 |
 |
Hi Fred, hello to everyone, My name is Neal Weiner, I live in Maine, and I'm also a member of this very special club. I, too, have been reading the list for several weeks. I think it's time to throw in my 2 cents worth. I'm 49, married, two kids in college, working fulltime. My PD symptoms started with very subtle gait & balance changes in Aug 2001. Progression was slow for 4 mos, then my condition started to slide downhill faster for the next 3 mos while my personal doctor explored every other possibility in the universe. Can't fault him for trying. When everything else checked out ok, I went to the various PD websites, and read the symptom list. I had everything except tremor: stiffness (esp in lt leg), rigidity, increasing facial mask, decreasing speech volume, incredible resistance to movement, and overwhelming fatigue. I ran the symptom list past my doc, and he ran me to a neuro, who clinched the diagnosis. By then, I was in very tough shape, probably a 1-2 on my personal wellbeing scale of 0-10 (0=block of concrete, 10=perfect health). The neuro started me on Requip (ropinirole), and told me it would take 6 weeks before I felt better. I thought to myself: 6 weeks?! I'm gonna be disabled & bedridden in 1!! So then I contacted this acupuncturist in Portland, ME. He's a Chinese MD, trained in orthopedic surgery and traditional chinese medicine. He said he could treat PD symptoms. Within the 1st week, after two sessions, he increased my arm and leg strength, and hand dexterity. I told him that I was still reeling with fatigue by mid-day, so he strongly suggested a commercially prepared chinese herbal medicine. I thought: this sounds like voodoo, and I doubt it, but I'll try it. Took 5 pills, 3 times/day. Three days later, to my un-ending astonishment, I realized that I had as much energy at the end of the day as I started off with. The acupuncture and chinese herbal meds got me to an 8 out of 10, in 3-4 wks, well before the Requip kicked in. It's been 7 mos since starting Requip, acupuncture, and chinese herbal meds. I take a very extensive commercial vit/min/herbal/anti-ox supplement. I feel good enough to exercise again--treadmill & weights. I'm on 4 mg Requip 3 times/day. Acupuncture every 4-5 days. Chinese herbal meds--5 pills, 3 times/day. I make sure I get at least 8 hrs of sleep: if I'm tired, all symptoms are worse. I test myself periodically by skipping acupuncture for at least a week, to see where the Requip stabilizes me. I would say Requip presently keeps me at a 7-8, and the acupuncture boosts me to 8-9, out of 10. Sorry for the lengthy letter. Maybe some of this info can help someone else. I'll answer specific questions. Thanks for your support. I count my blessings each day. --Neal, aka The Pincushion ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn