Lou Hevly

I have been on sinemet for about 3 years, 25/100 3 tabs per day. No negative side effects.

Fortuantely I’m happily married and my job consists of climbing up one flight of stairs to my office where very friendly Catalan people come to practice their English. In other words, no stress. However, either the PD itself, or the meds I’m taking or simply my own personal genetic makeup have lately been causing me serious insomnia, and my RLS…[Read more]

Hi again Jean,

Maybe someone’s monitoring this forum; I’ve just received an email from a Neurology Research Assistant at Bastyr University thanking me for my participation in the CAM Care in PD survey and inviting me to do the 24-hour food recall survey, which I just took.

When anyone tells me I’m “looking good” I respond, “That’s cause I’ve got my clothes on”.

Hi Jean, I’m doing all right, and I sure hope you can say the same. I had polymyalgia for two years in 2011-2012 and still have a little neck and shoulder stiffness. I thought these were hangovers from the PMR, but maybe they’re another Parkinson contribution to my “well-being”.

Anosmie (lack of sense of smell), 12 years ago. Mild kinetic tremor (tremor when lifting or manipulating something) 6 years ago.

I mention it because I sometimes get a spaced out look during class and I didn’t want my students thinking I was getting bored!

Yes, but I don’t connect PD with it yet. It’s more like philosophic speculation, especially the question of whether anything we do has any bearing on what, if anything, comes next.

Can’t complain, or I’m fine.

I see my neurologist twice a year. But at the moment my symptoms are stable, so there really isn’t much reason to see him. Also, once when I wanted to change my meds, I carefully explained why in an email and he made the prescription change for me.

😉
I was taught never to talk with my mouth full, but if I want to get a word in edgewise in this country (Catalonia) I have to grab any opportunity. So I used to be pretty good at it, but now with PD I’ve had to give it up.

Yes, I drool. And my mouth hangs open when I observe anything interesting for very long.

Hi Avril, what you’re experiencing with the effectiveness of Parkinson medications is normal. Every case is different and even the best doctors can only prescribe for patients on a trial and error basis.

Sinemet is the “gold standard” of Parkinson’s treatment. The normal beginning dosage is a tablet (25/100) 3 times a day. What are the main…[Read more]

Exercise and movement are, as far as I’ve read, virtually the only thing *everybody* agrees has a positive effect on Parkinson’s symptoms. Which is kind of a “duhhh”, since exercise and movement are good for everybody.

I walk a lot, climb five floors 2 stairs at a time at least three times a day, and do 3 or 4 1/2 hour yoga sessions per week. And…[Read more]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/29307281spl

Intermittent fasting protects against the deterioration of cognitive function, energy metabolism and dyslipidemia in Alzheimer’s disease-induced estrogen deficient rats

Hi Cathy:

I believe I’ve read that the carbidopa was added to the levodopa in Sinemet precisely to help prevent nausea. Ask your neurologist about this, but instead of 25/100 carbidopa/levodopoa, take an additional carbidopa suplement so it will be, in effect, 50/100 carbidopa/levodopoa. Remember, I’m no neurologist and there might be very good…[Read more]

My GP kids me that I know more about Parkinson’s than she does.

I’ve spent hours researching the three main branches of medication for Parkinson’s: levodopa, agonists and Mao-B inhibitors.

My neurologist answers emails and will change my prescription for me if I give him a rational explanation. An example is I asked him to add Mirapexin to my…[Read more]

Hi Cathy,

If you’re newly diagnosed, you might ask your neurologist about switching from levodopa to either an agonist (p.e., Mirapexin) or Mao-B inhibitor (p.e., Azilect).

Parkinson’s affects everbody differently (“When you’ve seen one case of Parkinson’s, you’ve seen one case of Parkinson’s”) and though it is a shame that your stomach and…[Read more]

It sometimes takes me a little longer than usual to button my left cuff button with my right (PD-impacted) hand. And like Bob, I’d rather do it myself.