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Hi, Jen, and welcome. I am a musician, 56, and was first diagnosed with YOPD in 2000-2001. It all started with a twitch in my thumb, and now most areas of my body are affected, but primarily on the right side. I would offer a few points for you... First, has your diagnosis been finalized? Some of us have spent years thinking we had something else before reaching the conclusion that it must be PD. Others think they have PD only to find that it is some other, similar malady. It will take some time, but you must be aware of the different disorders similar to PD and pay attention to your symptoms over time, to make sure you are correct. Second, don't do as I did, which was to spend years wallowing in self-pity and depression. Your best years will come first. Take maximum advantage. You mentioned research and planning. Focus on those things and not "why me" and other such questions that can't be answered. Develop your determination and your strength of will. These will serve you well. Third, don't rest until you are confident that you have doctors and specialists who understand movement disorders and can speak with expertise and experience about PD. Others will not know and not understand the processes you will go through. And finally, echoing others here, family, friends, and philosophy can be of great help. The enduring love of my wife and family have helped me greatly. One of the things that helps me cope is yoga. You've got a 'leg up' if you are already knowledgeable. Good luck to you. Rick McGirr -----Original Message----- From: Parkinson's Information Exchange Network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jennifer Gaudio Sent: Sunday, November 01, 2009 8:45 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Newbie's introduction Hello all, My name is Jen Gaudio. I'm 38 and was just diagnosed with YOPD on October 14th. I'm doing fairly well as I suspected it for a while and had time to prepare. I've been experiencing tremors, muscle weakness, spasms and rigidity in my left side since 2007. The diagnosis got confused as the worst symptoms popped up after I had tendon repair surgery on both my legs. It seems tremors run in my family--seven have them all ranges of age--but I am the first to knowingly develop into pd. I'm working on participating in some studies. I figure if I can help someone else down the line it may be worth it. I'm in the research and planning stages. I think that's where most of my freakout energy is going. I found out about this listserv from "When Parkinson's Strikes Early" and here I am. I'm most interested in how to maintain some normalcy while losing independence as it progresses (I'm single and likely staying that way) work and ADA issues (I'm a museum curator) and anything that may help slow progression and keep some level of fitness (brfore the surgery I was a yoga and tai chi student and loved swimming). As a newbie I'm grateful that this listserv exists, thank you to all who developed and support this resource. Best, Jen _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft's powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141664/direct/01/ http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141664/direct/01/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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