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>To: Keith Bushmaker<[log in to unmask]> >From: [log in to unmask] (William H. Olson) >Subject: EMPATHY > > > Hi Keith: Iam E-mailing you because your story reminds me of my situation prior to my surgery. Since surgery, I am not experiencing, all the benefits I would like, but the most evident improvement is the ability to take sufficent medication to be "on" most of my waking hours except for a period of 2-3 hours after my evening meal. During this period which begins within half an hour usually, I am definitely "off", and I NEED TO POSTPONE MY SUPPER MEAL; UNTIL AFTER A CONCERT, MEETING, OR WHATEVER .I also am still subject to the occasional day when my body does not resond to my meds very well, > I can eat various snacks that are high in carbohydrate and low in protein to partially satisfy my hunger. When we travel, my adrenalin is usually pumping me up some, and I tolerate snicker bars and pepsi for lunches without going "off". In other words, I am very sensitive to going "off" if I eat either too much or if I eat protein rich foods[which I usually avoid until supper time. > > We have found Schwanns to be a good source of high quiality frozen meat which can be bought in small portions that are sufficent to satisfy, but not overwhelm my system. > > > I made a diligent attempt to use some nutrtional products that were designed on the basis of research at MIT, Cambridge, Mass.They were designed on the premise that Parkies do best on a diet with a modest amount of protein at each meal or snack. It may seem strange, but Snicker bars had exactly the recommended ratio of protein to carbo hydrate. I found that I could not tolerate even the rather modest amounts of protein supplied by the soups and shakes that they marketed. > > It seems the devil is always present in the side-effects. I lke the ability to have my devices reprogrammed, but at its present state, have found that to be a very inexact science. My most recent encounter with the programming machine resulted in somewhat of a cutback in power, mainly because I was suffering from a side effect that bothered me too much I thought to allow it to remain. My left foot would start a rather moderate movement as my device was turned on. I had decided that I did not care to tolerate the rather frequent foot movement > >I intend to request that we go back to the previous setting when I have my 6 months evaluation on Sept. 24th. It seems now that I gave up too much help from my devices to rid my twtching foot. I hope to regain more help in several areas, not the least of which is tolerating food. Other areas I expect to recover more help on are: > 1) night sweats > 2) movement improvement; especially when I make my 2-3 trips in an average night to the bedside commode and/or use my urinal. > 3) better control of tremors > 4) better control over dyskenesia. > 5. less "off time" > > I have been reluctant to be overly positive about my surgical results; I would not like to mislead anyone about how much improved I am, and of course, that is omething we are still evaluating. At this point, I am ready to make the trade off back to the nervous foot, as I have hopes of getting more help in the other areas. (I keep congratulating myself that I have this option!!) > 913-267-6916(unlisted); 1631 SE 37th Ter., Topeka, KS 66609-1501; Asst Area Veterinarian in Chg.,USDA, Kansas. Ret. 66, Dx1982, pallidal stimulation surgery at KU Med Center, K.C. Kansas; 1st side 1/4/96; other side 3\14\96 Results still being evaluated, but we are encouraged at this point. Lord, make us instruments of your peace.