Hi, Debbie

I have never heard of Parkinson's Plus. I can still remember mom coming
home the Neurologist in 92 and sitting down with this stunned look on her
face and saying that she had Parkinson's Disease. My mom was recovering
from a terrible reaction to two drugs for her Rheumatoid Arthritis (
prednozone: leaches calcium rapidly from your bones and Gold injections:
caused my mom  to become severly weak a paralyzed from the knees down in
just a couple of months ). My mom ended up with nine fractured vetrebrae
and in hospital so weak she could barely pick up a strofoam cup of water
this started in october' 89. Something that stuck in my mind was that
styrofoam cup mom's hand was SHAKING. I sometimes wonder if these drugs had
given my mom parkinson's they definately gave her neuropothy. Mom had aged
20 years in 3 months....Mom never recovered and in 92 was diagnosed. She
was put on sinemet and that made her way worse ( hiking her shoulder &
twisting her ankle ). Over the years she has tried many drugs and 99% did
not work. In 96 she began to freeze 50 times a day and her neurologist gave
her Artane and it was like a magic wand was waved ( as mom described it )
she walked faster, no more freezing, it was like having my old mom back!!!
It worked until a 5 maybe 6 weeks ago. Mom was taking a tiny piece of
sinemet when she felt she needed it, but when she did she would suffer for
three days with hiking her shoulder, etc...She has tried requip, permax,
several others with no success, they would just make her very ill.

My mom can be seen by a Movement Disorder Specialist but only when she is
stable and gets out of the hospital. So in the meantime the Doctors monkey
with her medications and all I can do is pray that she stabilizes so she
CAN be seen by the ones I wish she could see NOW!! She has progressed very
rapidly 92 to 98, but remember her previous illness and terrible Rhuematoid
arthritis, have also taken there toll...

Mom has lost weight in the hospital. Has anyone had experience with those
Ensure type nutitrius drinks?  I'm concerned that because mom can't feed
herself that she may not be getting enough food or drink. The nurses say
she is getting fed but she looks like she has lost several pounds to me...

Thanks for all your wishes and suggestions. I am learning more about
Parkinson's in one week than I have since mom was diagnosed.

Thanks
Susan
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> From: Debbie White <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Hi, again
> Date: Friday, November 06, 1998 7:05 PM
>
> Susan,
>
> How long has your mom had PD?
>
> It is possible that your mother has Parkinson's Plus. Of course, I don't
> know whether she does, but my mother Joyce was recently rediagnosed as
> having PP. This was based on her symptoms (early loss of balance,
rigidity,
> slowness, slurred speech), the rapid progression of her disease, and the
> fact that she doesn't respond that well to PD drugs (she's on or has been
> on Sinemet (CR, too), Requip, Tasmar, Permax). She is diagnosed with
> straitonigral degeneration, but other P Plus diseases have difference
> symptom sets. Can she be seen by a movement disorder specialist?
>
> How rapidly has she progressed?
>
> Hope things get better
>
> Debbie White
> [log in to unmask]
>
> > I was talking to our family Doctor last night about my mom.
> >
> > She says her tremor is worse and she is concerned about my mother's
> memory.
> > She thinks that my mom may have either dementia or may have been having
> > tiny strokes along the way. She also mentioned that mom was having
> trouble
> > with her bladder and she is wetting the bed at night. Mom is having
great
> > difficultly using her hands ( arthritis/Parkinson's and has a hard time
> > using the call button to call the nurses. She is terribly constipated
and
> > her lower back is causing her pain. She not able to walk on her own and
> is
> > very very weak. She needs help to be fed. I don't think my mom will be
> > coming home. The way she is right now I could never look after her.
Plus
> > her memory seems to be deteriorating faster....I talked to our Doctor
> about
> > taking mom to the movement disorder clinic but I feel that mom has gone
> > down so much and is too frail and she feels that in the end that it
> > wouldn't hold much hope and also mom has not had very little success
with
> > many of the parkinson's drugs. Even Requip didn't help.
> >
> > I am going in to see mom today. My cold is better ( it's not gone ) but
I
> > really want to see how mom is doing. I wish there was something I could
> do,
> > besides tell my mom I love her and watch her deteriorate... I think she
> > will have to go into a nursing home and in the past we had discussed
this
> > and she in no uncertain terms to me that she did not ever want to go in
> > one. With me being in a wheelchair and being not very strong physically
> > there is no way I can look after her.
> >
> > Take care
> >
> > Bye for now
> >
> > Susan
> >
> >
> > To Email me:  [log in to unmask]
> >
> > To see me:  http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Flats/1391/index.html