Re: Brians comments on falling

[Dennis Greene <dennisg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Brian,


>Due perhaps to the fact that before PD I had an excellent sense of
>balance, I have not (Yet ) actually fallen down.

Half your luck. I too had a good sense of balance and  very good head for
hieghts prior to developing PD. Good enough that i used to be the Fly
Captain of a theatre club and one of those used for roof work by my State
Emergency  Service unit.

Unfortunately this has not kept me on my feet since getting PD.

>The pre-cursor of falling is nearly always the old Parkinson's Soft-Shoe
>Shuffle, which is generally coupled with freezing in doorways, but can
>happen out in the open also.

Agreed

>
>After cross-questioning a few people in our local support group, I will
>stick my neck out and say I believe that in 90% of cases falling is due
>to insufficient levodopa: In short, you are underdosed.

Agreed - I would go so far as to say that the other 10% are associated with
dyskinesia or are not associated with PD per se.

> Now don't rush off and start swallowing loads of tablets - If you are
>like me. you should be more concerned that you have chosen the correct
>level once the tablet is established, and the lead-in to that steady
>level will be what it will be. (You can always go back to bed for half
>an hour!)

Agreed - but here comes my problem - I tend to get on with things rather
than wait 'til I'm on.


I also agree that the subsequent regular 'off' periods during the day are a
clear sign of being underdosed and that this can be overcome by taking meds
early. At the risk of triggering an old discussion (which I shall stay right
out of) I would advise anyone deciding to take that route that they may
experience dyskinesia until such time as they get the adjustment fine tuned.
Those with a narrow window of toxicity will have more trouble than others.

Dennis