Parkinson's Tips

I was diagnosed to have Parkinson's in 2010 when I was 66. It's from my 7 years with this disease that I offer this information.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor and nothing in this article is intended as a diagnosis or medical advice.

General Information

1 Did you know that there are 5 stages to Parkinson's?

http://www.webmd.com/parkinsons-disease/guide/parkinsons-stages

2 Fatigue is common, don't be surprised if I drift off to sleep watching tv, riding in a car or even during a conversation. Fatigue is the reason I stopped driving about 4 years ago,

3 Don't be surprised if a Parkinson's patient decides on a project then learns it's beyond their ability. They are just coming to grips with their declining abilities.

4 A combination of age and Parkinson's causes a loss of "muscle tone" (not sure thats the right term). This causes us to not be comfortable sitting too long or in some chairs.

5 Speaking of chairs, some are too low for us the rise from. If you have a chair you rise from easily, measure the height of the top of the chair arm from the floor. You can use this measurement to determine how high a chair needs to be raised in order for you to use it.

Drug Information

6 Follow the drug guidance of your doctor. I know that seems obvious, but, read on. My doctor advised "no eating for one hour before or 30 minutes after taking a dose of pills". I found that when I violated this rule, that it was like I hadn't taken any meds, my walking declined.

7 Know the maximum dosage of your drugs and/or don't exceed the dosage advised by your doctor. And a related rule, don't increase/decrease the dosage of Mirapex by more than 1/2 mg/day (see story below).

At work one day, I had a meeting coming up and wanted to ensure my performance, so I increased my Mirapex. Within an hour or so, while on a conference call, I started feeling ill. I was fortunate my firm had opened a clinic on the first floor. Seems my blood pressure had dropped because of the mirapex. When my pressure got too low, an ambulance was called and I ended up in the emergency room.

8 Taking drug Mirapex? I found that the drug caused me some dental problems.

Symptoms & Coping

9 I used to take a dose of "carbadopa-Levadopa" at 4 hour intervals. Because my ability to walk did not last until the next dose, I adjusted the interval down to 3 hours without increasing the total mg consummed per day. The doctor was fine with this.

10 Sometimes I find that I've followed all the rules and taken all my pills but my walking declines. If I take break and sit for 20-30 minutes, my walking comes back.

11 Having "restless legs"? To me, "restless legs" feels like an electrical pulse is travelling down the nerve. I once had a nerve conductivity test. And that test feels just like my "restless legs".

I have found three ways to avoid/bypass/stop "restless legs".

(1) Stay up at night until your fatigue causes you to have trouble keeping your eyes open, then go on the bed.

(2) Eat a small amount 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime. As an example a banana & 2 small oranges (like Halos).

Zzz Quil, NyQuil, DayQuil

(3) Take dose of Zzz quil, NyQuil or DayQuil before bedtime.

Canes & Walkers

12 Get a 4 footed cane (see picture) rather than a normal cane at most drug stores. The cane should be the wide footed one. It's easy to tell when the cane is verticle and it's easy to park where you are sitting.

4 footed cane

13 Need to carry something while using a walker? Get a "walker tray" (see picture) at most drug stores.

14 Parkinson's patiences experience freezes, meaning their walking halts. I offer these thoughts, (1) using a cane, move something/anything, reposition cane, lean a little, even a little foot movement, (2) when freezes are expected, switch from a cane to a walker, & (3) stay focused on your feet/legs/walking don't be thinking about other things.

Walker tray

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