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Hi, I'm new to this list. I found out about the list through reading the book When Parkinson's Strikes Early. I live in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I'm 43, single, and have no kids, no cats, and no dogs. I belong the "Book of the Day Club" as I am a voracious reader. I'm also a member of Mensa. I'm in the middle of diagnosis right now, pending the results of the CT scan - but it is almost a given that it is Parkinson's. After the CT scan I will be going back to the neurologist, and hopefully begin some sort of drug therapy. I definitely have three of the four cardinal signs and symptoms: bradykinesia, cogwheel rigidity, and a resting tremor - all right sided for now. I also have a number of other secondary stuff occurring, like my voice deciding to go hoarse in the middle of a speech (which is not "fun" considering that I'm a leader in two different Toastmasters clubs). My emotional state is that of being "stunned." The biggest struggles I'm having these days are with the lack of manual dexterity and with stiffness. I struggle daily to count change when going through the checkout stand and my longhand writing is becoming miniscule. I feel like an old granny trying to get out of my chair at work or getting out of bed - stooped over and shuffling along until I get going. One of my biggest worries is wondering if this will proceed as quickly as it did for one of my uncles - he also had Young Onset Parkinson's; his tremor was very noticeable by the time he was in his late 40s and he was in a nursing home by the time he was in his early 60s. Of course that was 20+ years ago, and I'm sure he would have done much better with the type of medication and surgical treatment that is now available. I hope to learn more about coping with this disease, and to give some support to others. Talk to you all later... Connie ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn