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Note: If you have answers to this message send your message to [log in to unmask] I am having trouble receiving from the ListServe. PD is very frustrating......and I appear to be the one frustrated. I have learned a lot from you but I need some more help. I understand better now about PD + and the "look alike" diseases. Thanks. My brother is in the 8th year (or more) of PD. He is 68 years old. He has all the classic symptoms of PD (see below). His symptoms have progressed to a state where he needs total care. PD Dr. just increased his 100/25 Senemet to two pills every 4 hours beginning 7:00 am ending 7:00 PM. He also takes Parolodol 3 times a day. My question is this: With the symptoms below that my brother is exhibiting is it practical to think that his quality of life can be improved? Can his speech be improved with medication? Can his swallowing be improved with medication? Can his walking? Is it practical to believe that medication can make a difference in his quality of life? Does anyone out there know of any experience similar to my brother's and was there any improvement in the quality of life? Thank you for your candid remarks. My brother and I have had some very amusing times...we have had quiet a few laughs...sometimes I cried I laughed so hard. I did not "baby" him when I was there...but I was careful to understand his limitations. We often walked together and I wheeled him outside to enjoy the open air. I took him to church in the nursing home and he followed the words in the hymn book (from what I surmised). We had some great times. Larry Symptoms are characterized below: Brother is in Texas with PD in nursing home. I am in Georgia. I have been to Dallas twice within the last 2-3 months for about 7 or 9 days each time. A. He is aware of what we are saying and understands. He cried when my sister and I went out to see him recently...when we walked up to him. He understands enough to shake his head "no" or "yes" (yes is hard for him to do). He responded to the PD DR and gave the right responses to his questions...or did the correct things. B. He uses his arms and hands and easily catches a ball and throws it back. Two years ago you could assist him outside, give him a ball and glove, hold him until he began pitching with someone, let him go and he would stand by himself, throw and catch the ball and throw the ball back harder than you could. Quick pitching and he would fall down. 1. Brother began PD symptoms some 8 years ago. When he came to Georgia on business I noticed he walked funny. I tried to get him to take long strides....but he told me he had "gout". He was shuffling (now that I can look back). 2. His voice gradually began to get quieter....until almost a whisper. 5 years ago he was officially diagnosed with PD. He had fallen for the final time before he agreed to go to the DR. Three years ago he had a stroke but did not do anything to his legs nor his arms nor his face permanently. I question whether he had a stroke but his wife says he had a MRI to confirm that. Gradually within the 3 years he quietly lost his voice. When I called over the telephone from GA I could hear a whisper at times until recently (last 6 months) I could hear nothing. Six-8 months ago he said very loudly "Twister, my dog!" (meaning to leave his dog alone when his son was teasing the dog). When the PD doctor saw him recently he ask him to speak his name. John could only "lip" the words, but you could tell what was being attempted. 3. Four years ago he began having bowel/bladder accidents. Putting him on the "stool" helped if the right time was selected. Now he is totally "incontinent". 4. Four years ago when he came to GA he could not hold a glass in his right hand without spilling the drink from shaking. We would put it in his left hand and it would be better. (The shaking was not as severe). When he was put on PD medication his shaking reduced considerable until he could eat ok and drink ok. 5. We tried to get him to use the typewriter to "speak" but he could not hit the keys properly. We tried to get him to write but he would start normally but trail off into very tiny script that one could not read. 6. I cannot get him to use his wheel chair properly because he "forgets" how to wheel it. He cannot use a walker...he falls over it. 7. He walks only with assistance now....this has been going on since about 3-4 years ago. He freezes when he walks with assistance. I noticed when he goes through the door or gets in close places he stops....freezes and cannot go without prompting and assisting him. 8. He drools now...has been doing this for a year or two. 9. His mouth forms an "O" when he is having bad days. On good days...or good hours he holds his mouth normally- I thought he had good times when he was "ON" with his medication and bad times when he was "OFF". 10. When he is eating he would stuff his mouth and would not (could not) swallow. Finally he got aspirated and got pneumonia and had to go to the emergency room.....they did a barium swallow on him and found he was swallowing into his lungs - this was 3 months ago. 11. They put a feeding tube into his stomach....they use a syringe type feeding method. 12. When he feels bad or is hurting or is emotional he make a loud yell or noise. 13. He appears to have some type of dementia. However, when he went to the PD DR he understood all his commands and almost stood up by himself. He is quiet playful....don't know if this is dementia or just himself. 14. He does not dress himself. He did feed himself before the feeding tube. 15. He has lost considerable weight - did weigh 175 lbs but lost over 3 year period down to 117. He is 6 feet 3 inches. (This is probably because he did not swallow enough nourishment.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn