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My mother was diagnosed with Parkinsons at the age of 38, in 1972 I believe. She recently had a pallidotomy procedure at the University of NE Medical Center by Dr. Patil. Her rigidity was greatly decreased. However she remains very disabled due to having had a herniated disc probably for about four months which remained undiagnosed until in the hospital for the pallidotomy pro- cedure. My father, who is her primary caretaker had informed my mother's general practitioner and her neurologist about her severe back pain. They were given a prescription for Tylenol with Codeine and were told "its just from her Parkinsons" without an examination of her back. She had excruciating pain for four months, sustained some loss of awareness of fullness in her bladder, and weakness of her right leg from nerve compression. I am a registered nurse, however I live in another state and did not see my mother until returning home to be with her for the pallidotomy. It became obvious by the way she let out a scream and cried whenever she moved that she was in terrible pain, we insisted on investigation and only then was her herniated disc diagnosed. She subsequently underwent surgery on her back, which was not painful to her relative to how she had been feeling the past 4 months. She is facing a long rehab and will probably never be back to her baseline prior to injuring her back. Do not let physicians make light of symptoms even though you have a chronic illness!! If you are not satisfied with the Dr.'s treatment, do not be afraid to seek another opinion. Be knowledgeable, be your own advocate. This mailing list is a great aid to help each other with problems and to learn about the disease, and I thank you for it!