PART 2 of 3 MY PERSONAL BATTLE WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE by Royal S. Buchanan 600 Carolina Village Road Hendersonville, NC 28792 I have been doing research. I believe the following is the least you should know about Parkinson's to be a good patient or caregiver. The PRIMARY SYMPTOMS of PD are: TREMOR: Tremor occurs in 70% of patients. They start in any limb, usually at rest. Eventually the tremors may progress to all four limbs. Since the tremors usually occur at rest, movement during a tremor is often recommended. Physical or emotional stress often causes tremors to worsen. Medicine usually helps but cannot always control tremor. RIGIDITY: Stiffness in the muscles has many side effects not often thought of. If muscles around the mouth are affected, involuntary teeth clenching may contribute to drooling. When muscles that control speech and swallowing are effected it causes hypophonia or "soft voice." The muscles that are required to move the eye also become rigid. Sight itself is not affected but reading is often difficult. (Another note on vision is that many drugs used to treat Parkinson's constrict the pupil which causes blurred vision.) BRADYKINESIA: This condition makes beginning a movement very hard. (For instance getting up from a chair.) It may cause an arrest of movement when coming to a small area or doorway. This is a most disabling symptom; however, it does respond well to treatment. (IMPORTANT: Caregivers, do NOT rush your Parkinsonian. BE PATIENT. Your Parkinsonian IS moving as fast as he can!) IMPAIRED BALANCE: The body's center of gravity becomes impaired with Parkinson's. Drug treatment seems to have no effect; therapy, however, seems to help. ------------------------------- Posted by Barbara Blake-Krebs [log in to unmask]