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On Mon 02 Dec, Jeanne Truax wrote: > Thank you Barbara Patterson for your warm welcome to the Parkinsn list. I > have been reading the list for about a week...and am beginning to feel more > comfortable among you. My name is Jeanne and I was diagnosed with PD about > six months ago. Needless to tell you, I was in a state of shock. In > hindsight I should not have been for my mother and brother both had > Parkinsons before me. I am so curious to know if that situation is unusual > as several doctors have told me PD is not a familial thing. After seeing a > neurologist for about five months I suddenly received a card from him > saying he was leaving his practice. Strange, as I had an appointment with > him just two weeks prior. It was frightening to feel alone and set adrift. > One has to be strong in these situations and so I set about looking for > someone new to connect with. After attending a seminar put on by the > Parkinson's Institute in Sunnyvale, CA, I felt braver and have made an > appointment for next week to go there and have my situation evaluated. > Sinemet and Eldepryl are the meds I am taking now. It is very interesting > to read from all of you your experiences with these meds and to learn of > others. Thanx for being out there! > > Jeanne Truax > [log in to unmask] > > Hello Jeanne, welcome to the list. I am very intetested to hear that your Mother and brother both had PD. It is VERY unusual. In fact, I would have expected the neurologists to be beating a path to your door. The situation is that although very very few people aquire PD by way of genetic inheritance, when it does happen, it presents the possibility that searching the genetic code may point to a specific area as being associated with PD, and then they are off and running. When you go for your evaluation next week, be sure to mention you family history. If they don't react to it I will be very surprised. Are you aware of any PD in your more distant ancestors? You may have heard recently the news item about a gene for PD having been discovered? That turns out to be a little premature : we have had an appeal for help from the research team to try to locate any more of that large Italian family. Did anyone of the list keep that appeal? The may be interested in Jeanne's case themselves. I am making these suggestions because not only is it possible that you can help us by helping the researchers, it should help you to have such a lot of high-priced help aroundas well. Good luck with your evaluation. -- Brian Collins <[log in to unmask]>