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Dear Art, I had the same experience when I went off my regular Sinimet for a month. I'm glad to say that I have recovered my strength and mobility now that I am back on it, but it took awhile. Hang in there. David >From: Arthur Hirsch <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: Parkinson's Information Exchange Network ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: I made a mistake >Date: Wed, 5 Apr 2006 13:38:57 -0400 > >I made a mistake recently - a foolish mistake - that I feel it would >be wise to share with others lest they make it too - and because >there is much that can be learned from it. > >It started apparently, innocently enough, with a problem with the >rotator cuff on my right shoulder. I'm not certain what caused the >problem there - it might have been exercising or mouse work or >stretching to reach something. Whatever it was, it happened. And >before long I had a miserable pain. Not a constant pain, but rather >a sharp pain that arose when my right arm was touched in any of >several manners. But immediately following that pain came a second >jolt - which was short but crippling in its magnitude. > >I had an appointment with an orthopaedist in January to discuss a >problem with my leg. His appointments are limited to one problem at >a time, so I changed the appointment to cover my shoulder >instead. He sent me to a nearby hospital for an MRI, and I would see >him again in three weeks. > >The pain grew worse. I went to the emergency room at the hospital >where the MRI had been done. The doctor there was able to retrieve >the report on the MRI. That's how I learned that it was the rotator >cuff that had been damaged. The doctor gave me pain pills and a sling. > >Days later I went to the emergency rooms at two other hospitals, but >all I got were pain pills. And the pills all made me groggy but they >didn't stop the intense pain. > >I was frantic. I finally guessed that the second jolt was that of >dyskinesia from my Parkinson's. To test it, I discontinued my >Parkinson's medications. No more Sinemet. No more Requip. No >more Comtan. It worked. I felt so good about it that I didn't >return to the Parkinson's meds. And that's where the trouble started. > >As the days went by, I started to lose strength. I knew it was the >Parkinson meds, but I didn't know which one(s) to take to get my >strength back and still avoid dyskinesia. I called the movement >disorder specialist in London, but I couldn't reach him, and an >associate of his wouldn't touch a person she hadn't seen. I tried >other doctors - no luck. I was in a downward spiral. Who could help? > >Finally on the night of 11 March, I knew I needed help. We called >911, and I was off to the hospital by ambulance.. I lay on a hard >bed in the emergency area with its bright lights for four hours, >while the doctor reviewed the results of some tests, I was moved to >the near-critical care area. Two days there were followed by seven >in medical ward and eleven in rehab. I was happy to return home on >Friday - where the computer is proving no friend. It is hard to type >- but generally hard just to get around. - even with a rolator. But >I keep busy doing the exercises that they told me to do, and I hope >to be back up to strength soon. > >So here I am, over three weeks later, finding that doing little >things that were once so easy are now difficult to impossible, and >hoping that following the therapist's instructions will bring back >the strength and abilities I once had. I have a long way to go, and >sitting at the computer won't help it. So don't expect to hear a lot >from me - at least not for a while. > >The moral of this little experience - don't cut out your meds without >a doctor's permission. Or I can tell you what hell you will >probably go through. > >Art > >---------------------------------------------------------------------- >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