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Diana Welcome to this club you never wanted to join. It is impossible to predict the course of your PD as we are all different with respect to response to meds and progression of the disease. That is one of the unknowns that can be difficult to live with. I do understand your wariness re meds. Ever since I had treatment for ovarian cancer at age 43 and 44 I have been phobic about meds. I got seizures and other side effects to chemo. The agonists like Mirapex never helped me and I was scared of Sinemet, but was pleasantly surprised with my first dose. I thought "this is going to be great", but it never helped again. I had DBS brain surgeries 4 1/2 years ago to control my tremors and don't take any PD meds, although most people do. It is true that PD drastically changes a person's life. I decided to do what I could for as long as I could. I never found support groups helpful, although many people do. I have always been interested in politics so I started advocating for stem cell research about 8 years ago. There are many Parkinson's groups like the NPF, APDA, etc. There are people on this List who can really help you, like Nina Brown, Claire Salamon, Joan Snyder,Peggy Willocks, Linda Herman, Jean Burns, and many others who are knowledgeable and inspiring. Brit Amanda Phillips and Yank Ned Gardner always add a dose of much needed humor. There are lots of books out there to aid with the stress of living with a chronic illness. You didn't say if you have family or are on your own like me. At any rate PIEN is a big family of PWPs, (people with Parkinson's) caregivers and friends of PWPs who I know will be here on-line for you so don't hesitate to ask for help. Nobody wants to be in this group, but it is a lot better now than when my grandfather died of PD complications in 1968 right before Sinemet came out. The end stages of PD can be awful, but most of us who have decided to make the most of our lives will not let tomorrow rob us of today. Your new friend, Ray Rayilyn Brown Board Member AZNPF Arizona Chapter National Parkinson's Foundation [log in to unmask] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Diana M" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Saturday, November 17, 2007 8:59 PM Subject: Questions from a beginner > Hi there, > > I'm 66 years old. Two years ago I started to develop symptoms of > Parkinsonism, and a diagnosis of Parkinsonism was made by a > neurologist a year ago. > > My main symptoms are: > > --bodily weakness and difficulty moving, especially my left side, > especially getting up from a lying or even a seated position; I have > difficulty walking up stairs, and for example getting into and out of > a car; > > --General slowness (bradykinesia); > > --fatiguability and need for more sleep; > > --difficulty keeping my balance--I have a tendency to start to fall > backwards. > > There are very few tremors, except for very brief periods when I'm > overtired or under stress. I also tend to twitch a little at such > times. > > > My neurologist prescribed Mirapex, a dopamine agonist. This was when > I first saw him a year ago. I haven't started taking it yet. I'm > quite conservative with respect to pharmaceuticals, especially ones > that haven't been around for a long time. (Too often new > pharmaceuticals turn out to be harmful.) > > QUESTION 1): What does anyone here know about Mirapex, and what > experience does anyone here have with it? I'm interested mainly in > folks who are taking it by itself. (I browsed through the archive, > and didn't find a lot that is relevant.) > > QUESTION 2): Are there alternative medications or treatments I should > consider. (I try to stay as active as possible, walking --for 1/2 > hour on average-- often uphill), and doing hatha yoga about once a > week.) > > > I am also experiencing some generalized and chronic anxiety, which I > think must be due to not knowing what to expect as the disease > progresses. > > QUESTION 3): What should I expect? What are the late stages like? > > QUESTION 4): Can anyone offer tips or counsel or suggest resources > that will help me prepare psychologically for what I will encounter > down the road? > > QUESTION 5) Can anyone offer tips or counsel or suggest resources > that will help me prepare in other ways for what I will encounter > down the road? > > Thank you very much. > > Diana M > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn