Matthew,

I am interested in what others have to say about your mother's med schedule/dosage but to me it seems like a heck of a lot of CD/LD for someone who had shown few symptoms just 1.5 years ago. If she shows deterioration/intolerance with the 1st week drug protocal, I would not hesitate to call her doctor before going to the 2nd week.

Before I was Dx with PD, I too had 2 cervical spinal surgeries for stenosis and herniation. After my 1st surgery, I looked like a stroke victim - couldn't hold up my head, monotone, couldn't pick up my arms or swing them, shuffled, terrible, terrible pain. Three months later, an MRI was finally done and showed a bleed on my spinal cord. It took me a full year to recover nd never got back to baseline. The 2nd surgery ent better but little improvement in my symptoms - no arm swing, stiffness, cog wheeling, blank face, soft voice, shoulder/neck psin, numbness, etc. First month they put me on sinemet it did nothing for me. 2 yers later, I tried again - had response within 20 minutes - I could walk smoothly and move my arms. I saw a LOT of doctors during that time. I have had PD for 20 years and never took that much CD/LD as your mother's med schedule. I had DBS one side done in 2006 and at this time I take any where from 1 up to 3, usually only 2 25/100 mg per day. Now I think that I am unusual in t he PD world but for me less is best and I control how much meds I want to take. Sometimes it is a fine line between too much ldopa and too little. It takes a lot of adjustments to get it just right and just as with kids, the minute you think you have it figured out, it changes on you. Perhaps some other members can give their prospective to you. Good luck
TG