For those who care for someone with Parkinson's disease
| [Home] [Forum] [Help] [Search] [Register] [Login] [Donate] |
| You are not logged in |
|
| ||
|
Well, a sub doctor wouldn't refill her lorazepam without an appointment, so we went in and this doctor thinks she may have broken something from her January 12 fall. ... So I'm feeling crappy because I still don't think she broke anything, but maybe I should have taken her to the ER anyway. But if I took her to the ER anyway every time something like this happens, we'd be there every other day. ... The sub doctor came in exactly to the minute when her last pain med and Parkinson's meds wore off, so mom wasn't looking very good. The doctor pressed on her back, and mom said it was all painful. The problem is that her regular doctor does that at every visit, and she ALWAYS says everything hurts (she has slipped disks, and--I think--very tense muscles in her back that rarely get any exercise). If you ask her if ABC hurts, she always says yes, it doesn't matter what it is (even hair and fingernails)--and in the last couple of years, she has started saying, "No, this is different. This is worse than it's ever been." But she's said that so many dozens and dozens of times, it's lost all meaning for me. ... By the time we got home, her meds were kicking in and she was doing a little better. She only ate half a sandwich today, so I told her we'll go to the ER tomorrow and get some x-rays again. We'll just focus on eating something this evening. ... I'm so exhausted from this merry-go-round. I sure hope she didn't actual break anything this time because then I really will feel crappy. And if she didn't break anything, I'll probably be angry there was a sub doctor again. Whatever. I'll just try to let it be. |
| ||
|
After 40 straight hours, I was somewhat right and somewhat wrong about her back. The local hospital did x-rays and found what they thought was a bad fracture. They thought she needed immediate surgery (that they don't do), so we flew in a jet to Seattle at 1AM, where I spent the early morning and all day in Harborview ER. The first specialist came in and interviewed her, found that she had feeling everywhere she was supposed to (she always complains of numbness--she has for years), and told her she didn't need surgery and it would heal on its own. ... That made her agitated and angry, and as they had given her morphine during the plane ride, she started intermittently acting out, insisting she was going to "go find a bathroom" on her own (apparently she wanted to wander around the hospital looking for the restroom), etc. She mostly calmed down by the afternoon, where another specialist had ordered more x-rays, and then they all decided she needed to wear a back brace for a while to aid the healing. ... After 3 hours of trying to rent a car to get us back home, I finally got one (my stress level was through the roof--I had no cash, and one rental agency said no one would accept a visa debit card, which turned out to be untrue). Got her in the car, and spent 5 hours driving home due to snow and slow traffic. She was absolutely fine in the car on the way home, talking clearly. She had a couple of hallucinations, but immediately knew she was seeing things. She was pleasant, calm, and encouraging. Other than the road conditions, it was a very nice drive. ... Then we get in the house, she goes to the bathroom, and wants me to help her take the back brace off! I was livid, but convinced her to keep it on. I know her meds were messed up over the last 24 hours, and they gave her things she wasn't used to, so I try to be understanding that this may just be pain meds or lorazepam wearing off. ... In any case, the brace is a rigid plastic casing specifically shaped for her front and back (they apparently scanned her shape or something, and custom made it). It has foam in between the casing and her body, and she removed the foam for her front last night. Ugh. She does seem finally more calm and sleeping this morning (after being agitated until 3AM). ... Thanks for reading my ramblings. It's been a stressful two days. |
| ||
|
The foam probably keeps her really warm. I know my husband has issues with overheating. Maybe you can turn a fan on in her room at night to help? |
| ||
| I think you are exactly right. She's already asked for wet wash cloths to put under her arms and on her head. It seems to be helping some. |