Category: symptoms

Restless [insert body part] Syndrome

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I’ve briefly mentioned Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) in this blog, but haven’t addressed it head-on., so let’s do that, shall we? I have only had three nights of true RLS, which were a result of trying to quit Pramipexole cold turkey. Those three nights kicked off The Worst Two Weeks of My Life. For more on those two weeks, see The Disease. I’ll just say this much for now: thanks to RLS, I now understand the concept of “sleep deprivation torture”. Every single time I was JUST on the verge of falling asleep, my legs would tense up, and I would feel that I HAD to move them around. This happened probably a dozen times each of those three nights.

Since getting myself back on a stable dosage of “prami” I have not experienced true RLS. I say “true” here because I periodically experience what I describe as Restless Arm Syndrome. The sensation is exactly the same as RLS, except it occurs in my arms and/or pectoral muscles. It only happens about once a month, but when it does happen, I just get out of bed. I am not about to put myself through the aforementioned sleep deprivation torture. Sometimes I’ll take an impromptu dose of Carbidopa/Levodopa. That helps sometimes, but not always. Whether I take the extra dose or not, the Restless Leg/Arm Syndrome ceases with the sunrise. Therefore, I think RLS is a vampire.

Talkin’ bout my m-m-medication

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I haven’t listened to my old “Who’s Greatest Hits” CD for a long time, so I decided to play it while I type up this entry. Nearly the first thing I heard was, “Hope I die before I get old.” And I’m thinkin’: “Too late…I’m already old.” This despite the fact that I’m not even 50. But Parkinson’s Disease (PD) can sure make you feel old. Which scares me, because…what will it be like if/when I still have PD AND am actually old? Hopefully by then there will be something akin to a cure. I know there are “gene therapy” treatments that have reached the human testing phase. I really want to stay up on these things, so I signed up for a Parkinson’s Foundation webinar on the topic of gene therapy. Then I checked my calendar and realized that I’m planning on being in Dinosaur National Monument that day. I’m sure they’ll record the webinar and post it on their site, so I’ll be able to go back and watch it any time. But will I actually do it? Or will I continue wasting my time playing Cities: Skylines and reading web comics?

In other news: I’m a boy, I’m a boy, but my mom won’t admit it.

In real other news: I recently enrolled in MediCare, specifically a MediCare Advantage Plan (i.e., through an insurance provider) that includes prescription drug coverage. Under this plan, three of my meds have a zero-dollar co-payment. But the stuff that’s been ensuring I sleep at night is not exactly covered. I say “not exactly” because Mirtazapine is covered, but only up to 15 mg per day, and I’ve been taking 22.5 mg each day. So, I tried scaling back to 15 mg per day. That was three or four weeks ago and I’m happy to report that I’m still sleeping well. Until the last 3 days, that is. But hopefully the last few nights of less sleep are just due to me staying up too late. Which I’ll be doing more of now that football season is beginning, and I’m still living two time zones east of my alma mater.

Constipation

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WARNING: This post contains frank descriptions of poop. Do not read while eating chocolates.

Way back in November of last year, I wrote about mannitol, saying I recommend taking it “in small doses throughout the day rather than all at once.” This was because it had a strong laxative effect when I took a full day’s worth all at once, and at that time, I had no need for laxatives. But things change.

Several months ago, I rather suddenly started to experience constipation. I don’t remember exactly when, so I don’t know exactly why. It could be caused by my Parkinson’s Disease (PD) or it could be a side effect of either of the medications that I’ve started taking over the last several months. The first of these new medications is GoCovri, which has greatly reduced the fatigue and depression that my PD was causing. I also started taking Mirtazapine, which has helped to quash my insomnia. The fatigue and insomnia were my two least favorite symptoms of PD, so I’m not willing to stop taking GoCovri or Mirtazapine just to determine which (if either) of them is causing the constipation. It occurs to me now that I should be keeping a log of when I start or stop taking any medication, and when symptoms appear or disappear, or suddenly become worse.

Regardless of what’s causing it, this constipation thing is all new to me. I’ve always been at the other end of the spectrum – trending towards “soft stool” with relatively frequent diarrhea. I’ve never been one to flush more than once per “sitting”. But these constipation poops have been so huge and solid that they’ve actually clogged three different toilets (both of the toilets in my home, and one hotel room toilet). So now I flush after every second or third “plop” to make sure the crap doesn’t coagulate and leave me up Shit Creek (which would be a great name for a housing development).

For whatever reason, it wasn’t until just the last couple of weeks or so that I realized I could put mannitol to good use against my own constipation. So now I’m taking all my mannitol (one tablespoon) first thing in the morning. Most days, it seems to help. Other days, not so much. I’m thinking I’ll increase it to two tablespoons, and if that doesn’t do it, then I’ll ask my PD specialist about Over-The-Counter laxatives.

Aw, crap!

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This post is dedicated to all the Parkinson’s Disease patients who have to deal with constipation. It is also EXTREMELY juvenile. You have been warned.

I’m going to start a band called The Shittles. Our most poopular songs will include:

Feces Can’t Buy Me Love

Sgt. Pooper’s Smelly Farts Club Band

Magical Mystery Turd

The Poo on the Hill

All You Need is Fiber

Revolution # 2

Blackbird (Stop Pooping on my Windshield, ya Flyin’ Asshole)

Stink for Yourself

The Long and Winding Stool Sample

I Dig a Privy

She Came in Through the Bathroom Window (While I was Trying to Poop)

Dear Poodence

Glass Onion

Happiness is an Empty Bowel

Free Speech For The Dumb

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When I was a mere toddler (not to be mistaken with a mare toddler, which would be a horse), I lived in Japan for about a year and a half. Living there while I was at the age when children develop language / speaking skills, I basically learned Japanese at the same time I learned English. I was as bilingual as a toddler can be, and often served as a translator for my parents, who only speak English. Fast forward a few years…I’m in 1st Grade…in Hastings, Nebraska. My speech (of course) seems completely normal to me, like any other Nebraska kid my age, but my teacher and my classmates notice something a little…off. The only language I speak in school is English…but apparently I speak it with a Japanese accent. So a decision is made that I need to work with a speech therapist. So, once a week for I don’t remember how long, I got to leave class to go practice talkin’ right. And that thar speech therapist gots me to talkin’ real good.

Fast forward a helluva lotta years…to the present. Ever since I got back from my South Carolina trip a little over a month ago, I’ve been experiencing voice problems. I’ll open my mouth and start articulating the necessary moving parts, but no sound comes out. There is only wind; it seems like my vocal chords just don’t engage. So far all I have to do is try again with more force (i.e., speak at an inappropriately loud volume), and then the words come out fine. But each time it happens, I am reminded of an interview I saw many years ago on 60 Minutes. They were interviewing Mohammed Ali, and I couldn’t make out a word that he said. Then I’ll remember that I’ve known at least two Parkies who had severe vocal issues shortly before dying. So when I went in to see my Parkinson’s specialist last week, I told him about the voice problems I’ve been having. He recommended I work with a speech therapist. So, once a week for I don’t remember how long, I will drop what I’m doing and practice talkin’ right. I have come full circle.