Parkinson's Disease Support Group

Hi there to all.

I am not sure if I'm doing this correctly but I am at the point that I truly need somewhere to turn as an advocate for my dad.

He was diagnosed 3 years ago with Parkinsons - it was a long process to get to that point - originally we were told he had a small TIA, then some type of blood vessel disease and finally Parkinsons. Up until the end of July, he lived alone, was able to function on Sinamet and Amantidine with limited side effects.

Unbeknownst to my brother and I, he contracted an urinary tract infection which resulted in a month-long hospital stay and now has been in a skilled nursing facility since September 1st.

My biggest questions are these: Is it typical to be able to walk one day and not the next? To be so inconsistent even though no medicines have been changed? It's frustrating for him and for us and we truly do not know what to expect or ask...

I am looking forward to hearing any advice or opinions. Thank you for letting me join the group!

Unfortunately Parkinson's is a disease with "no rhyme or reason". It is possible to be walking perfectly fine one moment and the next not be able to get your legs to go forward. There is an interruption between the brain center and the nerve messenger. The brain tells the neuron what to do and the neuron travels through the body with the information to the intended receptor. For some reason , sometime along the path something stops that neuron before it reaches its destination. So when nothing happens the brain continues to send messages until the message is received and you move your legs which usually fixes the interruption, at least for a little while.

Hope this helps. This is only a small part of Parkinson's.

Jupiterjane

Thank you for the response. I've done alot of reading about the disease and understand this process - I guess we were just lucky that up until the UTI, he was very predictable with virtually no change since the first diagnosis - at least nothing that couldn't be corrected with a tweeking of his meds. It just seems that now, it is much worse - and trying to figure out if it's the Parkinson's getting worse or just the recovery process that we have to endure? He has also developed orthostatic hypotension - which I recently read is common with Parkinson's. I guess it's just a process...thank you so much for your answer!!

There has been a lot of good advice and answers here. UTI can be bad news and for some odd reason a lot of PD patients seem to get them. I know this is not easy for you. But those of us who are sick call people like you a blessing. Yes it is normal to be fully functional one day and a mess the next. That is what I call the PD beast. Or the nature of the Parkinsons beast. I hope you find relief for your loved one and may you be blessed for caring enough to care for him. Dave flyboy57

Hello flyboy57! Your kind words are very much appreciated. Please take care!