Hello. My name is Kathy Matthews. I am 52
years of age, and was officially diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 1996,
although I had been having considerable problems long before that. I
was also misdiagnosed with a seizure disorder (who knows? maybe I have that
too), and was on antiepilepticsantiepleptics for a considerable period of
time----none of which did much to help me, and all of which I became toxic
to. So after going to several neurologists over several years, and
getting the run around at UCLA, I finally ended up with a neurologist who
listened to me more than anyone else and came up with the diagnosis of
PD.
I was an active, competitive runner, and completed 20
marathons. Plus I was an active cyclist and participated in many
long-distance cycling events. It became more and more difficult for me
to participate in those sports, and in fact it became difficult to function
at all. I had to retire from my job as a case manager for
developmentally disabled adults because it was just too stressful and
exacerbated my symptoms. I have been on sinemet since 1996.
I suffer from depression as a result of PD, and try to go
into a denial mode whenever possible--except lately I've not been able to do
that very well because I have been feeling worse. I also have a terrible
time sleeping at night. I understand that these are common problems
with people who have PD, and would like to know what has helped some of
them. I am currently taking Zoloft for my depression, 75 mg., but feel
it will have to be increased. I have had some people tell me that the
Zoloft also helps with anxiety.