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Brian Collins <[log in to unmask]> 1/ Time since diagnosis - 12 years 2/ Time since first symptoms (with hindsight) see ans. to 4 3/ Age when diagnosed - 44 4/ Early symptoms - I had two impact injuries in '81 to my right arm about a month or two apart. It is possible that these were preceded by unnoticed whiplash about a year earlier. These injuries, I now know, were aggravated by RSI (Repetitive Strain Injuries) which can be caused by playing a musical instrument (I had recently gotton fairly heavily into playing guitar), and pulling a lever or clicking a mouse (I was playing a lot of pac man). But it wasn't dx as RSI or whiplash or nerve damage and the MD augmented the problem by giving me PT exercises on my r. side which only made things worse. At one point my shoulderblade slipped out--OUCH! Two years later in '83 a neurodoc dx RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy). By that time my r. arm had little swing and was cold and numb and faintly blue at times. My handwriting had deteriorated. I think my neck was pulling to the l. esp. in cars [don't recall if the doc & I discussed this] and I think I had a bump like a gooseegg on the l. side of neck [also undiscussed}. This doc ordered an ill-fated ganglion block which went up into my head! So the pain team then gave me a bier block. My arm did warm up but I was having trouble with a small tremor or spasm. 5/ PD Diagnosis - Enters neurodoc two about 9 months later in August 1994. He hooked me up to some machines and concluded I had Parkinson's Disease. I said thank you, but no thank you. But then a year later I was sent back to him for another looksee, he stuck to his guns, and a second neurodoc who seemed in awe of the first one backed him up. But no meds were ordered, and I was told it would cause me "no harm" if I continued w/ water exercise class and PT. Well, something in my shoulder snapped and shortly thereafter I showed up with a VERY sprained neck. The mechanical and manual traction also administered by PT kind of got my neck back but it's never been the same since. For drugs, I was on 800 mg Iboprofen 4xs day and possibly a muscle relaxant for awhile. They tried some 1st line PD drugs, Benadryl and Symmetrel, but I had reactions. Finally 25 mg Elavil provided some good relief for about a year. 6/ Start of Sinemet, etc. - At this point (@1988), I was eased into some REAL PD meds, Sinemet 25/100, 6 halves/day with mixed results & I impulsively changed neurodocs becuz a parkinson "expert" had come to town but I now wonder if I may have suffered from the lack of continuity. It certainly didn't help my pain. I was on Eldyprel from Fall of '89 (initially 10 mg, reduced after 7 mos. to 5 mg) to Summer of '92; at first I noticed good improvement. By 1991 I was having a lot of neck chorea which has been a recurring problem ever since. Currently, I am struggling along on 4-5 25/100 Sinemets/day and 2-3 2.5 mg Parlodel/day. I have wondered all along whether the PD drugs are something my body got use to and that they are fighting with the effects of the Elavil, and the Xanax which I also take nowadays. As I've previously posted, I have a fairly constant weak right side, neck pain, and these days throat and head pain. A week-long Aryuveda massage treatment I had in '93 seemed to help some but again I thought the drugs may be compounding the problem. My neck chorea was quite noticeable. I had myofacial release treatment in my neck last fall (based on an x-ray which showed scarring tissue in my neck) and I think in the long run it may have helped but again I feel some "healing" has been made more difficult due to the drugs. If, dear villager, you have read this all, God bless you for your patience. Barbara Blake-Krebs [log in to unmask]