This mail list has me hooked. I'm so engrossed in these messages I can't
get my work done.
--for Camilla Flintermann who wrote about similarities between Alzheimers
(AD) and PD
I worry about the large number of PD patients being diagnosed with
Alzheimers. A few years back, my father was thought to have AD as well as
PD. There were days when he thought it was WW2 and he was living in
Detroit, thought I was my mother, was looking for children who are all now
over 40, and other "weird" things.
Since his medications have been better regulated, he has had no more
time-period confusion. Although he has difficulty talking, when he does, he
is almost always oriented to time and place, and aware of his condition. The
AD has taken a big turn for the better. Alas, his PD had taken a turn for
the worse.
Can anything be done to rule out med problems in those diagnosed with
PD and AD?
--For Fred, Ellen and others about Artane & Amantadine
Artane is on my "bad drug" list since we were told by a urologist
AND a neurologist that it contributed to my father's bladder problems, and
was well-known for causing bladder problems in men who already had some
prostate trouble. However, nobody told us this until after he'd taken this
drug for several years, and his bladder was ruined. I read the pharmacist's
info on artane, carefully, with medical dictionary in hand and pharmacist
only a phone call away. Men over 50 on artane should be *strongly* warned
to see a urologist on some reasonable time schedule to check for side
effects of the drug. If it helps, take it, but please be sure to watch out
for the side effects.
Artane also seems to have been the most likely culprit in my
father's "hot spells", a feeling of heat SO BAD it nearly drove him crazy
whenever the spells came on, and which got better when he stopped taking artane.
Amantadine caused my dad to swell up. He finally ended up in
hospital, and they thought he was having heart trouble. He already had
heart disease when he started taking amantadine though, so maybe this was a
factor. But it was discontinued before ever helping him.
-- for Barry Doyle re facelifts
Very interesting. Does your wife's dr. think the anesthesia will
cause her any problems? Does the dr. think it will help the sort of "blank"
look PD patients sometimes get because of rigid face muscles? Never thought
about it before, but if a patient had facial tremor, would the tremor pull
at the stitches?
--for SJS-OnTheNet re: Digestive Tract Problems caused by PD
We've been warned that constipation and impaction are something to
watch out for, but don't know if it's cause of the meds or the disease
itself. If any of the laxatives you mentioned are a sweet sticky syrup,
maybe you'll want to read the info on it. There is one called I think
silbatrol? that causes extreme gas and distention, and in my dad's case
produced little results. But that doesn't mean it won't work for your
mother. But maybe if she knew what was causing the distention, she might be
able to better deal with it. Best wishes for both of you.
-- for Alan Peach <[log in to unmask]> re:control of medication
Early A.M. muscle cramps - Ask you Dr. if taking a very small dose
(half or 1/4 of a regular low dose - not CR - sinemet as soon as you get up
might help. The dr.s say that CR is great because it stays in the body
longer than regular sinemet, but also takes longer to "kick in". A small
dose to get you started before the CR is working might help. Helped my dad
control early AM "off" period. Good luck.
-- to All
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm thinking of all of you and hoping the
best for you.
Vicki
