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Hi By the way...my father 77, PD for 25+ years was a chemical engineer that worked for Sherwin Williams and Western Electric in manufacturing for all of his career. Also was a pilot during W.W.II - but it sure is interesting to read about the chemical exposure & PD. He was always cooking up something in the basement. But my purpose in writing is a question.... Note: Stop reading this if it bothers you to hear about advanced PD. My Dad has been waking up during the night complaining that he can't breathe. He does not have any lung impairments and has never smoked. His heart is healthy and other than a bad back, ulcer and leg pain, and PD - his major organs are healthy. It seems that he feels that breathing is becoming less involuntary than it used to be. He feels that he needs to concentrate to keep breathing. My question is: What do PD patients eventually die of? Does the PD effect every muscle function and you just stop? I read about famous people dying of PD related causes. What does that mean? I've always considered our largest short-term risk to be aspiration because he chokes so much. (He is tube fed, but sometimes he cheats. It is really hard to never eat, even if you are fed and not hungry.. There is a lot more to eating that just nourishment.) Have any of you heard of night breathing problems? We have decided to let him sleep slightly upright, but then we increase the chance that he'll fall out of bed. It does seem to help the breathing wake-ups. Sara Byron [log in to unmask]