So many have written from both lists to share ideas and give support---is
this a great gang,
or what ??? Thanks to all of you. At the moment we are OK---though he
refused his Sinemet at 11:30 AM and again at 12:30 PM(meaning he'd had
none since 9:30AM) and was totally uncooperative, I just backed off and
left him alone. About 1:15PM he called me and wanted help getting to bed
to lie down. (this morning he had gotten up ahead of me and nearly dressed
himself, moving well!) He then took Sinemet without a murmur ---I couldn't
help pointing out that he was so off because he needed it .....
Got him to bed with great difficulty, using walker+gait belt,and all my
strength.
After sleeping for more than an hour he got up by himself, and took meds
2:30 and 4:30 PM with no problem. Also a small snack of Ensure and apple.
We'll see about supper.....
I have decided to eliminate the 1 extra Seroquel, which the MDS neuro added
recently due to increasing hallucinations. I believe it may contribute to
the weakness and shakiness, from what I read in the package insert. (Yes,
Katie--I do check those and call pharmacists !) He has also been taking
Vioxx for the pain of the vertebral compression fracture back in early
January, and weakness is one side effect of that. As the pain is better, I
am cutting down on the Vioxx as well. My usual assumption, paraphrasing
the slogan of the Clinton campaign, is "It's the meds, stupid!" (Delda,
Marie, Janet, Barb and others--note taken....) He has low blood pressure,
but it is well maintained on Florinef, and he has never seemed to have the
orthostatic hypotension Barbara S. wondered about.
BTW--Seroquel (the anti-psychotic taken for hallucinations and confusion)
has seemed to work well for him for more than a year. I asked his neuro
about Clozaril recently, and he felt Seroquel was preferable due to the
blood tests required for Clozaril, which he still says are weekly.
We're hangin' in, hangin' on, and living one HOUR at a time right now.
Many of you will know exactly what I mean by that! Thanks again for all
the caring and concern---I share this partly to relieve my own feelings,
and partly in the hope it may be helpful to others. When I get a response
from the neuro, I'll let you know what he says.
Camilla Flintermann, CG for Peter 82/70/55
Oxford, Ohio
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on the web at http://members.tripod.lycos.nl/genugten/flinterm.htm
and also at http://www.geocities.com/camillahf/index.html
"Ask me about the CARE list for Caregivers of Parkinsonians ! "
And visit the CARE webring at
http://www.crosswinds.net/~caregivers/index.html
