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Karen -

My husband had a similar reaction to Sinemet.  He had more dystonia (very
painful) than dyskinesia, but wasn't able to tolerate enough Sinemet to
relieve his PD symptoms.  He had DBS (short for deep brain stimulation),
specifically pallidal stimulation, bilaterally three years ago, and that
worked wonders.  He has also had tremendous success with Mirapex.  He was able
to cut his Sinemet intake in half once he started Mirapex, and got good relief
from many of his remaining symptoms.  He was able to get more dopamine into
his system and bypass the nasty side effects of Sinemet.

Is there a good movement disorder specialist in your area?  Or a PD
specialist?  That would be beneficial.  You might ask your neuro/doctor about
trying Mirapex.  It seems to me that you'd be a good candidate for the kind of
benefits Dick got from it.

BTW, Dick's age of onset was 37, and he was diagnosed at age 38.  He has had
PD now for 17 years.  You'll find a lot of young-onset Parkinsonians on this
list, plus a tremendous amount of help and support.

I think our children were about 11 and 13 when Dick was diagnosed.  I don't
have any good advice for helping your daughter deal with your diagnosis and
your symptoms, but I do know that teenagers are notoriously easily embarrassed
by their parents, and any hint of "differentness"  can be very difficult for
them to deal with.  Your daughter will be able to cope with it better when
she's a few years older.  Meanwhile, if Mirapex or another med would help
decrease your symptoms, that will help her cope for now.  I also think it's
pretty frightening to teenagers deep down inside when their parents prove
vulnerable to disease.  Our children are adults now, and are extremely
supportive of Dick.

Wishing you the best.

Margie Swindler, cg for Dick, 54/17