Keeping the Faith

What is Parkinson's disease?
Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder affecting approximately 1 million people in the United States.

What are its symptoms?
Its symptoms include:

• Tremors
• Muscle stiffness or rigidity
• Slowness of movement or bradykinesia
• Gait problems such as shuffling, freezing or falling

What causes Parkinson's?
Despite the fact that the Parkinson's disease was first described nearly 200 years ago, its cause remains a mystery. We do know that this disease is associated with a loss of the neurochemical dopamine in the brain. The dopamine producing cells, particularly in a region of the brainstem called substantia nigra, progressively die off for reasons that remain unknown. This progressive loss of cells leads to increasing disability over time.

How is Parkinson's treated?

Medical Treatments
Currently, there are many medical treatments available that control the symptoms of this disorder  by replacing the lost dopamine in the brain. These include:

• Levodopa
• Dopamine agonists (pramipexole, ropinirole, pergolide, apomorphine)
• Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitors (entacapone, tolcapone)
• Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (selegiline and rasagiline)
• Amantadine

Surgical Treatments
In the last 15 years, seven drugs have been developed for the treatment of Parkinson's disease but despite that, patients still face the prospect of a progressive neurological deficit that will ultimately disable them. Recently, new surgical treatments such as deep brain stimulation have been developed. These are used for more advanced patients who can no longer control their symptoms with medications.

 DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION....EXPLAINED

MY JOURNEY

In the Spring of 2003, my family and I were getting settled in our new home in North Georgia.  I had been having tremors in my left hand and walking with an obvious "limp" that had progressively worsened over the previous 6 months.  I had blamed them both on stress and softball.  I would tell people, "I'm fine.  I think I hurt myself sliding into third.  And, work is really stressing me out."  Well, it was time to go to the doctor.  I went by myself that day.  My wife and I had our suspicions.  Leading up to that Friday afternoon with the Neurologist, I had been x-rayed to the hilt, blood tested, and scanned more than I care to write about.  But hey, its all good!  Dr. Houssami, my neuro now of 4 years, asked me a series of questions (routine to him I'm sure) and had me do some fine motor skill tests.  He pretty much sized me up in about 5-10 minutes: "What do you think it is", he asked.  "Parkinson's", I said.  Well, you're right, he responded.  That was it.  That was the longest ride home that day.  We were headed down to our hometown that weekend for the yearly family reunion in Waycross.  How would I break the news to my wife?  How would she take it?  How EVERYTHING?  I cried for 15 minutes straight as I drove back to the house.  Then, I was fine.  God had been at work on me, preparing me for this day but I did not realize it until that ride home.  He pretty much was telling me, "ITS ALL GOOD".  ITS GONNA BE ALRIGHT!

My journey is now into its 6th year. 

But hey, "ITS ALL GOOD".

I want to make a difference in the lives of other PD'ers both past and in the future.  To do this I am trying to reach out via the web on MYSPACE

      TOGETHER IS ONE 

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