Sherry Macredes wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> I have been taking Requip and am now up to 3MG per day. I just started
> taking Requip after Mirapex didn't work. Now that I feel I'm up to a dosage
> that should show some results, I don't feel like it's working. When I call
> the neuro to report on meds if I'm having a bad day I tell him this stuff
> doesn't work, if it's a good day I think it's great. Last week I told him my
> answers may be incorrect because I don't consider the big picture and maybe I
> should keep a journal, he said great idea. Now I wonder how and what to
> record. How do you tell if you are slightly better or worse? Is there an
> exercise to gauge improvement? My problem is with loss of use of my left
> hand and muscle ridigity. The muscle pain is also a problem, how can you
> rate pain? When it hurts it's always a 10 on a scale of 1-10. I am also
> wondering just how much improvement I can expect. One neuro told me with the
> right meds I would be able to lead a "normal" life (yeah right), how do you
> define normal? Have any of you kept a pain journal? What did you use to
> rate your meds?
> Thanks for your input, from a newly dx PD'er.
>
> Sherry
Sherry - My neuro gave me a chart which I would rather not attach, but will
attempt to draw a little bit of. It works pretty well to reflect what I am
experiencing, but it isn't perfect. I think there ought to be aanother space for
the activity, or stress level at the time.
PATIENT DIARY
Time Med Taken Asleep On Off On with dysk
Midn. Sin25/100 X
12:30
1:00
1:30
etc.
Meal times should be circled.
This requries paying strict attention to what you feel, and it isn't always easy
to decide whether you are "on" or "off" and whether what you are experiencing is
dyskinesia or what--but it helps.
Nancy Shlaes deGrazia (62/6)
