Living with Parkinson's Disease

My husband was diagnosed with Parkinsons in 1996. Initially, he had left hand tremor, a slower gait and changes in facial expression. As time went on, he was relatively healthy untill 2006. His medication was (and still is) Sinemet and Requip four times daily. He became incontinent,has nasal drainage, asphagia (which requires pureed food and heavy liquids..ice tea, cranberry juice and hydralyte thickened like honey. He developed daytime sleeping, probably due to the medication. His voice has become hoarse. Unfortunately, a knee replacement did not work and this has interfered with walking. At first with a cane, then a walker, then a wheelchair and now is in a nursing home as I am unable to lift him.

He was extremely intelligent and well liked and it is so hard to see him when he is hallucinating. He seems to go into a different time zone, his voice changes and his personality is quite different from the gentle soul he was. These occurrences coincide with him hearing a loud noise and a flash of light. He then is confused and very tired. After several hours of rest, he is relatively normal. These times are of great anxiety to him. Since entering the nursing home he has had Aspirated Pneumonia, and several bouts of urinary infections.

It is notable that upon hospitalization for the last urinary infection it was found that he did not respond to cipro or several other drugs that are usually given. However there is a new drug, administered by IV called, Atazam (SP?) and that saved him as he had gone into sepsis. I am told that Parkinsons does not in itself cause death. Rather, it is from infection such as urinary, that eventually does not respond to antibiotics. In other words, what once helped him, may not be of usage again as his constitution may not be strong enough to resist the infection.

I know how devastating this has been to me, and can only imagine what is ahead. I beg of the drug companies to use the donations made, and the stories told, to hasten there finding a cure for this terribly sad disease. It was interesting to see the outcry of Micheal J. Fox,s fans, but that seems to be a forgotten issue. I assure you that the caretakers who are faced with the daily heartache of Parkinsons have not forgotten.

In reading research, the likely causes of the disease are genetics and free radicals. If the estimated 5% of the population will be faced with diagnosis of Parkinsons, it is imperative that more medical intelligence be in force.