Dear Friends:
I am not new, but I have not been very actively involved so far, except
sending a couple of comments once in a while. I am 68, running on 69. I am
an officially retired, but very much active, profesor and my area of
research was and is cancer. I have been having what everybody thought was
ET (action tremor) since my teen age days. But, come to think of it, I had
a slight facial mask from my twenties or thirties. I recollect in 1972-73,
some of my close friends use to tell me: "You have a nice smile and a good
heart. Why don't you use them to your advantage, instead of putting up a
sorrow face all the time?" I am not sure if I had an early onset PD with
very little true PD symptoms (no resting tremor, posturl instability,
drooling etc.) As a hind sight, I am sure it might be true.
In 1998 (at my 65th year), when I was lecturing in my class, I noticed a
slight, occasional slurring of my speech. I did not even dream of PD in
thse days. Then, I started noticing my right arm did not swing as good as
my left. My action tremor in my right hand became very highly visible and I
began to notice by 2000 my right leg was doing the same in synch with my
right leg, when I did smething with my right hand fingers. Buttoning my
shirts takes a lot more time. By the end of 2001, I could not reproduce my
signature; however my handwriting did not become tinies andtiniesas it
should be for PD; simplyh I cannot right one word without my hand running
crazy all over the place. I was lucky I knew typing. Even that becomes
very difficult now days, since a couple of my fingers would not want to bend
when I type some letters!
By the year 2000, I was convinced some thing strange was going on There
fore I saw a neurologist. She told me I ws having ET and not PD. Then I
went and saw the only local Movement Disorder Specialist who thought tht I
was developing PD on top of my ET. I went through the initial phase of
denial and sought a second opinion from another MDS at Bethesda Univesity
Hospital. She assured me that I did not have PD and prescribed Propranalol.
When my lo al MDS heard this, he refused to see me! Propranalol had only
transient effect on my tremor; soon I started developing high blood pressure
(this is a beta blocker and is not supposed to do this!), increase in weight
and blood sugar, and lethargy and low pulse rate. I stopped taking
Propranalol; I lost my gained weight, blood sugar became normal, normal
pulse rate, and my action tremor was getting worse. I have developed mild
postural instability and occasinal drooling, along with sightly progressed
speech slurring.
I saw another neurologist who prescribed sinemet CR, which I have not
yet started taking. In the meanwhile, the news about mirapex and requip
delaying the progression of PD. I am wondering if I should see another MDS.
I am waiting to get an appointment with Dr. Tony Lang in Toronto.
More about me later.
Raj
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