 |
 |
Hello, I'm happy to be signing on with a group that will help me expand my knowledge and take action to improve my long-term prospects for a healthy and active future. I am a 51-year-old male with PD. My symptoms started with a thumb twitch in fall, 2000, and have progressed so that now, I experience nagging, but tolerable symptoms. General tightness in the right arm and shoulder, and lately, in the upper right leg, and right foot, and tremors in the right arm and hand. My symptoms are under control with the usual group of drugs; Cinemet, Requip, and Selegeline, along with CoQ10 as a supplement. I am still fully active as a piano player and teacher in the Buffalo, NY area, with side interests in real estate, history, and politics. I'm also a family man, happily married for 23 years, with 2 teenage sons. I lead a very busy, and sometimes very stressful, life, as any of you that wear several hats can know. I can feel my playing skills beginning to erode, but no one, not even my fellow musicians who know my playing, can tell yet. I can still carry my gear, and I can still do repairs and maintenance at my rental properties, even tho I am not quite as efficient as I was five years ago. I still feel like a newbie, and I try not to complain much, because I am, like MJ Fox, a lucky man. But I confess to a lot of trepidation, because of the nasty things you hear about, that PD does to folks. Everything has been brought into question. What did I do that might have triggered PD; how much time do I have; what should I do and not do in order to maximize my functionality long-term; how will PD affect my beloved wife and family; you must know that a million crazy questions fill your head. I'm probably over the word limit or something, but I wanted to introduce myself. Hey, if there are any specialists with an interest in musicians or performing artists with PD, drop me a line. I'm looking forward to the sharing. Enjoy! Rick McGirr Email: [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn