 |
 |
On Wed, 3 Feb 1999, Jennifer Smith wrote: > I wake up somewhere between 2am and 4am stiff, cramped and sore. I am > able to get out of bed ok but shuffle around like a little old lady > until I can take my first dose of Sinemet at 8am. If I take it sooner, > it wears off too early and I spend the evening miserable and cant go to > sleep at all. (snip) > Throughout the day, even though the meds pretty well > eliminate my discomfort Hello Jennifer, Have you told your neuro about this? Is (s)he good at PD; i.e. a specialist? It sounds to me like you should take your pills more often, and possibly increase the dose... You shouldn't have to be uncomfortable for hours just one year after the dx? When I told my neuro ( a PD specialist) about my problems with meds wearing off, and stiffness in the evenings, he added a new medicine and changed the timing. (I'm on 50 mg Madopar Quick Mite and 200 mg Comtan every third hour) > Another question is how does one deal with depression? I realize > intellectually that one never needs to look very far to find someone who > suffers more but emotionally, I guess I am still in shock at my dx. I > find myself in tears from the time I get up until I can pull myself > together. I do this so my husband doesnt see me cry because it tears I feel that going to a good psychologist has helped a lot. That is a place where I can dump everything off my chest, discuss anything, without fear to hurt a loved one. Depression does make you lethargic, tired, feel apathy, and at the same time it's hard to sleep since you cannot stop thinking about what's going to happen in the years to come! You might also be helped by medication against the depression, to be able to think about the future and plan ahead without getting locked in panic. For me, combining a modern antidepressant (Prozac-type) with therapy felt good. After 9(?) months I dropped the pills and feel that I can manage the black holes without pills. About your husband: I know I often try to shield my girlfriend, but I have started to wonder if this is good... I mean, when my PD progresses, she'll notice anyway. I often keep my worries to myself, but talking to her feels so much better. She often says that I should talk to her, since she really wants to share my life, good and bad. Sometimes it feels too much, though. "How can I dump all this on her?" And then I swallow it. The question is: should we? Take care, and keep in touch! /John (30 now /28 dx /18 onset)