On a completely personal note, I would not want to give the
impression that I have Parkinson's. I have no idea what it is, and
neither do the doctors. They call it "essential tremor," where
"essential" is medical jargon meaning 'built-in, always there,' or
'we don't have a clue what causes it.' There are many possible
causes. On the other hand, Parkinson's runs in the family and my
deceased relatives had the same kind of symptoms at my age, so it is
a good bet that I do. You have to die of something and Parkinson's is
not a bad way to go.
Because it was free, I took part in a neurological medical study at
Emory U. The doctors measured this and that and poked me with
needles. They did not seem alarmed. They confirmed there is a problem
but it is mild and requires no treatment. They said the best way to
find out exactly what's wrong would be with an autopsy, but I would
prefer not to undergo that just yet. No doubt it will get worse with
age. I know from experience that exercise reduces the problem, and
they confirmed that.
Fleischmann told me he has had the problem for a long time. So did my
mother, and others I have known who had it.
- Jed
