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I guess there has to be several factors at work here for this 'debate' to have legs. One, the pre-supposition that you do not have Parkinson's Disease. Otherwise known as denial; Two, you do not have faith in the Physicians treating you, and; Three, your self-insured so as to be able to spend the time and money verifying your diagnoses. Regards, Terry Bowers -- As a young-onset patient of Parkinson's Disease, a progressive, degenerative, as yet incurable neurological disorder, Terry has become a tireless Advocate, speaking and writing on behalf of Parkinson's patients and their families and caregivers. To invite Terry to come and speak to your group, club or organization contact him at [log in to unmask] or call him at 254-747-0856. Topics include Parkinson's Awareness, Activism and Self-Determination, Bioethics, and Stem Cells and Their Sources. "A cure by 2005" Texas Parkinsonian Advocate Tom wrote: First on the topic of Dr. Lieberman. My interpretation of his careful response is one of non-endorsement. If he was to say "yes" this is a good test, the community would go berserk and their would be lines of PWP outside the national PET centers. The latest information I have read is 26% of all Parkinson's diagnosis are incorrect. Deborah was one of the "lucky" ones to be removed from this group. Am I one of the other 25%, are you? 50,000 people are diagnosed each year via clinical observation and l-dopa responsivenss. Is it acceptable for 12,00 of them to be misdiagnosed? There are 20 other diseases that emmulate Parkinson's symptoms, many are curable. My response to l-dopa was very miniscule, yet it was the deciding factor. Of the 13 military neuros/and one civilian MDS I have seen in two fun years not one ever mentoned F-DOPA PET SCAN, yet ALL stated "there is no test that will diagnose Parkinson's, except a BRAIN AUTOPSY. This brings me back to the 25% misdiagnosed--when do you think the misdiagnosis is caught? Post mortum autopsy of the brain. Speaking for myself that is unacceptable, and I will encourage all PWP, specifically young onset to actively pursue a F-DOPA scan (and some already have & had the scan done). We must make this just as a common practice as the MRI. We must educate our own doctors, neuros, and MDS's on F-DOPA--as well as ourselves. We are talking a $2,100 scan vs a lifetime of Parkinson's meds, DBS, P-otomy, F-otomy,and all the costs in between. We can not allow what happened to Deborah happen again. Not to you, me, or the next 22year old who walks stiffly into a neuros office. We must stand together on this issue........together we can win. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn