Re: Father diagnosed with shy drager

Posted By Karen Reed on February 26, 1999 at 23:52:00:

In Reply to: Father diagnosed with shy drager posted by julie on February 25, 1999 at 22:56:29:






   My dad has a 30 year hx of parkinsons.  Over the last year has has been having period of urinary retention , frequency, urgency and incontinence for which he was tx with flomax (with relief).  Over that last 2-3 months he has had a couple of falls which he described as different from his parkinsons related falls--there was no staggering or loss of balance-he just went down.  We recorded his BP sitting and standing and noted a SBP in 40's when up.  He was then hospitalized, and after realizing his orthostatic problems continued after the DC of flomax they gave the diagnosis of Shy-Drager.  Is that enough information to make that diagnosis. Are thre other test to confirm the diagnosis? What is the tx?
Is there a specialist there or close to the Cincinnati area that could help? Thank you.




I was diagnosed with Shy Drager Syndrome in 1989...consequences of the syndrome
should be much worse than I presently suffer. A great number of tests of the
colonergic and adrenergic chemistry was the source of my diagnosis.
My treatment was not the conventional one of steroids and beta blockers but
alternate medicine... acupuncture by a traditional acupuncturist gave me a
75% turn-around of my symptoms. The second treatment is an ongoing thing - since
I do not produce epinephrine (a neuroreceptor) so my substitute neuroreceptor
is nicotine in the form of the patch for 24 hour coverage and smoking during the hours
I am up and about to ease the orthostatic hypotension.
I have had a great deal of help from the Autonomic Disease Research Department,
Vanderbilt Research Center,in Nashville. During my last visit there they
conversed frequently with a Michigan Research Centre doing nicotine studies,
and that would be a little closer for you.