 |
 |
>Can you give us more information about what their testing consists of? My husband has argued with the doctor during each visit, that he thinks he's been misdiagnosed. She told him that everybody thinks they have something besides Parkinson's. Joel (my husband) said, "That's because they probably do." She's the one who suggested he go to Atlanta for confirmation, since it has the only hospital doing the test for Parkinson's. She didn't elaborate. He's been to three neurologists: 2 yea's, 1 nay. The doctor who said it wasn't Parkinson's said his tremor was due to hypertension, which Joel's had since he was a teenager. >The rule of thumb is that, if the Parkinson's meds help, it's Parkinson's, >and if they don't, it's not. >Has your husband's condition improved since he started on the medications? That's the frightening part; that it's only an educated guess. Joel still has his tremor, no worse - no better. It's the only symptom he's ever had, unless you include his having to clear his throat sometimes, to get the words out. I understand that it's rare for Parkinson's to be second generation, but Joel's mother has it, another reason we still have doubts. >I'm not a doctor, so I don't want to appear to be practicing medicine >without a license, but that does sound like a lot of medication for >someone diagnosed only two years ago. Could you ask your doctor about >gradually cutting down on some of the doses to see whether his symptoms >improve or worsen? She did reduce the medication and change the times, but only because he's beginning to act-out his dreams. His speech is quite intelligible; he walks around the room turning on lights; he hurls himself out of bed. The up side is that if he ever has an affair, I'll know about it and give him something to really shake about it. I really do want to thank everybody for their input. It makes a difference to know we're not alone. ***************************** * With a smile in her byte, * * [log in to unmask] * *****************************