My Dad

My Dad was diagnosed with Parkinsons about 2 years ago.  I am finding so difficult to see my Dad deteriorate like this as he was once such an active person.  My Dad does not have any tremor but what he does display is a bit of shuffling when he walks, he has a masked like face and a bit of bradykinesia.  He has not accepted the diagnosis and has fallen into deep depression.  I am also finding it difficult to accept.

My dad is on Sinemet 25/100mg.  He takes a tablet once every two and a half hours.  He does not take a tablet before he goes to sleep as he feels he does not need to. Requip does not agree with him and so he says.  He now needs to go on Sinemet CR and I am worried as this drug is strong and there are many side effects. There is a new neurologist in our town who has recommended that my dad be put on liquid dopamine.  Does anyone know about this drug and the associated effects?

I asked the neurosurgeon whether my dad will start to experience tremors as it is now two years and he has not experienced anything.  The Dr said that it is difficult to tell as all patients react differently to the disease.  Last week my Dad was hospitalised as he suffered with severe stomach pains.  The Drs still do not know what brought this on as many tests/scans were carried out.  Also my Dad experiences immense pain in his knee joints.  He battles to walk.  Is this a result of the medication?

Hi there,
I am new to the forum and my dad also has parkinsons. It was a sad day for all of us 6 years ago when my dad found out he had it also. The only symptom he had originally was a finger that kind of twitched back and forth. Then, his arm on that side would shake sometimes. But, he still drove around. The doctor told him he could give him 5 good years by taking sinemet and requip and he was pretty much right on. My dad the past couple of years has used a walker some and a cane but was still able to drive around his small town.

My advice to you is to work with getting a dosage of his meds that will make him LIVABLE with his illness. Take him out and about as much as you can and help him to live as normal a life as he can while he can get around with help and the walker or cane.

My dad recently has started having hallucinations. He doesn't sleep at night much and is up several times going to urinate. The hallucinations are the very worst part. Some people have them and some don't. He is in the hospital right now because of the hallucinations. Most of the hallucinations are about someone being outside the house and trying to get at him or someone taking his things. Sometimes, he sees me or my siblings with him at night. That is ok but the horrific ones must be horrible. I don't know if he will ever be back to his old mental self. Sometimes, he makes sense and seems normal other times, he doesn't and is hallucinating.

So, remember that it is the person and their heart that make your parent what they are. Talk with your parent and enjoy time together. As long as they can get around and do things, take them.

WIth this disease, you never know what is ahead and I am now worried that there will be a time my dad won't recognize me which will be the WORST>

Good luck to you and your parent and keep in touch.

Loving daughter

Krintine,
Depression, from what we have learned, is a part of parkinsons. Holidays can be hectic and cause even the most balanced people to become weepy trying to get everything done, remembering those not with us, etc. Maybe your mom would consider trying a very mild anti-depressant just to take the edge off of her adjusting to her illness and coping with it at this holiday time.

My dad (who was a very strong person) began crying and became depressed after he got parkinsons. I think some of it is knowing that your life will never quite be the same and some of it also is that this is a disease that generates in the brain from the dopamine issues so it makes sence that maybe some depression, etc., would result because we are not balanced.

I have a health and wellness business and do not believe in taking a lot of medicine UNNECESSARILY, however, sometimes things are necessary.

My father experiences aches, etc., in his legs and feet. I think this could be from muscle spasms, etc.

Right now, he is having the biggest issue with hallucinations which come and go.

Everyone that gets this seems to be different, however, there is some similarities in all of them which appears to be the muscle spasms, depression, etc.

Is there a support group near your mother?

Loving Daughter

Kristine,
I know it is hard to see your mother go through this and I can definately relate with my dad. Is there anyone that goes into the doctor with her that can speak up and say, "what are the alternatives for depression treatment other than meds? We think mom is depressed but she doesn't want to take anything." The doctor might then talk with her about it and how most pd patients end up needing a little help with depression." My mother also had to take some depression meds for a while going through cancer treatment and they routinely ask the patient if they need it because so many cancer patients have so many emotions they are dealing with. You can't obviously force your mother to take anti-depressants but having the doctor talk with her more about it might help her to consider that option in more of an open way.

My dad has the shuffling, drooling some, tremors in the hand and the voice being to where you can barely understand them at times. Plus, he falls asleep a lot....sometimes in mid sentence. He fell this past month and broke his hip and had to go into the rehabilitation center for rehab after surgery for that. Urge your mom to use her walker as much as possible as my dad has really gone down further after the hip fracture. Now, we have hallucinations also....

Your mother sounds like mine in some ways with the support group. Sounds like she is still getting used to having this disease....it is a lot to absorb at first for the patient. She probably thinks that she will see people (which she will) that are a lot worse than her and think, "this is ahead for me...." You can get some good advice at the suppport groups for pd through the hospitals and my dad does go here and there. There are worse and better cases there. Many times he sees people who are adjusting well, keeping a good attitude and going on (as best they can...) with their lives and this motivates him. Does your mom have a best friend or faith to rely on for support as well....

Keep in touch and know that there are others out there feeling a lot of the same things that you, your family and mother are...even though sometimes it feels like we are the only ones going through this.

Take care,
Loving Daughter

Hi, my name is mandy i have just stumbled on this site while looking up parkinsons for my father who has been diagnosed for about 9 yrs now, Movement is increasingly eratic for him now and he suffers from alot of pain but he ceases to amaze me trying to renevate 2 houses with the help of myself, mother and younger brother, we have been working in these projects for about 3 yrs now!! and still he keeps going! Things have been very hard as you say watching your parent suffer so much is very difficult i am 25 but my younger brother is only14 and one of my fathers primary carers, we have a very strong family bond and this is so important.
My dad was not interested in support groups at all either as some of u said, he didn't like to see people who were further down the line of the disease, but although he became depressed we worked through it together instead he sets himself small goals every day and this gives him a sense of achievment, the housing projects have reallykept him going though god knows how he does it!

On down days we just go out driving around the country side as fast as we can trying to get an adrenelin rush to kick his pills in!! he gets so bored at home and mum needs a break, sometimes we drive for hrs sometimes 10 mins depending, he has alot of pain and i massage his legs regularly which really eases the pain and again helps to get the pills working i definately reccomend trying this, using a flat hand vigourous movements create heat and warm the muscles which can be very soothing.

its so helpfull to hear of other people in mine and my brothers situation as it gets so hard sometimes and often friends don't understand, be as positive and bright as you can for both u and your parent it will help both of u...