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Ellen, Welcome to our family! You will find lots of practical help here as well as some much needed encouragement! I am 46, (actually 47 next week but who's counting?) and have 3 children. i can really identify with your concerns and with your feelings. It can be very deprssing to think about the future so I tend to concentrate on today knowing the future will get here soon enough and I'll be better prepared to deal with it then. I can't have any effect on it now anyway. I am wondering if a lot of your feelings are coming from the fact that your medication may need to be change. If you have recieved a diagnosis of PD from a neurologist, you might want to talk to him/her about your meds. Propanolol is a beta blocker used primarily to treat hypertension, and it has been found that it does help in controlling general tremors. It sometimes helps control tremors associated with PD but as the disease progresses it is often ineffective. From what you describe I wonder if that is not what is going on with you. There are some great medications out there specifically for the treatment of PD symptoms. There are many agonists that are much more effective in controlling the tremors than Propanolol. And when those aren't enough there is always good ole' Sinemet. Granted all the drugs have their own side effects that aren't much fun but the truth is they are better than suffering with the symptoms of the disease. The point is, you don't have to continue suffering and lose lots of precious 'todays'. If you are under the care of a general doctor for your PD then get the name of a good neurologist in your area and go now! If you are currently under the care of a neurologist then talk with him about your meds. You are never going to feel like your old self again, but it is possible to feel better and to lead a very productive but 'different' life. And start telling people what is wrong with you. Not only is it an opportunity to educate them about PD but you might be truly surprised at the care concern and support they offer. Most people want tohe opportunity to reach out and help. Learning to ask for and opening up to recieve help can be a very humbling thing, but it can also be a wonderful blessing. You really get to see the love and support of people in a new way. When I was struggling with this issue a friend told me once that she considered it a blessing to be able to help, and when I refused that help I was robbing her of the blessing. It totally changed my perspective. So open up, share and let others help! They will bless you and you will bless them in return! I guess that's enough for now. I hope some of this helps. Let us know about the update on your meds. Take care! Debra ----- Original Message ----- From: "(Ellen) (Luhman)" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Monday, March 11, 2002 6:44 PM Subject: Hello > Hello.I am new to the list. I am 44,we have two children. I homeschool our > older daughter due to her Asperger's and OCD. I have had symptoms for almost > five years. Right now I take propranolol for tremor but I know that this > will soon not be enough.I have aching and stiffness and tremor in my right > arm and leg and face and can only write if my left hand helps my right. I > have had a few symptoms lately on my left side. I am very tired. I also have > IBS and go through a lot of pain with that. I feel very overwhelmed with > alll the problems our family now has and worry about our future. I have only > recently begun telling people what is wrong with me -why I don't drive,etc. > Gardening keeps me sane. > Ellen > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn