It isn't easy being a support group leader. This is not a list member but I
thought I would lean on the list for some helpfull response to this young
ladies plea for help for her mother. Damn this disease. I have an
appointment tomorrow with Dr. Straight the chief of the research department at
University Hospital. I am tring to get the Hospital to specifically research
on Parkinson's disease. Does anybody have $ 50,000. to donate to help get a
matching grant from some of the seed money programs? RESEARCH and money for
RESEARCH is the answer.
Thanks Dale Severance Please read the students letter which follows
To: [log in to unmask] ('Honie12440')
Hi Dale,
We have corresponded before via email on my parent's situation in Syracuse.
I live in My mom is the person that has Parkinson's/mini
strokes/possible Altzheimers.
I guess I am looking for your comments/recommendations or whatever
information that you think may help us.
Mom was taken to the hospital last Wednesday after have some type of seizure
when dad was putting her to bed. She is unable to talk, walk or enjoy much
of anything at this point. It all happened late that night and I didn't get
to our answering machine until the following morning where I found a message
from dad saying I needed to call him and it concerned "my mother". I tried
and tried and tried calling with no answer on his end. I finally called my
Aunt and Uncle's house (they are usually the one's dad calls if an emergency
visit is in order). I woke my Aunt up as they had been at the hospital with
mom and dad until 4 a.m. That's when I found out about the seizure (her
eyes rolled back in her head and she stiffened out and then did not remember
it when it was over). It was not until about 7:30 that evening that I
received a call from my exhausted dad indicating that mom had been admitted
to University Hospital for some tests to find out more about the seizure.
They have run a series of tests on mom --changed some of her meds-- and were
going to do a swallow study to see what difficulty there is with the
swallowing.
I received a call from mom's neurologist's office (Judy Drucker, N.P.)
yesterday while I was at work letting me know about the possibility of a
stomach tube. Her basic stand is that dad and I need to be aware of this
option and should make a decision --while we have the time to discuss it.
My dad has taken all this rather "lightly" I guess you could say. Judy
Drucker explained it in more detail and also indicated that she went down
and saw mom on Monday and was quite surprised at her obvious decline since
she was in the office last (February). She also mentioned that mom is using
her essessory (sp?) muscles to breath and was breathing with difficulty.
Enough so that Judy and a nurse turned mom on her side to allow easier
breathing.
Judy basically suggested I make a trip back to discuss all this with my
father so that when the time comes--we will have covered as much as
possible. I am now looking into flight possibilities in a couple of weeks.
My question to you is how far along is all this? Are we possibly looking at
weeks instead of months here--considering the difficulty breathing and
swallowing?
I am getting one picture from Judy Drucker as to this being quite
severe--the end may be right around the corner sort of thing (but she has
always painted a "not too positive" picture from day one). Not that this is
bad but then when I then talk with my dad he's saying "...oh your mother
isn't that bad off yet. It's all those drugs that they have her on that
makes her look like a zombie." I grant you that when drugs are building up
in the system they can make a person sleep a great-deal and appear very
tired--among other things.
I realize my dad is still in denial--this has been the case all along.
However he did indicate to me last night that mom had been coughing
yesterday and the doctor was trying to get her to cough whatever it was
up--and she couldn't. To me, this sounds worse than the feeding tube
possibility.
Any suggestions Dale? I apologize for the length of this message. I am
trying to form a picture in my mind of what I will walk into here--but it
just seems to be opposite ends of the scale when you look at this from these
two perspectives.
Any thoughts or suggestions my might have would be very much appreciated.
Thanks so much.
