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I was just musing about my ten years as a Parkie, then I thought, I must keep things in perspective. I wrote this a while bact to give to "John". = By the way, I started Mirapex a week ago, and i have not had a significant "OFF" time this last week. In fact I hardly have offs at all. I think Mirapex is the best thing since sliced bread. Now here is the piece I wro= te for "John" The Date is may 8, 1988. I am having my first appointment with a Neuro, D= r. Barton. After doing a few tests and watching me walk back and forth up an= d down the hall he finally said, "Looks like Parkinson=92s to me." "Do you = want the medication?( he meant Sinemet)" I said, not knowing any better "SURE.= " These symptoms that had been annoying me for about a year now had a name,= I thought to myself. I have Parkinson=92s disease. Then I went to the check= out desk where Sue, my wife worked. She asked " Well what is it?" Then I said it aloud for the first time, "I HAVE PARKINSON=92S DISEASE" "But I=92ve g= ot the medication for it." I quickly said, as if that was going to take care of it. It really had not hit me yet that this was a life sentence. I desperately needed an experienced Parkie who had been through the battles to tell me there is life after diagnosis. I took my pills which masked my symptoms and didn=92t tell anyone for abo= ut a year Now here I am nine and a half years later having gone through some of the most debilitating dyskinesia that anyone could imagine and finally in August of 1995 I had a bilateral Pallidotomy. The dyskinesia essentially ended but my Pd continues to work its ways in my body and I seek to start Mirapex in a few days . Maybe it will help some of the "offs" and "ons" that plague me at some time every day. So it is in the life of a parkie. Just another day to thank God that I only have PD. Two months ago my boyhood best friend died of Lung Cancer. We need to put things in perspective. Then I think when I spit from the 26th floor And it floats with the breeze to the ground Does it fall upon hats or on white Persian cats or on heads with a pity pat sound I used to think life was a bore=20 but I don=92t think that any more as I count up the hits and smile as I miss and spit from the 26th floor. (Shel Silverstein in WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS)