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Show HEALTH PARADE The writer tells how he is comingto terms with Parkinson’s disease— and reports on the latest treatments ‘Trembling,With Hope bering to swing my arms. My medicines are Artane and Deprenyl. Artane all but stops the tremor Y 8 tL oe tt 4 er’s spelling checker catches most of them. I expect to do better. I am lucky that my bosses at PARADE,where I am the health editor, have encouraged me in every way. I also broadcast daily health and science reports at WCBS-TV News in New York. I have not lost my broadcast ability. My chiefs at the station have recognized that and are very supportive. I am lucky I escaped the rapidly progressing form ofthe disease that nearly broke myfriend Elliott Osserman’s spirit. He worked on his beloved science almostto his last days. I hope to do the same. My medicines bring me as close to normal as I can possibly be. Parkinson’s chemical changes in the brain often throw a cloak of sadness overits victims. Sofar, I have escaped that depression, which can be more deadly than the inability to move, I know that nobody escapes death. And if dyingis like fainting,it’s no big deal. I’ve had terrific career in journalism. In 50 years, I’ve covered nearly every major medical and science development. I have good friends. My children and grandchildren have met with success or are well on their way. I went to see Dr. Lucien Cété, associate professor of neurology at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in Manhattan. He told me: “You are &] = lucky to have Parkinson’s disease. It Nina Barnen Ea Ear! Ubell in his office and on the tennis courts. Not about to throw in the towel, he sees Parkinson’s as one more challenge. And, to help him, scientific breakthroughs seem to be right around F the corner. of myright hand. I take it primarily whenI am going to be working among people, so it won’t distract them. Deprenyl is supposed to slow the progress of the disease by twotofive years. With luck,I could still be functioning whenI reach my 80s,if in a weakened state. There’s always a chance I will die from pneumonia, a heart attack (it runs in my family)or falling downand breaking my neck (Parkinson’s throws you off balance). But so could many people without Parkinson’s. I am lucky now.I still can hit a tennis ball, climb a staircase, work for long hours, go to the theater, see my friends. For writing, I depend on my computer word processor, although I have slowed down.I also make more typos than I used to, but my comput- is one of the few brain diseases for = which we have medicinesthat work. And, as you know, more are coming.” Lucky. 1am. And optimistic too. Scientists are testing at least three new chemicals that could arrest my e deficits as I acquire them. On thehoriSlide from normal brain’s substantia zon: the perfection of brain implants nigra. Large, dark cells make dopamine; to replace or stimulate the malfuncdarker spots within them are pigment. tioning tiny ball of nerves in mybrain. A second kind of surgery splits away the sick part of the brain from the healthy region. I am lucky because I don’t need them yet and probably won’t for many years. Scientists have hunted down the mechanism that has given so many so Slide from the same area of the brain. much trouble. They know that the Here, dopamine-producing cells are nerves in the brain communicate with dead, resulting in Parkinson’s disease. a Abbey/Photo Researchers B Nina Barnett I HAVE PARKINSON’S DISEASE. I’ve suspected it ever since I wrote in my diary four years ago: J am holding my right hand oddly. Parkinson’s? The thought was reinforced by a telephonecall from my bank: “We have a check drawn on your account for $2000. It doesn’t look like your signature.” It was illegible, but it was mine. I also noticed slight tremble of my right hand. I saw my doctor. Hesaid, not without sadness,“Yes,it’s Parkinson’s,” and turned me overto a bright young neurologist, who confirmed what I had and prescribed my medication. Because I have been writing about health and scienceforhalf a century,I knew very well what future lay before me. I had watchedas this “trembling disease” trampled my Te good friend, Dr. Elliott Osserman. He was 53 and at the peak ofhis career as a cancerresearcher when his symptoms becameclear: an odd walk—a kind of stiff shuffle—anda stifled, breathy voice. Nine years later, he was dead. And I have been watching the ever-soslow deterioration of my stepfather, who has been treated for Parkinson’s for more than 30 years. At 95, he is bedridden— immobile—butwith a sharp mind and a tiny voice that still can crack a joke. Whichwaywill Parkinson’s go for me? At 67, with medicines and exercise, I am striving to hold onto my muscles as they get fewer and fewer signals from a section of my brain that controls movement. Tennis and cycling have kept mefit. Had I not exercised throughout mylifetime, I think I would have lost much more muscle. Now I have stepped up mysessions with a physical therapist. I have the shuffling walk, but I can glide across the floor smoothly when I need to, by remem- PAGE 16 - OCTOBER 10, 1993 - PARADE MAGAZINE |
