Confirmed

7/8/23

I asked my GP whether he knew of an alternative specialist. He suggested a Dr. V. I called. Again, no  appointment was available for at least a month. It was not good enough. I decided to search the Web for another neurologist in Austin and found one with good credentials and positive feedback from patients. I found several, picked out one, and called. A friendly receptionist answered on the first ring. I explained my concerns.

“Yes, Dr. W. has an opening in two weeks,” she told me.

I figured that would have to do. I didn’t like it but I’d have to wait. Then, to my surprise, that evening I got a call from her. There had  been a cancellation.

“Could I come to Dr. W’s office on Monday, three days hence?”

“Yes,” I said. “No problem. I’ll be there.”

When I arrived at Dr. W’s modest facility, I told her of my symptoms. She had me walk a few yards up and down the corridor. She did me do a few other movement tests and asked me a lot of questions. 

“You probably have Parkinson’s,” she finally announced. “We’ll start you on a regimen of L-Dopa right away.”

She explained that a lot of patients don’t tolerate the medicine very well. They get nauseous. For that reason, she suggested that I ramp us the dose and, at first, take the medication with a meal. She started me with a formulation of 25mg carbidopa and 100 mg levodopa. I hadn’t the faintest idea of what that was.

“Start with one a day for 5 days, then two for another five days, and finally, three a day.”

I filled the prescription that afternoon and began my journey with Parkinson’s.

I’m a molecular biologist. Or at least I used to be one before I retired. (You can read more about me in the ‘Memoir’ section of this site.) That meant that I was able to better understand the basic  biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology of Parkinson’s better than most laymen. In this blog, my intention is to do two things: First, describe in real time the progression of my symptoms. And second, given my background, to try to explain the molecular and cellular basis of the disease and it therapy. Since, I’m going to start out knowing little about the disease, I’ll be learning as well as explaining along the way. Anyone who reads these posts with more expertise can put corrections and suggestions in the comments box.

Two other points. Keep in mind that if you have Parkinson’s, or if you’re looking after someone with the disorder, both the symptoms and rate of progression may be quite different than my own. It seems like Parkinson’s has a wide range of effects.

And most important, it’s critical to understand that I’m not a doctor and will not offer medical advice because I’m not competent to do so. That’s the function of a physician.

By the way, there are other websites with similar goals. The best one that I’ve come across is this one: https://journeywithparkinsons.com/ The author,Frank Church, like me, is a retired professor. A biochemist. He’s had Parkinson’s since 2012 and his blog is quite extensive.