 |
 |
Jackie, Like yourself, I am a retired nurse and my husband (age 71) has PD. He does not have tremors. His PD surfaced s/p CVA. He developed restless leg syndrome after the CVA and we went to the neurologist for treatment. She watched him walk and asked him if anyone had ever told him he had PD. That was 18 months ago. She gave him samples of Mirapex which he took for about 10 days. As you probably know, Mirapex is introduced gradually over several weeks, so he never achieved a therapeutic level. He just stopped taking it. He also denies he has PD. Currently we're dealing with balance issues, stiffness in the lower extremities, bradykinesia and short term memory loss. We're scheduled to return to the neurologist on 9/11/06, and I imagine she'll suggest trying the Mirapex again. Unfortunately with Mirapex, you cannot drive a car because one of the side effects is falling asleep with no warning. Actually my husband has no business driving anyway, but that's another story. Try to tell an attorney something . . . . He has recently taken some PT to work on his balance and that has seemed to help a little. He also takes water aerobics 3 times per week. He works out daily in our exercise room here at home. He is able to golf a little, playing from the forward tees and not keeping score! We've tried accupuncture which he enjoys, but we have seen little if any benefit. He also enjoys massage therapy which seems to temporarily help his stiffness. He is aware of his memory issues and has agreed to retire by year end. Currently he works about 30-35 hours/week, but he now realizes he is not able to keep up with his practice. (Thank you, Lord for this admission. I have been terrified about liability issues associated with his practice even though the mental activity has kept him going.) I have to say our lives have changed dramatically over the last two years. I know very little about PD other than the general symptomology. I'm grateful my husband does not have tremors, but his other symptoms are difficult to deal with. It's tough. He has a wonderful spirit, and that keeps things in perspective. I'm glad to hear from you and hope this helps. Lydia On 8/23/06, Jackie <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > Cindy. Thanks for your response and greeting. It was good to hear > from someone who did not present with tremors. I'm thinking we are > probably fortunate in that respect, and the fact that he was older when > diagnosed. It may be that other PD symptoms may be slow to catch up > with him. He's going to ask his neuro about the Mirapex next time he > talks with him. Another good thing is that he is continuing to go to > his health club 3 -4 days a week and they have introduced him to some > kind of a 'ball' exercise that helps with his balance and strengthening > his lower body. > > Thanks again, > Jackie Smith > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > 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