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At 11:58 AM 12/1/96 -0500, Barbara Patterson wrote: >Hi, Marjorie. Very observant of you to notice Holland is missing. Ida >isn't missing, though. She is [log in to unmask] Holland is listed >under "Netherlands". The list of members by country is not exactly 100%. >For example, anyone who is using AOL, Prodigy or Compuserve or whose email >address ends with .net among others is listed as being from the US. Maybe >I should start using the subject line: 'Almost the way we were'. :) > >Barb > >============================================================================ >Barbara Patterson [log in to unmask] >HSC 2J22 905-525-9140, ext. 22403 > School of Nursing >============================================================================ > a belated introduction I have been on the list since August, so I hope this serves as both an introduction and a reply. I have had trouble sending messages by e-mail. Having tried several times--the message came back failed mail-- I became frustrated and gave up. But here goes again. I am 54 years old and have had PD for 18 years. I retired because I could no longer count on the drugs to control the symptoms--I would freeze, I had diffficulty speaking, my writing was illegible (my students were complaining that they couldn't read my comments on their papers, and when they brought them to me, I couldn't interpret them either), and the "on off" times were very unpredictable. I had been an administrator/teacher in a junior and senior high school and the pressures of the administrative job made the symptoms worse. My superior knew about my condition and I thought was understanding, and I was floored when I submitted my letter of resignation during the first quarter of the school, and he asked me if I had "planned" this. You see I had to resign in the middle of a contract and I had many days of sick days coming because of my committment to 23 years of teaching. I had told him on several occasions that when I could no longer handle the position I would resign. For those of you who are seeking disability, I can sympathize with you because not too many people, especially those in charge of retirement funds, believe that PD is disabling. Even after 9 years on disability, my state retirement board still requires my neurologist to sign a statement that I have not been "cured". So I can sympathize with those of you who are going through this agonizing process. I sometimes wonder what part of the word "chronic" they do not understand. My advice to those of you who are applying for disability is that you see a specialist before applying. I visited one "regular" neuroligist who said I was too "young" to have PD. I was 37 at the time. Presently my "off" times are increasing. I am on a two hour medication cycle; my doctor doesn't want to increase my intake of Sinement and has me on Permax, Amantidine, Benztropine, and Alprazolam. I feel like a should own a drug store. I am hoping that one of the new drugs that will be coming on the market will offer more relief. Why is it that the FDA takes so long to approve PD medications? Meed support for the Udahll Bill I have ramabled on enough. I hope that this makes the e-mail this time. I have enjoyed the "in" mail I have received from the list and hope that I get through this time. Keith