 |
 |
---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 6 May 1997 22:18:57 -0400 (EDT) From: [log in to unmask] To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Welcome Dear Barb: Thank you for the welcome to the Parkinson List. My father was diagnosed with Parkinson's approx. 7 years ago. He has very rapidly gone down hill and is now in a nursing home. I thought that I might perhaps learn something new about Parkinson's as well as learn if his mental confusion, halucinations, etc. are common. No where in books can I find anything that addresses what this disease has done to his mind. He is 69 years old and had always been super active (hunting, etc.). My family feels that he must also have an underlying condition -- that Parkinson's alone could not (or should not) have affected his mind. I don't know if I have anything to offer the members of the list. Would welcome your thoughts. Again, thanks for the friendly words and the attachments. As a relatively new AOL user, some of the formats are a bit confusing and the info you sent will be very helpful. A friend in Pennsylvania, Lin >From [log in to unmask] May 8 12:26:43 1997 Date: Wed, 7 May 1997 20:53:55 -0400 (EDT) From: [log in to unmask] To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Welcome Hi Barb: I'd be pleased for you to post my message. More concerning my father. Through the years he has been on several kinds of medicine, the most common I believe was called dopamine (sp?). He was taken off of all medicine at intervals to "dry out" - supposedly the medicine would work better after having been off of it for a while. When not on medicine, the drooling was uncontrollable. When on medication, the halucinations were intense. Dad is retired, with very limited income and very limited medical resources. Prior to his diagnosis, he spent 5 to 10 very, very stressful years trying to juggle his time and emotions between his mother, my stepmother and a job. (My mother died in 1976 of pancreatic cancer and this was very hard on Dad. They had been married for 29 years. My sister and I are sure he remarried out of loneliness.) About the nursing home. This was a no choice solution. My father cannot walk nor feed himself. He is pretty much bed ridden and when in a chair must be strapped in. The physical demands of trying to handle someone in his condition without all the necessary equipment made it almost impossible to keep him home. His mental state at this point is one of disconnected thoughts, living in the past and extreme paranoia. It's almost impossible to have a conversation with him, because his speech is so soft and mumbled. I never knew much about PD until my father was diagnosed. I am amazed at the amount of people who are afflicted and the lack of priority it seems to have in the medical world. When I think of the severity of the illness, doesn't seem like there is much research being done or much available in the way of relief or treatment. At least in my father's case. Thank you for responding to my email, for your interest and for listening. Lin