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hi patricia you wrote: >Months before I was diagnosed with Parkinsons, >I started having bad leg cramps (mostly in calfs). >These cramps increase when I walk and decrease >when I lay down. in other words, the cramps start up when the muscles are in use and then the cramps dissipate when the muscles are at rest? >I first thought I might have a blockage because >my cholesterol was 280. The MRI showed I have >two herniated discs, L4 and L5, plus scoliosis >with degenerative changes. >Now the cramps are back. When I walk, my right leg swells. >When I lay down, it goes down again. This is very painfull. can you clairfy the timing here? 1. when did you first notice pd symptoms? 2. when were you diagnosed? 3. when did you start sinemet? is it CR or 'instant' ? at what dosage level? 4. when did you increase the sinemet? to what dosage level? at each of the above critical events what were your symptoms beforehand, and how did they change, if they did, afterwards ? >I take Sinemet 50/200 four times a day and Prozac. even though you had pd symptoms for many years prior to diagnosis and even though pd is so different in each one of us 800 mgs per day of levodopa sounds quite high especially for a relative 'newbie' to pd and especially in this day and age when there are so many choices of meds out there which can be used effectively prior to starting on levodopa >When I first started having the cramps, >I had not yet been diagnosed with PD >and was not taking Sinemet. i also noticed muscle cramping prior to diagnosis but, to use very broad terms, my pd is the 'stiffness' type and yours is the 'tremour' type when i started sinemet, the medication was effective in that it would cause the muscle stiffness and rigidity would 'melt' away >The neurosurgeon says surgery, >a chiropracter says adjustments, >my neurologist says PD. >Does anyone have any advice? >Any input would be appreciated. i would think long and hard before taking any surgery route and i would want to get at least one other expert opinion however, the adjustments done by a chiropractor cannot do any harm and may do some good, so why not try that first? the cramps may very well be related to pd since you are so new to sinemet, [less than a year?] and since your dosage was doubled recently [a month ago?] i think it would be a good idea to do some detective work and analysis in this area a detailed daily or hourly diary noting med intake times, food intake times and symptom description might give you some insight to what's happening you asked awhile back about movement disorder clinics i wonder if you have found one yet? a thorough detailed evaluation at such a clinic could be beneficial, if only to relieve any doubts you may have about your current medical care some doctors may have taken 'god 101' in medical school but no one knows your own body and its working condition like you do 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, etc etc since there is still a lot of misinformation out there and since the medical community is comprised of fallible human beings just like us we need to become our own best patient advocates in dealing with this 'designer disease' please let us know of your progress your cyber-sibling janet a new voice: http://www.newcountry.nu/pd/members/janet/index.htm 51/10 - almonte/ontario/canada - [log in to unmask] janet paterson