I had begun to feel weakness in my right hand, and a small imperceptible tremor. (It still cannot be seen by others, unless I am under stress or am cold.) I suspect that I had symptoms I ignored. For example, in 1991, someone complained that I frequently dragged my feet (my right foot). I am not satisfied with my meds and the lack of knowledge re treatment of PD. I am depressed, slow, clumsy, suffer from "colonic inertia" which creates my primary stress. The stress I feel is exacerbated by having had several surgeries for scoliosis resulting in 11 fused vertebrae and osteoporosis.

  The osteoporosis has caused me to lose 5 inches in height -- I've gone from 5'2" to 4'9".  My internal organs below my ribcage feel compressed and cause me great discomfort.  All this and Parkinson's Disease...........bah humbug! 

   I am single and live alone with my cat.  Until the last year, this has suited me well since I am a relatively independent woman.  But now, as my PD is progressing, I miss the companionship of a larger furry beast.  (The cat just doesn't cut it!)  Very soon, I also will  need a caregiver because everything is beginning to be quite difficult.  That takes money, which I thought I had, but this current economy ate up a large portion of my savings.  So stress is rearing its ugly head.

Until several years ago, I worked as a licensed cliniical worker.  Over the years I worked with a variety of populations -- emotionally disturbed adolescents who resided in large group settings, and my last position was as a psychiatric social worker in a jail setting.  Most of my professional life was in administration as well as direct treatment.  I retired several years ago and am spending my time trying to deal with this PD.

In my childhood and younger years (until my mid-thirties), I spent much time as a classical singer.  I've lived in Miami (where I was raised), New York City, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area in California.  I sang with the San Francisco Bach Choir for 14 years until 2000. 

The above doesn't really tell you about me, but it hits the tops of the mountains.