 |
 |
Peggy, My heart goes out to you. My mom worked 36 hours per week and enjoyed perfect health until four years ago. An avid gardener and exercise nut, she was always able to do the NY Times crosswords in pen, using only the "across" clues. She walked five miles every day of her life and had the mental faculties of a 25-year old. She had a hip replaced in 2001. The surgery went well but she was delusional for four days afterwards, requiring sedatives and pain meds. I suspect she experienced prolonged oxygen deficiency but can't prove this. At any rate, she's never been the same. Her IQ has dropped dramatically and she's developed irrational phobias and unhealthy thoughts about foods (can't swallow water, can no longer tolerate fruits or vegetables, etc.). Constipation and severe weight loss became serious issues; her doctor prescribed yet more drugs including Paxil and sleeping pills. I begged her to quit taking them but it was useless. Two years later she fell in the night and broke her femur, requiring a 5.5 hour surgery with heavy sedation, and another 4 days of sedatives and pain meds followed. I was at her side this time; her oxygen dipped to 84, BP was way low. I forced them to lighten up on her meds and she slowly came out of it, but is now totally unable to care for herself. Requip and Sinemet help some but she's generally becoming foggier, weaker and less steady. Read up on drug-induced Parkinsonism. Since my mother is an identical twin and her 78-year old sister remains in the same terrific shape both mentally and physically as my mom was pre-op, I'm convinced chemicals are 100% to blame. When will the medical establishment own up to its role in this horror and quit over-medicating the elderly for their convenience? With sympathy and hope, Greyling -----Original Message----- From: Parkinson's Information Exchange Network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Barbara Thornton Sent: Tuesday, July 05, 2005 11:52 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: New I am writing on behalf of my mother, Barbara, who is 80 years old. She was diagnosed 8 years ago as having Parkinsonianism from a trauma induced head injury from a car accident. She did not have any rigidity or tremor and her mobility issues were not at that time responsive to senimet etc. Four weeks ago she had a hysterectomy due to uterine cancer. She had major disorientation afterwards from the anathesia. She was also put on Reglan three times a day after surgery for her sluggish bowels, which have been a problem for a long time. As the days after surgery passed her Parkinson symptoms increased. She developed rigidity, tremors and eventually could not turn over in bed unaided. She was re-hospitalized and this doctor said that she should never have been given Reglan with her Parkinson's symptoms. He said that only the "tincture of time" will tell how much of her symptomology will decrease. Meanwhile she is now very responsive to senimet and it definitely helps her mobility. She has been transferred to a skilled nursing rehabilitation center where she is receiving physical therapy in the hopes that she will regain enough strength and mobility that I can bring her back home with me. She has been living with me for the past three years. My initial question for this group is about antidepressants and drug interactions. Since surgery Mom has been experiencing high levels of anxiety/agitation that increase noticeably in the late afternoon and into evening. She has some generalized pain, muscle aches, mild nausea, etc., and describes a feeling of just wanting to get out of her own skin. I was thinking that some sort of mild anxiety medicine might make quite a difference in her outlook. I will discuss this with her doctor but was wondering what people on this list have found to be effective for them and not have a negative interaction with senimet. Thank you in advance. I apologize for the length of this posting. I will try to be more succinct in the future. Sincerely, Peggy ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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