Hi Everybody,
My name is Larry O'Toole, and my friend and neighbor Joel Siegfried is the
one with the computer and e-mail access who told me about this wonderful
group and has shown me some of the messages and information about PD
that he has collected and saved for me to read.
Let me introduce myself first, and maybe ask a few questions. I am a
retired naval officer and former jet jockey who was diagnosed with PD
3 years ago at the age of 62. I have mild unilateral tremors in my
left hand and leg. I take Sinemet and Carbidopa which seems to be keeping
them in check. I participated as a volunteer in a 1 year PD research study
at UCSD involving blood plasma phoresis under the direction of Drs. Haas
and Shults, without being told any of the findings as yet. I have no
disabilities or other symptoms, but I'm interested in what other people's
experiences have been. Can I expect to encounter further symptoms/disabilties
shortly? Might I stay at this level, or happen upon any improvement in my
status? Recently I took a series of medications for a cold/URI and experienced
many rather uncomfortable side-effects including: a vile, metallic taste in
my mouth and hard palate; loss of appetite; bloating; constipation; insomnia
andconstant nausea. Medications I was taking included: Vasotec (for BP),
Septra,
Zantac, Duravent. Somewhere in the mix there was an obvious clash, but I
haven't been able to determine exactly where, and there has not been
continuity in physician care at the San Diego Naval Hospital, which may be
contributing to the problem, and difficulty in diagnosing/resolving it.
Has anyone experienced any similar symptoms when multiple meds were mixed?
Does anyone have a guess/hunch which of the meds may have contributed to
my discomfort? Which ones should I especially watch out for and avoid in the
future?
Of special concern to me is finding a qualified, caring, civilian
neurologist trained in PD, in the San Diego area who accepts Medicare
patients (most do not), and who I will feel comfortable having as my primary
caregiver. Can anyone here offer any suggestions or advice on how to go
about finding this individual? Does anyone know of someone in particular
to refer me to? I would be pleased to work with someone not in my area
(I read on the list that one of you was being treated by a physican
2,000 miles away), so you don't have to necessarily restrict or limit
your suggestions geographically. Once I turned 65, I no longer was eligible
to be treated at the Naval Hospital, so that's why I'm searching for a
new physician, and not because I'm dissatisfied with the care that I've
received to date.
Another question? Since I have already participated in a research study,
I would be more than willing to take part in future studies, perhaps
some that would be more therapeutically directed. I am especially
interested in having my condition remain stable and not deteriorate
further. Any advice in this area would be much appreciated.
I am open to suggestions about alternative medicine, dietary considerations,
some of the newer therapies that may be proving successful or promising,
and even any experiemental modalities that I should at least be aware of
as an option.
Thanks so much for including me in your group, via proxy so to speak,
for the last several months, and for your input back to me and on-going
support. I wish all of you my heartfelt love and support as well.
Larry O'Toole
Tel: 619-224-9760
Email: [log in to unmask]
P.S. Here's a schedule of dosages for current* meds, and the one's
mentioned above as well: *Eldepryl 5 Mg. x 2/day
*Carbidopa 100 Mg. x 3/day
Sinemet x 2/day
*Vasotec 10 Mg. x 2/day
Zantac 150 Mg. x 2/day
Duravant 1 Tab x 2/day
Septra DS 1 Tab x 2/day
Simethicone 2 Tab x 4/day
P.P.S. This is Joel, Larry's friend, who has been lurking on this list
since I first joined. Just wanted to say "hi", and thank you for
all the wonderful people who have contributed so much useful
information and sharing. This is such a neat resource!
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| Joel Siegfried San Diego, California - USA Voice (619) 222-9236 |
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| "But I haven't seen Barbados so I must get out of this." - Tori Amos |
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