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Joan... and all ya other stressed-out Parkie-people... I feel you're onto something there, Joan - something I call "Accumulated Stress Syndrome." In fact, that is the main reason I've done so little posting (so little for ME, anyways) <smile> in the past 3 or 4 months (tho I DO read all the new List messages religiously each day). This past year had been a rough one, and the last few months have been the worst of all. Nothing that I couldn't handle if there was only one or two major problems at a time, but to have a buncha of 'em dumped on me, one right after another and sometimes simultaneously, has slowly been knocking all the stuffing outta me. WHEW! It's times like these I wish I was marrier JUST to have someone else around JUST to dump on! <rueful chuckle> I've been able to handle and settle all but 2 (or 3, if ya count what the terrible 100 + degree heat has done to my life) of the stressful situations except for - 1. My mother's ever increasing dementia and ever more frequent lupus outbreaks, and 2. My 29 year old daughter's deciding she doesn't want to have anything more to do with chronic illness, ergo, I can't LOOK "parkinson-y" (like there's a CHOICE?) or talk about any PD-related topic with her when we're together. (and 3? Well, EVEN in sunny California winter must EVENTUALLY come!) <can't be too soon for ME!> I'm realistic about mom's decline and am doing what can be done with the help of a social worker and a visiting nurse agency. And my daughter will prolly get over her reversion to acting like she's in the "terrible two's," eventually, but GOOD - between the two of 'em, I know I can count on some ongoing accumulated stress for the foreseeable future. And that's not even counting the Social Security hearing I'm scheduled to have on Sept. 21.... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!! (Barb leaps up from chair and runs screaming 'round her wee office) Oh, THANK you, THANK you, THANK YOU! I really NEEDED that outburst! <giggle> Barb Mallut [log in to unmask] ---------- From: Parkinson's Information Exchange on behalf of Stan or Joan Snyder Sent: Sunday, September 06, 1998 11:07 AM To: Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN Subject: Re: Stress & symptoms Good Morning: If we had a week-I could maybe tell you about this subject! I am thoroughly convinced that stress & hormones have an immense effect on the severity of my symptoms. My life has always had alot of stress. When we moved 6 years ago, then made a visit to Mayo, those were stressful situations but not enough to impact my PD. Shortly thereafter I started the process to obtain my Social Security Disability. I credit that dehumanizing process with the beginning of my real decline. Add to that the death of my father-in-law, the kids starting school, my husband getting shot (he's a City Inspector & was shot in the head by a teenager with a high-power pellet gun while driving his City car), my pallidotomies with my parents building onto our house & moving out here with us(major destruction er, construction!) & my dad's ever-worsening Alzheimer's continued my decline. After finally making the decision to put dad in a veteran's hospital, the torture continued as we made the long, terrible trip to visit him 2 x a week, second guessing ourselves and fighting among ourselves ( there are 6 kids in my family & we can't agree on a restaurant much less decisions like these). Then dad got really sick & had to have an operation & was kept alive with feeding tubes, oxygen etc. until the rest of the family finally came around to my point of view-that this was not living & that we were keeping him alive for us rather than putting daddy's wishes first & letting him go home. Altho, his death, visitation & funeral were beautiful, it has been traumatic for me (he died in Feb. of this year) & my symptoms stayed pretty much on an even keel through all that-thank God, until reality stepped in and WHAM-O- I fell apart, physically & emotionally. With what I'd been through, my neuro recommended a rubber room & can't believe that I keep digging down inside & somehow finding the strength to keep going. I figure that I've had it no better nor worse than alot of people and better than lots of folks because of my faith, my husband, & my family & friends- this includes the new friends onthis list -- --- Joan Snyder (47/8) "Do or do not. There is no try."Yoda [log in to unmask] htt://www.newcountry.nu/pd/members/page1.htm