Dear Barbara, This morning, as I was backscrolling some week old Digests, when your note caught my eye and I thought, just maybe there is a positive interpretation that can be made regarding your husband's stuttering. I'M one very lucky man who has been given a new lease on the near future due to successful Pallidotomies. However I've struggled with my speech; volume and diction.You may have noticed a recent posting that I sent to Craig re:his mom and a pallidotomy. In the note I filled him in on my speech problem but I didn't mention that during the past 3-5 weeks ago I began to have a problem with very brief bursts of stuttering;usually when I was in a rush to say something and it usually involved the first letter of any word [Or so Ithink]. I have no history of stuttering, I was instead the kind of kid that who never spoke or if I did talk it was in a very soft voice. So I am puzzled by these episodes. I've got enough on my plate but some days it seems that as soon as I have one PD symptom in check another arises.So it seems to this naive writer that there are at three interpretations available to consider....... *That the stuttering is just another of the legions of Pd symptoms that may well make an unwelcomed appearence in our lives.I suspect that it is a strikingly under reported on the PD symptom list. Mr. Boyer and Mr. Hirsch seem to have reasonable understandings and solutions. SLOW DOWN!! *The development of my stuttering may be related to my adding another drug to my arsenal...Ritalin, which I started some 23 days ago in order to deal with my chronic fatigue. And remarkably, it has done that and a whole lot more. But Ritalin is considered a stimulant,an ammphetamine-like drug that could produce tics; and the distinction between a tic and a stutter is lost on me since I notice for that moment or two an uncontrolled movement of my lips or/and tongue.....a tic? *My third understanding has to do with THE PROGRESS I've been making in recovery of my voice. I tend to think of my PD symptoms as clustering or layering. Remove one symptom and you will surely come across another. In my case I think what is happening is that as my voice volume is restored a new symptom [stuttering] appears filling the void left by the departing symptom[low volume].Perhaps the stuttering was always there; it never had a voice!! But now it does and if there is anything that a stutter enjoys it is attention and it certainly has mine. What to do? I suspect that my stuttering is transitory and will dissapear as I continue to make improvements in my voice. I refuse to yield any further ground to this damn illness! What ever crops up representing PD will be meet with a very positive outlook. I do like my third option noted above. Barbara' if your husband is very concerned and doesn' know the resources I,in all likelihood, could arrange for an e-mail consulation with a very experienced PhD Psychologist who has overcome one of the worst stuttering problems I've ever heard. This consultation would be a one shot deal that would be a part of our HCP program [are you familiar with this program? There is no charge for the consultation. Feel free to be in touch if you would like to know more]. Good luck to all of us george [log in to unmask] AMAZING GRACE Amazing grace, how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost, but now I'm found Was blind, but now I see -----------------------------------