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To All - I go along with Bob N.'s suggestion about posting
ones experience with PD since it was DX'd and I'd like to
go a bit farther and start off with a short description of
self and pre-PD history. After all it seems to me that any
narrative is more interesting if one has some idea of what
the person is like that is telling his or her story. As
for me, I am 72 1/2 years old, 5'10" tall, 155 lbs., bald,
and generally in good health except for my PD symptoms. I
have a wonderful wife, Lalli, and we reside in Miami, Fl.
After 39 years as a commercial pilot I retired from Braniff
International on my 60th birthday, Oct. 16,1981. At that
time we were operating 6 sailboats for charter: 4 in Mia,
one in the Bahamas, and one in the Virgins. That fleet has
now shrunk to one and we have even taken her out of active
charter service although we still take her out with family
and friends. Lalli does some bookeeping as a part time
business which makes good use of our PC. As a bookeeper
she is great but as a computer programmer not so good.
So that is where I come in...setting up and maintaining
the necessary programs (lots of batch files and Doskeys).
Along about spring 1985 I started noticing little
peculiarities such as a finger acting strangely or
an unecessary shuffle step. I began to have a loss of
weight from my then 185 lbs accompanied by a loss of
muscle tone even though I was doing regular calesthenics,
and I tired easily. Later that year my optometrist
suggested that I might have Parkinson's and advised me to
see a neurologist which I did and he diagnosed me to have
the early stages of PD....Initial medication was Sinamet
25/100 3X daily. A prescription that has remained more or
less the same to date.  When Eldeprly was introduced a
year or so later he placed me on 1 5mg 2X daily in
addition to the sinamet. That doseage has also stayed the
same to date. In addtion to these medications I also take
the following supplements: Calcium, Vitamin E, one-a-day
vitamin tablet, one aspirin, and occasionally a couple of
Carters Little (Laxative) Pills. My diet starts off with a
glass of orange juice or equivelent and includes an
abundance of fruit and veggies, a minimum of fats and
salty foods, some meat protein - preferably poultry or
fish, and low-cal desserts.
...Ed Huschka ([log in to unmask])m