ClaireG Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 We went to visit the inlaws yesterday and MIL told us that FIL had had a few funny turns, as she called them over the last few days. He had fallen over a few times and had been unable to get up. She had a Drs appointment booked for him for tomorrow. Si, Adam and I went off to see my parents and went back to his Mum and Dads about 3.30. Simons Dad had been sat on the sofa most of the time. Anyway, from 3.30 -5.30 he got worse and worse, couldn't stand up, shaking, very pale etc. He had a stroke 14 yrs ago and i was worried he was having another especially as he was slurring his speech. We called the out of hours service and a Dr was meant to call straight back, we were still waiting an hour and a half later so called an ambulance. We took Adam to my Mum and then went to the hospital. Various tests were done and when we left at 9.30 they were going to do an xray on his chest as they thought he had an infection. Simons Mum rang us at 12:15 to say that they were going to let him home but the Dr rang a more senior Dr as his symptoms etc were such a mystery and she worried due to him also being diabetic and having bipolar. He has had a hand tremor for years which was put down to the lithium he's on for the bipolar. The more senior Dr told the juniour Dr to tell FIL that they were keeping him overnight to flush his kidneys so he didn't panic etc but they are now 99% sure that it's fairly advanced Parkinsons and hadn't been picked up before due to all the symptoms being put down to his bipolar and meds. I'm trying to hold everything together for Si, his Mum and brother and to be as practical as possible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooks Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 oh bless your hearts, at least you got him sorted! to wait that long for an out of hours doctor is disgusting. Thinks of you all xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grracee Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 so sorry for you all, hope he's feeling better soon *sending some big hugs* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 Thoughts & prayers are with you and I do hope all is well soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 I'm so sorry to hear that, poor chap . Best wishes to him and all the family . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 Thinking of you all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaireG Posted March 14, 2010 Author Share Posted March 14, 2010 Thanks all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 Lots of loving wishes coming your way! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 I'm sorry Claire horrid for you all, be strong x x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 Oh what an awful time for you all, especially you Claire having to be the 'strong' one. my thoughts and prayers are with you all and hope your FIL gets well soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 Sending you all love and prayers xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groovychook Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 Thinking of you xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaireG Posted March 14, 2010 Author Share Posted March 14, 2010 Have just had latest update from MIL. FIL is now on a drip as they are flushing the statins he was taking out of his system. A very rare side effect of statins is muscle weakness. He has more Drs to see tomorrow and may be let home tomorrow afternoon They will make an outpatient appointment for him to see a Parkinsons nurse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 At least he will be more comfortable at home, and havent they done wonders with Parkinsons lately? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 Wishing him a swift recovery. xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky1 Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 That's really rotten Claire and our thoughts are with you and your family. Best of Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chook n Boo Mum Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 Sending you more {{{hugs}}} & Claire Look after the others, but don't neglect yourself, we are all here when you need ears and {{hugs}} Sha x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 14, 2010 Share Posted March 14, 2010 Sorry to hear that Claire - as soon as they get his meds sorted he should be a lot better. It does seem to be quite a balancing act from what we've experienced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaireG Posted March 15, 2010 Author Share Posted March 15, 2010 I'm just concerned that they will let him out without any meds until he gets an appointment with the Parkinsons Nurse etc. I know the right meds can really help control the symptoms. MIL works, she has this week off but is back in on Sunday. So from Sunday FIL will be home alone all day which is worrying Simon and I. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickendoodle Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Oh I am sorry. My Father had Parkinsons and he refused to see the Doctor for years so it was also well advanced when he started on medication. There is another thread running re Parkinsons (headed Dementia) but do contact the Parkinsons Society http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/ as they are incredibly helpful and there is loads of info on the website. The Parkinsons nurses are absolutely brilliant and because they deal with it all the time they know far more than most GP's. For instance - the nurse was talking to my Dad and she asked him if he hallucinated animals. He had never said anything to me and he replied that he often thought he saw a rabbit running across the carpet. She said that was unusual as most sufferers hallucinated frogs!!! It is thought to be something to do with the carpet patterns confusing the brain. she also said did he have the feeling of being watched and he replied that he always thought there was someone standing just behind his shoulder looking at everything he was doing. The symptoms are incredibly varied - not just physical. It is such a complex illness and the medication is a real balancing act as you have to take various tablets to control different things and they have to be taken at set times of the day. I bought my dad an automated pill dispenser which you pre-programme and a buzzer goes off and the right tablet is dispensed at the pre-set time. This might help if your MIL is out during the day as a patient who is already confused can be completely flummoxed by the tablet regime. http://www.pivotell.co.uk/how-the-pivotell-works.htm. It was pretty expensive but invaluable as it is locked once filled and you can't over-medicate. Initially he just had one of the regular type dispensers but he would forget what he had taken and assume that I hadn't filled it up properly and take another one! You will have challenging times ahead as Parkinsons seems to be quite hard to control the longer it has gone on untreated but there is a lot of support available and he is very lucky to have a specialist nurse. Good luck with it all. There seems to be a lot of us on the Forum with experience of family members having Parkinsons and I'm sure we will all be willing to help in any way we can Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Best wishes to you and your family. I hope that FIL is soon sorted out with a treatment that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaireG Posted March 15, 2010 Author Share Posted March 15, 2010 Thanks so much for the info Chickendoodle I am hoping his appointment with the nurse will be sooner rather than later. Hopefully we will know more later today when he has seen the hospital Drs. I have also been looking into alarms as am worried that until treatment is sorted he may fall again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Hope your FIL is sorted out soon and feels much more at ease. Warning to all - forget out of hours docs - call an ambulance or get the person to the hospital yourselves. That's an appalling time delay. So hugs from me to you and all the family too. Sorry - I've only just started catching up on here (cawfee break). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickendoodle Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 An alarm is a good idea as even when the treatment is sorted falls still happen regularly. I read Michael J Fox's autobiography and he said that he knew when to take a particular tablet as he could tell whan he was going to either shake, seize up or get one of the other myriad symptoms. If he is going to talk in public he takes the anti tremor tablet at a certain time before he appears as he pretty much knows how long the medication takes to kick in. I think that is very much to do with the fact that he has been living with the illness since he was a young man. Older people can't cope with it so well so have to medicate at regular times rather than when they are actually in need of a particular tablet - this can lead to imbalances at certain times leading to instability and consequently falls. My Dad had the added complication of a replacement knee that was not very successful and so his mobility was very much compromised. He was also very stubborn and had always previously been incredibly fit. Consequently we could never make him understand that he would always have Parkinsons - he thought the he could "beat it". He would take the tablets, feel better, think he was "cured" and would stop taking them. Very frustrating all round. Unfortunately there is no test for Parkinsons which will tell the medical profession how much or which medication to give. It will be trial and error for a while until the right balance is found but make full use of the Parkinsons nurse. My Dad's was very willing to give us her direct number and we would leave a message with any problems and she got back to us as soon as she could. She will be the first port of call rather than the GP as the GP's generally only have an overview of the disease. (Sorry if I have offended any GP's out there but my Dad's readily admitted that he was no expert) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seagazer Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 I'm so sorry to hear about your FIL, I hope they manage to sort him out quickly. Sending positive vibes for you all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
