It ain't easy.

I've been lurking in this forum off an on since my PCP got me in to see a neurologist in two days despite a four month waiting list for new patients in June 2012. My left arm had quit swinging when I walked about a year earlier, My left fingers were shaking and stiff. I had to type with one hand at work.

I had been a massage therapist and energy worker. Around the start of 2012, I noticed a quiver in my left hand when I did certain massage moves. I was quickly using my right arm and hand for 80% of my massage work.

June 2012, I start taking ropinirole. I became a slow walking, drooling zombie. I lurched into an orthopedic surgeon's office who found two torn tendons and some AC joint damage. Denial and false hope led me to taper off of the ropinirole, have the surgery and hopefully wake up tremor free the next day.

I woke up that October morning with my left hand rhythmically rocking to and fro.

My return to work lasted only 6 weeks before I was full blown zombie; shaking, lurching, drooling, leaving trails of urine on my pants.

I started levo/carbo, then azilect, then comtan, now staylevo sans azilect.

I'm driving again. Last month I moved to a one bedroom duplex, living independently for the first time in a year.

Today I accepted my landlady's offer to move two houses down the block and gain a massage treatment space and washer/dryer connections.

I've lined up a few men to test drive a massage from the new me.

DBS consultation May 21 at Washington U.

Pleased to introduce myself, wish I didn't have Parkinson's, but it is what it is.