I am a single, white male, 48 years young this year. I was first diagnosed with PD in 1982 or 1983. Take 3 meds daily: 1.. Carbidopa 50/Levadopa 200 mg sa tabs 1/day 2. Sinemet 25-100 4-6 / day 3. trihexyphenidyl hcl 2 mg 4 / day I have serious tremor in right arm and hand, also on left hand/arm but not as bad. Every now and then I forget something, usually something simple elike how to tie my shoes, but I also forgot where I was one night while I was driving. Thank God theree was no opposing traffic. I have voluntarily stopped driving after dark except for short tsrips to buy groceries or to visit friends nearby. I do not make long drives cross town at night unless absolutely neceessary. If nothing changes I will stop drivving during the daya. These decisions are voluntary. I wll deciide when I am no longer safe on the roads. This way I will be able to start driving when things change for the better iwhen I can have one of the surgeries. When I was first diagnosed I was drinking heavily. My neurologist at the time told me that I could drrink moderately and actually show some improvement. Unfortunately, I am an alcoholic and the drinking progressed to the point where the doctor decided that he was wrong in his diagnosis. In September 1990 I finally entered a treatment program to deal with the drinking. (_My drug use stopped several years earlier.) Once I got sober I had to convince the doctor that the shakes I had were probably from PD. He put me on Sinemet 50/250 (I think) and the shaking slowed down. I am now about 5 1/2 years sober and an active member of Alcoholics Anonymous. Thanks to AA I was able to accept my PD and deal with it a day at a time, the same way I treat my alcoholism. I can laugh about both diseases and deal with them in a healthy manner. Let me make one thing clear. I DO NOT recommend that anybody use alcohol to treat the PD, nor do I suggeast that any others stop drimking. This is a personal decision for everyone. But I now believe that after a few years the alcohol no longer covered the symptoms. It had progressed to the point that I no longer cared about the shaking except that I needed another drink (just one more, please) to stop the shaking. I learned that any form of stress caused mysymptoms to increase. Physical, mental, emotional stress made no difference. Loud music, more specifically, a loud base line, caused a very serious physical stress. Three years ago I had to quit work and apply for Social Security Disability. My case was approved inonly a few months. I also receive a small monthly pension from my old union. I am also covered under MediCare and will soon apply for MediCaid. Until 6 weeks ago my dosage of all three meds were preetty well balanced. Then I had surgery to repair a hernia. The gas passer decided that a spinal block would be best bexause of all the meds I was taking. He would not listen to my protests. Now I am still trying to find a new balance in my dosage. It is difficult, but I am working on it. I live alone at this time. That is not a problem since several friends call me regularly to check up on me. I have to travel from Las Vegas to San Diego to see a VA neurologist. There are people willing to drive me there out of friendship. My life is full today. I get frustrated at times when a can't even operate the computer, but those feelings go away quickly and I move on. I have no regrets. I do not despair my afflictions more than a couple minutes a day. No apologies for going on and on like this. I want you to know me from the start. You now know who and what I am. No I don't have to tell this again and can move on to more important matters. As for my acceptance of this disease? I will always be Shakey Jay to most of my friends in AA. Thanks for your patience. [log in to unmask] (James Myrick)