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The neurologist ended our fifteen-minute appointment by handing me a torn plastic bag containing 50 Stalevo-50 pills.

"These 50 sample pills are each 50 strength," he said "There are also 100 and 150 strengths that you'll work your way up to in time. Begin with one 50-strength pill daily and increase the number of pills twice a day until you feel better."

"Will you be calling me next week to check on how I'm doing?"

"I can't be telephoning all the patients I have. You call me."

"I see from this label that two of the three ingredients are levodopa and carbidopa. That's Sinemet, isn't it? Which means it will only help me for five years at the most."

"You should be worrying about THIS year, not five years from now," he scolded. "Besides, by then you'll be 81 years old!"

The way he said it, 81 years old sounded older than dirt and ready for the dumpster. My hackles began to rise.

Hastily my peace-loving helper interjected, "Two things Barbara has plenty of are brains and a strong will."

"Good," the doctor said as he hurried out of the room.

"Maybe he didn't want to be there any more than we did," I said to Linda An on our way home.