Me and PD

    Today is my first blog,and I really don't know what I'm doing,but my hope is I can figure it out. I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in Feb. of 09. Prior to that about three years earlier, I was diagnosed with what they call essential tremor, a common misdiagnosis for PD. When I first heard my diagnosis, I was numb, how could have this be happening to me? I was only 57 and I thought I was superman. I looked at my long time girlfriend Diana, and asked what do I do now? She looked at me and said WE deal with it! Diana and I got back together about 12 years ago, after being high school sweethearts and then leading separate lives for many years. She is my angel and my best friend! More on that later. My current symptoms of this disease is a tremor in my left hand. rigidity, soreness pretty much all over, and fatigue. Of course there are other symptoms that concern bodily functions that I don't care to discuss publicly. Of course I should fill you in on what Parkinson's disease is! It is a chronic and progressive movement disorder that involves the malfunction and death of vital nerve cells in the brain, called neurons. Some of these dying neurons produce dopamine, a chemical that sends messages to the brain that controls movement and coordination. As PD progresses, the amount of dopamine decreases, leaving a person unable to control movement normally. I take a medication called sinamet 6 times a day, that is like artificial dopamine that helps control my symptoms to a certain degree. I hope to continue blogging on a regular basis, so you can follow my progress with PD, and help me make more people aware of this disease and the different ways you can help in the race to find a cure. That's all for today and thanks for reading.