Dear Shari.
I tried to answer your father's questions by answering him - hope you saw
those. I, too, will try to be brief. You wonder about what to talk with
your father if/when it doesn't work, or at least, live up to his
expectations. You mention Mirapex, but it could be any of the medications.
While PD is chronic, degenerative and progressive, it is not entirely
without hope. Research gets us collectively closer to a solution of the
mysteries, and possibly a cure every day. Research in other fields
constantly expands our outlooks and tempers our disappointments and
depression.
The wife of our PD treasurer committed suicide a couple of years ago, and
did it ever stir up the conversation. She chose a home method from the
Monarch Society. Her husband assisted her, and the fact that her son is an
attorney kept the local police and coroner investigation short and
non-sensationalized. My point in telling this story is that there are folks
within the PD community who will be glad to talk with your father about his
many options, suicide being only one. What I learned from this episode was
that even though I didn't feel that she gave all of her doctors enough
chances to help her, she still was in charge of her own life, even to ending
it.
The other point I would try to make is that even though you are now very
involved in your parents' lives, when and if the time comes that your father
would rather end his life rather than continue it, you needn't be the angel
of death. You will know what you are comfortable with.
Best wishes for better days, hope and a fighting spirit, Don
Penny
