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To Mark Kraft and others interested: I am 57, I play the piano, and I have Parkinson's disease. So I thought I'd respond to your message. You expressed a concern about L-Dopa. Your mother is relatively young, and Parkinson's medications are generally well tolerated by people our age. I take the three basic medicines: Sinemet CR (controlled release), Eldepryl, and Permax (a dopamine agonist which decreases the need for Sinemet) with minimal side-effects - swollen feet is the most pronounced one in my case. As a result I am able to continue working full-time at a relatively stressful job in the computer field. When the medicines are working to their fullest extent, no one who saw me would know that I have Parkinson's disease. Of course the disease progresses. Also, it is different in its progress and symptoms for different people. One thing that gives me hope in the face of this fact is that there is considerable research in new medicines, not only for symptomatic relief, but also neuroprotection and neuron repair. Sinemet CR is the best medicine today, but it is now supplemented by Permax, and in a short time there will be other, better pills to take. Aside from the pills, how to cope? People usually take one or more of three approaches, depending on their inclinations. One way is to obtain support from other people in the same situation. The listserv is good for this, as are some support groups and organizations. I believe there is a quite active young Parkinson's disease organization in California. 57 is young. A second way is through learning about the disease. Some people with PD have become experts in the disease and know more about it than the average neurologist. For such people, understanding is a way of taking control or feeling in control. A third way is by taking action. The most prominent action group is the Parkinson's Action Network (PAN), which is currently engaged in getting Senators and Congressmen/women to support and pass the Udall Bill. Your mother sounds depressed, and something needs to be done about that - either counseling or medicine or both. (Has there ever been depression prior to the PD?) Some improvement in symptoms (don't fear the medicine) or some steps taken in any of the coping modes should also yield improvements in morale. Improvement in physical capability is definitely possible, although your mother may not regain all her former capabilities. I seem to recall a fellow (I forgot his name, but someone on the listserv will have heard of him) who was confined by PD to a wheelchair and who decided to get up and become a runner, which he then proceeded to do. If the fingers on one hand don't work so well just now, one can start by playing pieces for one hand. If the fingers on both hands don't work so well, one can play slow pieces or note clusters. Or teach music, or write about it. I developed some shoulder pain which lasted for several months, during which I spent lots of time schmoozing on the piano listserv and the rec.music.classical and rec.music.makers.piano newsgroups, and I wrote a FAQ on playing the piano from memory (see via http://web.mit.edu/isako/www/rmmp-faq.html). It was finally determined that the cause of the pain was not tendinitis, which everyone thought at first, but Parkinson's. As my medicine was increased the pain decreased. So now I'm playing the piano more, and I have been expanding my repertoire. Good luck, and let me know how it goes. Best wishes, Phil