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Hi everyone! Thanks, Janet for welcoming me to your Parkinson Mailing list. I have been lurking for a week or so and have found it quite an experience. The great thing is the direct communication - unrestricted by space - and the open sharing of thoughts and feelings. It is a very crowded room though and many different interests and topics being discussed. I am finding the amount of messages rather overwhelming and this is the down side. It takes such a time to go through it all. I'm going to try a "digest" for a week and see if that helps. Otherwise I'll have to have a "holiday" for a week, but then I'll wonder what I'm missing ! I have been specially interested in the sharing of experiences of anxiety and "mushy brains" and memory problems. I am 71 - diagnosed 7 yrs ago. The neurologist (not a PD specialist) said I had it very mildly and that it was very slow in its progress, for which I was very grateful as with the help of 3 sinemet per day I could lead a normal life -could walk - climb stairs etc and go to concerts with friends. The dose gradually increased as the years went by until I was on 8 a day taking one every 2 hours and then , the honeymoon period being over, I would find the pills just didn't seem to work at times and I would have an 'off' period of an hour or so when my brain just slowed down and I felt all panicky and unable to cope. I could still walk but was just slower. I didn't realise it was due to P.D. and thought it was something to do with the medication I was taking for high blood pressure. My Doctor changed my pills to Sinemet CR Two to start the day and one at about mid-day and one at six o'clock with an old sinemet to see me through to bed-time. I found that made all the difference so I knew it was due to the PD. I still find I have problems if I forget to take the pill on time or if I have a heavy meal / too much protein. as it doesn't seem to be able to get through to my brain. I sometimes wonder if I am taking too much dopamine and if these horrid feelings in the brain are the result of getting addicted to it and are withdrawal symptoms . Well I better not take a break from the list just yet as I may receive some comments from you. Thanks again for welcoming me into your group. Love from Mary.