I spent
>much time dwelling on these things because the mind can only think of one
>thing at a time and if I filled it with things good and pure, things
>negative and destructive had no place to rest.  This was a difficult
>process but I knew that the expected result was worth the effort.
>
>        Today, I am no longer dealing with a chemical imbalance.  Early on, I
>began exercising and now wear a size 34 pant rather than the size 38 I was
>wearing when this wonderfulness started.  My wind is much better and, when
>riding my bicycle, I have no problem riding 50 to 60 miles.  Those with
>whom I regularly ride can no longer keep up with me.  BTW, I'm 52 years
>old.  Pretty cool.  I started yoga classes and am really liking the fact
>that I have greater flexibility and breathe better.  For years I have
>wanted to learn to play the fiddle (blue grass) so I've begun to take
>violin lessons and am doing well.
>
>        At work, folks were very worried and have been great.  They are more
>concerned with my health than with doing lotsa stuff that can wait.  I work
>for EDS (Electronic Data Systems) and am part of a geographically dispersed
>team tasked with developing project management and systems engineering
>processes for folks across 30 to 50 different solution centers across the
>U.S. and Canada.  I have to get my technical fix at home developing windows
>applications with Visual Basic.
>
>        I am busy and doing all the right things.  I am doing well enough that I
>don't need to see my therapist regularly any longer.  The bottom line is
>that CD is eminently treatable and anyone suspecting that they are
>suffering from this very insidious disease can get help.  If any of you
>suspect that you are embracing this wonderfulness, please let me know and I
>can send you more information to help you assess the possibility.  This
>holds for loved ones (or those you don't like very much for that matter
>:-})   ) as well.
>
>Take care,
>Jeff Jones
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