Today was our semi-annual visit to the Neurologist at the KU Medical Center’s Movement Disorder’s Clinic. Dr. Pahwa is a national level Neurologist specializing in Parkinson’s Disease. We have struggled mightily with this disease every time we have not been seeing either Dr. Koller before him or Dr. Pahwa. Geography and insurance interfered with access to KU Med for a number of years during the twenty-two since Mary Ann’s diagnosis.
We are pretty well convinced that we have the best care available. That is both good news and bad news. It is good news since we have access to the latest and most effective treatments. The bad news is that there is not much else we can do to improve Mary Ann’s ability to function. This is the best we can expect.
Today, we reviewed the medications. We reported on the changes that have been made. At Mary Ann’s request, we reduced the dosage of Sinamet, the primary medication that treats the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s. It is the same medication that has been used for decades. With all the promising research projects going on, and the various news stories touting a potential cure, not much has changed since the middle of the last century in treating Parkinson’s.
The benefit of reducing the medication is that it has lots of side effects. Since reducing the dosage Mary Ann has had fewer and less intense hot flashes that are shorter in duration. There is a little less of the dyskinetic movements (as seen in Michael J. Fox) during the day. Dr. Pahwa confirmed that change to be appropriate. That is a medication that often is left to the patient to determine how much is taken. Those changes are done within the range acceptable to the Neurologist.
I reported the increase in the Midodrine to keep Mary Ann’s blood pressure high enough to reduce the fainting spells (Orhostatic Hypotension) to a more manageable level of intensity and frequency. The change in that medication was done in consultation with our Cardiologist, who prescribed the Midodrine.
We talked about the increase in hallucinations and their interference with sleeping. As expected, he suggested a small increase in a medication called Seroquel. He reminded us that one problem with increasing the Seroquel is that it can make the blood pressure problem worse. Again, we are riding on a tiny margin between side effects battling one another. We are in hopes that the contest will end in a draw.
I made the mistake of mentioning something about the online Lewy Body Dementia spouses’ group and information about the Autonomic Nervous System I researched on the Internet. I can only guess that he is frustrated with Patients and Caregivers who second-guess his recommendations based on the often bad information. I just made the observation that in looking up what the Parasympathetic side of the Autonomic Nervous system governs, the list included pretty much every area in which Mary Ann has a problem. He was not rude, nor did he say anything much in response. He just moved on to closure of the appointment.
I trust his knowledge and experience. I just recognize that the more we know about the disease, the better we can do at dealing with multiple doctors and the more likely we are to make good decisions by actually understanding the options and their implications. That knowledge has been especially helpful when Mary Ann has gone to the Emergency Room and/or has been hospitalized. The medical professionals there deal with such a variety of problems that they can’t possibly keep up on the details of all of the various diseases.
The next appointment is six months from now. We will see if the increase in Seroquel has a positive effect. Dr. Pahwa is willing to increase the dosage more if this does not work. He increased the dosage from 100mg to 125mg. He suggested that we move to 150mg if the smaller increase doesn’t move the hallucinations back to a level that does not interfere with sleep. That decision is in our hands.
At the moment, we seem to have the best of what is available to deal with the Parkinson’s and the Dementia. While we would like to have a better quality of life, our job is to make the best of what we have.
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The Caregiver Calling 