---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 25 Jan 96 03:04:53 UT From: Barbara Mallut <[log in to unmask]> To: Barbara Patterson <[log in to unmask]> Subject: RE: To: Steven I thought I'd share the following with ya, and hope ya take it as funny.. it sure tickled me. Periodically a friend's 16 year old daughter comes over to do some heavy-duty typing for me. She was here when your message about hallucinating was received. She asked me about PD as she was in total ignorance of the disease. I read her your comment about your hallucinations and she said, " Well, maybe everybody's wrong. Maybe he ISN'T having hallucinations... He could just be seeing space ALIENS! MAYBE when someone has Parkinson's that lets aliens suddenly be visible. They should TALK to them and see if they answer!" <grinning> So... the NEXT time ya have a hallucination, just give 'em a great big "howdy!" And consider yourself amongst the fortunate few. <smile> Barb Mallut [log in to unmask] ---------- Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 1996 6:28 PM To: Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN Date: Wed, 24 Jan 1996 05:34:07 -0600 (CST) From: Mayers@VUCTRVAX (Steven E. Mayer) Subject: Re: Hallucinations I am a few months on the list and have had PD about 6 years (4 years diagnosed).I am a 67-year old neuropharmacologist, retired from Vanderbilt University Medical School Pharmacology Department (My reasons for retirement are the intolerable musculoskeletal symptoms of the disease). My wife is a neuro-pharmacologist. My experiences with hallucinations began about 2 years ago with transparent "floaters" in both eyes, later changing to more dense floating and less-regularly shaped projections. I was occasionally startled but not frightened. My neurologist and psychiatrist ignored them, but supported my decision to stop driving. There were no other visual symptoms. The presence or absence of my medications (Sinemet, 25-100, 9xpd), fluodocortisone(to raise blood pressure) and pergolide (Permax, 0.75 mg/d.). may have some action. If so, they are subtle. I do have some insomnia and infrequent nightmares. My most striking hallucinations occur in daylight and consist of anthropromorphic figures that appear at my side from behind me. They may be briefly startling and disappear silently. I avoid thinking what I would do if they did vocalize. [From here on my letter and Ms Khauser's bear great similarity]. Will they go away? I have found nothing in the literature that suggests one or the other. The thalamus is not so far from the optic tract. Best wishes STEVEN Steven E. Mayer, Ph.D. Steven E. Mayer, Ph.D.