 |
 |
On Tue 29 Oct, Laura and Michael Rogers wrote: > >To: PARKINSN@[log in to unmask] > >From: [log in to unmask] (Laura and Michael Rogers) > >Subject: only once a year? > > > >I am highly inerested in how often a PWP should see her or his dr. > >My mother-in-law (who has PD) is quite progressed in the disease and is > getting worse all the time. She is on 2 5mg Eldypryl and it helps some. > But her walk is getting worse she used to go for walks now barely leaves the > house. She has the shaking everywhere, can't write and is easily cinfused > and has the mask, just to mention a few things. She also has the moods of > nervousness and depression accompanied often by tears. But her dr who > recently about 2 years ago, diagnosed Dorothy as having PD, insists that she > isn't getting worse at least not enough to rate seeing her neurologist more > than once a year. > >Is this normal for a neurologist to want to see a patient with progressing > PD only once a year? > >I would appreciate your input on this. > > > >Laurie > >[log in to unmask] > > > > Hello Laurie. I find it almost impossible to understand how someone with PD can be treated in this thoughtless manner. Perhaps the kindest thing that I can say about your Doctor is "How soon can you get another one?". Here is another case of levodopa being witheld, when all the symptoms are crying out for it. I wonder what symptoms your mother-in-law would have to produce to make him change his mind! Regarding your specific question,One visit per year -perhaps a little on the long side, for someone who has found a stable and effective tablet regime- but not unreasonably so. BUT in no way does your Mother-in-law fit into this category. She needs to be on a closely supervised drug evaluation programme to sort out her requirements of levodopa,and when that is all sorted out, then the neurologist can slowly fade into the background. -- Brian Collins <[log in to unmask]