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Hello to a fascinating very large group of wonderful people. Was I glad to have found you. For the past few weeks I have been reading your messages, even dug up a couple archives to learn more about you. What I found was very good; from the day Barbara welcomed me till now: very nice people with interesting if sometimes quite different opinions, very well informed, diverse in background and experience. In short, just what I needed since I had temporarily rejected the "face-to-face" support group - feering they might somehow add to my anger, denial, and depression. This is probably not true, but I didn't want to risk it. The "List" messages are changng my mind. PD snuck up on me while I thought I was "just" getting old. Several years ago my legs started "twitching" or "jerking" periodically when I was sleeping or trying to get to sleep. Glenyth (my wife of 45 years-(I'm 68/she's 63) began complaining that I was kicking her and should see a doctor. Of course I didn't. Next, I noticed having more difficulty brushing my teeth, writing, and other tasks that use my hands. So I rushed out and purchased one of those nifty electric toothbrushes and pretended I was a Dr. or I wrote slower thus allowing myself to forget about it all. Almost. Last year the jerks made me get up at night and move around until they stopped. Finally I asked my favorite cardiologist (I had a heart attack in '78 and bypass surgery in '79 and '89) if he could find out why I was having the muscle weakness and twitching. He had me do a few simple tasks with my hands, tested my blood enzymes and then recommended that I see a neurologist. Recently, before my diagnosis, we discovered that her aunt had Parkinson Desease and we learned a little. I was not prepared to find out I had PD. So much so that I got a second opinion from a more experienced Dr. at a University - head of the Dept. etc. Although I have read pamphlets and a book, I am learning a great deal from your comments which have generated many many questions-too many to ask now. Thanks to everyone who has subscribed, Fred Turner