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I thought the Wall Street Journal did a good job. I wasn't happy with Dr. RatFink's comment re the "testimonials." I know some of the patients and frankly some were real PD messes. Poor young minister Don Berns was pretty lit up about his pallidotomy and I can understand. No one knows how it feels to be so terribly stiff and tight one minute and totally free of that feeling one second later. Nor what it is like to tremble constantly and all of a sudden it all stops. Don was pretty bad. He was a prisoner in his own body. Now he is free. Nobody knows for how long but its been a year of glorious freedom for him and RatFink shouldn't diminish this with his snide remarks about snake oil. I had a friend in Toronto - 50 y.o. He was very disabled by PD. His young wife looked after him for years and finally just flipped. She left with the children. He was moved into a group home as he couldn't survive on his own - he pushed a wheeled walker around when he was ON - most of the time he was OFF and stiff, or too ON and dyskinetic. What do you think he would have done if pallidotomy had been an option then? Even if he could expect only a few months of comfort? Just to be able to walk to the bathroom again. He crawled on his hands and knees. He died three years ago. My friend in Nova Scotia is in her early 50's. She is an artist and a writer. She has two teenaged sons. She got PD before the second son was born. She was a real mover and shaker in regards getting the fetal implant programme started in Nova Scotia. Fought the right to lifers like a tiger. Started a support group, ran it, and put out a newsletter. She has had PD too long and she is tired. She wants a pallidotomy. She wants Dr. Iacono to do it. She can't afford it. She has PD bad - stiff, dyskinesia - sometimes even akinesia - I can barely understand when she talks. If she can get a pallidotomy and she gets some relief and she puts an enthusiastic message on the network, I will kill anyone who says "snake oil" or "bandaid." I've worked up a full head of steam here so I'll continue. About Dr. Robert Iacono. A group of us, all with PD, flew to Arizona years ago. We wanted to meet this maverick who was flying to China with patients to do fetal implants. We practically moved in with him and his two dogs. Max Truex, the well known runner, did stay with him - after all Max was the first patient Dr. Iacono did an implant on. One of our group was Michel Monnot who also lived in Tucson at the time. We all ate together at Bob's house or he took us someplace - a memorable meal with a friend neurologist - Apple pie at Janice and Michel Monnot's house - special resturants - a cocktail party with some local parkinsonians and doctors. Bob never stopped talking. After a week we were all experts on the brain and stereotactic surgery equipment and brain operations and pros and cons of fetal implants. Dr. Iacono is different. He was a successful neurosurgeon. Went to all the best schools. Got interested in PD because his father, who was a college track coach, wanted him to help a young runner who had PD. Max Truex. I got to know Max and his family. One son is here at Dartmouth. They love Bob Iacono. He is kind, sweet, just dotes on his patients, becomes a close friend, talks to them, listens to them. He doesn't give a damn about the names some doctors call him. His only interest is to be there for his patients and do an excellent job giving them some relief. Even before his interest in PD he ran a pain clinic as well as doing surgery. He is indefatigable. So I take exception to reading that Robert Feldman a neurologist at BU said "I wouldn't refer a patient to Iacono." (Dr.F. I have referred my last parkinsonian to you). My Dr. Laitinen trained Bob (and many others) and told me that Bob is an excellent neurosurgeon and recommends him highly. So that's how I feel folks and frankly if it wern't for this lousy RLS I'd have had the second pallidotomy by now. I can't stand the leg shocks which are continuous if I don't take Sinemet - and you have to stop taking meds the day before the procedure. I can't do that. It is just too awful. Barbara Yacos, RN <[log in to unmask]>