Originally Posted by pegleg

Hi Steve

I'm pretty sure we met at the World Congress in Washington, DC. I remember you coming straight up to me and saying, "Now there's a familiar face I recognize!." You probably wouldn't recognize me now. I have lost a lot of weight (about 45-50 lbs). The weight loss is probably due to both dyskinesias and a fissure that developed in my throat following cervical spine surgery. And whenever I go "off," swallowing is a very real problelm. I look 10 years older in the face, so I took my "young-looking" headshot off the forum. I suppose I will have to surrender to the fact that I now have to put on make-up with a pallette knife, but I'll wait for a better picture to put out there on the web. lol

I have worked a lot (volunteer "work") with GSK on patient advocacy stuff. I do know that they provide financial assistance in several instances, which can be found here at this link: http://www.gskforyou.com/ . Look it over, and if you have any questions I have a good friend over the Requip product division that can help better explain the programs offered.

Hang in there, my friend. I am truly blessed to have been able to keep supplemental insurance after disanbility. However, my husband has since retired and my premium alone is nearly $400 a month! (That's still a lot less than what my meds would cost). But I thank God that I have it made in comparison to many who come here.

Again, I want to re-emphasize that somebody with the resources and energy needs to step back and look at the "state" of the babyboomers. Not to negate the elderly PD patients, but young onset patients are doomed to horrible side effects due to long-term therapy with our present medication regime. They also are having to leave the workforce much too early and have families to raise, plus fighting this PD battle for twice as long as the later-diagnosed patient. If you were young onset say 15-25 years ago, our problems are really just starting to surface now. We really need to find strong support somewhere and fast (more than just a support group or annual conference)!