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>To: [log in to unmask] > >Subject: Hello World. > > I have just joined your discussion group, having been a www user >for about two weeks, so I hope I don't make too many errors. > > I am new to the www, but I am certainly not new to Parkinson's, >having been diagnosed over 16 years ago, at the age of 40. > > I live in the city of Derby, in the UK. ( Do you have any other >UK subscribers ?). I am Treasurer of the local Derby branch of the >Parkinson's Disease Society of the UK, temporary Welfare liason >officer, and am one of the founding members of a new group within >the society called SPRING. ( SPecial Research INterest Group). > > I believe that places me right in the middle of one of the most >serious and long-running debates within our society - Whether our >hard-earned money should be spent on research to find a cure, or >used to bring comfort and care to the many sufferers of PD. Our >constitution requires us to give equal weight to both aspects >which I consider to be the right balance, but many disagree with >me. Is it a subject of discussion within this group ? > > Another subject of importance to me is the use of Levadopa in PD. >I have been taking levodopa for over 13 years, and like most people >have found it more and more difficult to get the dosage right. To >help me understand the effects of the various tablets and dosages, >I have written a computer program which attempts to evaluate these >characteristics amd in effect produce a model of myself and the >tablets. Having done that I was able to use the program to define >a regime of tablets which I believe has added at least 2 to 3 years >onto my "effective" life. I would be happy to discuss this in more >detail as I think it could help other people beside myself. > >Well, that is quite enough from me. I look forward to learning much >from this group. (How many subscribers are there ?) > >Brian Collins > >Welcome Brian and particularly welcome to another UK subscriber increasing our representation by approx 20 per cent in one day.Barbara Patterson puts out a list every few weeks under 'The way we were' which shows list numbers. At the last count there were 1042 on the list of which 955 were from the USA and 19 from the UK.A few weeks back I posted a message about the small numbers from the UK and had some interesting replies on this subject.I have in my own small way been attempting to raise awarenes of the merits of this list and the Internet in general for Parkinson people in the UK and there are others who have been trying to do this much longer than myself. Unfortunately the PD society has been very backward in encouraging any moves in this direction. I had hoped that we might have been allowed a small enclosed off area in this list so that predomintally UK issues like research and spreading awareness could have been discussed without boring the pants off our cousins across the pond.I'm sure it would be a good thing for the list to have more UK members as each national group can contribute it's own particular flavour. YOur research on Levadopa use sounds very interesting and I would certainly like to hear more. DAVID LANGRIDGE