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Marcia,

I'm way behind in my list reading, But my advice is also to go with some
home health.  It will be easy to become eligible while the tube is new.  It
isn't hard to learn feeding procedures and care.  My Mom had someone in to
teach her formally - and check up on it periodically.  Sometimes some tissue
forms around the tube and seems to build up.  Home health nurses can also be
brought in to cauterize this area when necessary.

But, we all make mistakes!  I didn't get the tube in securely on Sunday and
squirted Dad's medicine all over him!  It was hard to re-do the meds because
we mix up a batch of 2 1/2 Sinemet 25/250 with 24 oz water and vitamin C (to
keep it potent) everyday, and then give him 8 oz per feeding.

Remind a doctor to re write your prescriptions in liquid form wherever
possible.  We were smashing pills forever - and it took a toll on
everyone's' arthritic hands.  For those pills that don't come in liquid form
 - use an old fashioned mortar and pestle ( you can get a green marble one
from Lillian Vernons mail order catalog and I've seen them in Crate and
Barrel)   These things work great on all kinds of pills.  We dissolve the
gel pills (senokot for a stool softener) in hot tap water.  Mom used to
microwave the meds occasionally - but that's not a good idea.

A nursing home option has to be approached with caution.  If they are not PD
aware, the upset in med schedule could be a lot worse than you can imagine.
 Nursing homes have a medication window  - they have a one hour leeway on
either side of the med schedule, by law.  If my dad gets his AM meds 1 hour
late and his noon med 1 hour early - we're messed up for days!  They also
put his tube feeding on a continual feed - so that giving him Sinemet before
his food (protein in particular)  changed his med absorption.

Good luck - hope this is of some help - I know we're farther along with this
disease than others on the list - but we're all still enjoying moments in
his life and we're hanging in there.

Sara
daughter of Richard, PD since '69 (and still going)