Print

Print


Hello everybody

My name is Olivier Six, and I live in France.
More precisely, I'm french : I may from times to times express myself
quite uncorrectly. Please be sure no harm is meant, i'm more used to
write in french...

I'm not affected with PD, but my father is.
Actually, that what we all thought, including his doctors, till
recentely.

Before I go any further, I must add that I subscribed to your list
unknown to my father : he's not an easy man to deal with, and he has
at this point more or less claimed war on the whole medical corps.
Therefore, I may not have the most accurate data, part of what I know
is second hand, some part is even guessed.

So.

PD has been diagnosed on june 1993. The symptoms that lead my father
to consult a neurologist were mostly "akinesia" ( I hope the word is
correct) e.g.: writing deterioration, elocution deterioration,
difficulties in swallowing, leading to near-suffocation, and
essentially numerous falls, losses of balance. We had also noticed
that he started to bend forward when he walked. But no -repeat no-
tremors, and no hypertonia.

So the first neurologist diagnosed PD, and died. So my father went to
see another one, who confirmed PD and started my father on DEPRENYL,
MODOPAR, and ARTANE

There were no noticeable results. My father began encountering
sleeping problems. He never slept more than 3 hours a night.

In the same time, my father was in surgery for an  prostate cancer,
which added impotence and incontinence to his problems.

Then my father's mood turned black. He decided his doctors were bad
ones, and started writing to some others. Since he disliked their
answers he decided they were all bad, and he started to look for a
more suitable solution himself.

My father tried MELATONIN. He first asked his present doctor to
prescribe Melatonin. As the doctor flatly refused, since no testing
has been made (has it ?) on the influence of melatonin for PD, my
father decided to override the doctor. Somehow, he got some
melatonin.I must say that there WAS an effect. First, his speech
improved noticeably, and his sleep too. Then the effect somehow faded.

Then came the big news : a new doctor, and then another stated my
father wasn't affected with PD, but whith "Parkinson PLUS". No one
could exactely tell us what it is.

Then again, my father read somewhere that DEPRENYL did not have any
effect, and that it even could be dangerous. So he quit DEPRENYL.

My father discovered that some surgical solutions were available, so
he started lobbying various hospital to be a test pilot on some or
some operation. They all refused.

The symptoms get worse : he keeps falling here and there, he has
tremendous difficulties to stand up, but still no tremors.

Some more help : my father contacted some parkinsonian groups, and
soon decided they were uninteresting (soft version...)

So now he is alone, and keeps boasting he carries a gun for the day he
won't be able to stand up again.

I hope I didn't depress any reader.

So now what can we do ? What can he do ? Is there anything to do ?