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Diane: First, good luck with your surgery. Some of us would have a dreadful time trying keep our mouths shut for 3 minutes - least of all for 3 weeks! I am sure your computer will come in handy once you are home. As for sinemet, there is a "recipe" for liquifying it as per National Parkinson Foundation booklet on medications. If you don't already have this, call NPF (1-800-327-4545) and ask for their free booklets, including the one on medications. Don't know about your other meds. NPF "formula" is below, but BE SURE to discuss this with your PD doctor because dosage needs may vary - and this involves regular sinemet, not CR. He may want to give your a morning "jump start" dose and change the amount for hourly doses throughout the day. Bring your doctor(s) the information in the NPF booklet. (And see if NPF can send it to you quickly). Mix the following ingredients in a one quart PLASTIC (do not use metal)container with lid: * 10 tablets sinemet 10/100 or 25/100 tablets (=1000mg levodopa) * 1/2 tsp Ascorbic acid crystals (=approx 2 gms) * 1 quart tap or distilled water (1,000 ml) Rotate container or shake gently until tablets dissolve (don't need to crush the pills) Formula will maintain full-strength and purity for 24-48 hours in refrigerator. My husband had abdominal surgery several years ago and would have been without sinemet for a week (Yikes)! if I had not given this info to his urologist and the hospital pharmacy. They administered the liquid sinemet via naso-gastric tube until he was able to take it the normal way. You should not abruptly stop the sinemet, it can lead to complications. Make sure your Neuro and the MD doing your surgery confer on this and orders are written and rewritten when you move from IC to regular hospital floor. Bring copies of your medication schedule to hospital with you and distribute to nursing staff more than once. Our situation went very smoothly once I got everyone on board - although nursing medication schedules are not necessarily in keeping with the needs of PWPs. If you can have family and/or friends there with you as much as possible they can run interference and communicate with the staff. Bring one of those "slates" (where you lift up a film to erase what you have written) - if they still make them. Or a clip board and lots of paper with a pencil attached so it is readily available. That should help you communicate your needs. Again, best of luck. Hope this is helpful. Let us know how you are doing. Best, Sue ----- Original Message ----- From: "Diane Nicolaou" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Sunday, May 08, 2005 5:19 AM Subject: Suggestions Needed >I am having jaw surgery later this month and will not be able to open my > mouth or jaws for 3 weeks after. I am not so concerned about being in > intensive > care on a respirator immediately afterwards or being on a liquid diet for > 3 > weeks but how am I to take my Sinemet CR and mirapex? I really rely on > them > every 3 1/2 to 4 hours. > The Doctors say I will have to crush all meds and my Neuro says I can do > that it just won't last as long. The pharmacy tells me there is no liquid > sinemet. This has me worried. Any advice? and how do I make sure they > give me my > meds while I am hospitalized? I'm thinking this is going to be a > struggle. > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn