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Hi Sara > My father, who is 75 has just been diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease. > ... a second neurologist has now suggested Parkinsons > disease. The one confusing thing is that he is experiencing > a lot of pain in his legs, and is being told that this is not > normally a symptom of Parkinsons, Well, yes, pain is not normally a symptom of PD. However, one of the major symptoms IS rigidity, and some of us find that can cause pain, because the muscles tighten up so much that it causes aches. > It seems from readiong some of the information on the web that the drug > treatment for the disease can be quite complex, particularly for older people > where some of the drugs can bring on dementia. PD is a disease of the neurological type. Tis is closely linked with the brain and the drugs to attack the symptoms can indeed cause most unpleasant side effects, but every Parkinsonian reacts differently, so it may not be as complex as you now think. > Anyway my father would like to make sure that he is > under an expert practitioner : The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Queens Square London WC1 is world-renowned. It is conveniently close to the Head Office of the Parkinson's Disease Society (22 Upper Woburn Place, WC1) and if you and your father are not members of the Society, I can thoroughly recommend it. > Finally does anyone have any general comments, advice or information regarding > Parkinsons disease which onsets in later life? Yes - most of the symptoms can readily be confused with those caused by old age. Don't AUTOMATICALLY think that PD is at the root of all your father's ailments! It MAY be, but it gets a bit difficult to distinguish in the over-60s. Good luck. -- Jeremy Browne, Hampshire, UK [log in to unmask] Shaking Hands BBS, Fidonet 2:252/160 (+44 1252 626233, also FAX)