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My name is Sonia Lukich and I have been following this list off and on for a couple of months wondering whether or not I should join. I have been printing off segments of this ongoing discussion and sharing them with my father, who is having a hard time coping with the fact that he has Parkinson's. My father is 57 years old and has had Parkinson's for about six or seven years. I did not find out that he had it until a few years after he'd been diagnosed and as a result feel like I'm a little behind in getting to know about Parkinson's. It has been very helpful to me to read about circumstances and symptoms from people in this discussion that echo what I see in my father. I am not sure what stage of PD he is in, but he has the characteristic hushed speaking voice and slightly stooped posture but does not have a marked resting tremor. Instead, his movements are slow and he shuffles his feet when he walks. He is experimenting (on his own) with the dosage of Sinemet he takes, preferring the slowness (I think) to the Dsykenesias. He was previously a very gregarious and social person and is now very quiet and introverted. This is very distressing to me and I've encouraged him to excercise-- whether it be Yoga, Tai-Chi or doing weights at the gym. I strongly believe that this will help his self esteem and general emotional health as well as his pyhsical health. My hosnest opinion is that he is deeply embarrassed by the Dyskenesias. He has always been a very athletic person and though I have noticed some muscle atrophy, he is still quite strong and has retained a good deal of muscle mass. I'm afraid I am rambling but I am so excited to get the opportunity to shed light on something that means much to me. I would appreciate any comments, questions or suggestions you may have as I am floundering out here, not sure what to do next to help my father help himself. He seems to be looking to me for some help and I want very much to help him and understand as best I can what he is experiencing. Thanks for listening . Sonia Lukich ([log in to unmask])