Morning Billywhizz
I hope you will take turnip`s advice because it`s absolutely spot on.
We are concentrating on the now but as we all know the meds take for ever to sort out !!
stay positive and thanks Billywhizz
Hi all, Turnip is right. Don't think about stages. That's one of the first things I learned after diagnosis, it may never happen, so why worry about it?
I'm off to see Shaun the Sheep with a friend, (after lunch out of course!!)
Hello Again,
I do appreciate the positive attitude of everyone to my post, personally I am on the same dose of Co-Careldopa I was given when diagnosed 4 years ago, which is keeping me on pretty much an even keel.
My tremor and speech problems are there most of the time, but these are just minor irritations, I still try to do everything that I have always done. my main hobby being birdwatching, all the friends that I go out with know about my illness and the only allowance I get is when I cannot carry my telescope they all allow me to peer down theirs, they still take the mick when I identify a bird wrongly, such as when I said a mooring bouy was a sleeping Swan, I wouldn't have it any other way as the banter and camaraderie do me as much good as being out in the fresh air, keeping things as normal as possible is my way of dealing with it.
Best wishes everyone
Hi, nikobins --
It's great that you can continue your birdwatching with friends. I'm a birder in the U.S. My most recent thrill was seeing a pileated woodpecker in my backyard. They're huge compared to our other woodpeckers, and even the females have significant patches of bright red feathers. In some parts of the country the species is considered a noisy nuisance, but on the West Coast they are quite scarce.
Keep on doing all you can!
J
Hi nikobins
It's good that we can all keep ourselves focused, and carry on with our hobbies as best we can. Keep going!
Hi J,
meant to get back to you regarding your meds, I think it's best that they keep them to a minimum because the time will come when there won't be any more that they can prescribe for us.You do really well on what you have been prescribed, your on a good cocktail of meds! I've heard of that CoQ10 about it being helpful towards controlling the symptoms of PD, but having said that I personally have'nt tried it. I'm still on Ropinirole which is what I was prescribed 4 years ago when I was DX, the amount I take is 14mg once a day, and i'm ok with that.
Regards Sheila
Hello, Sheila --
In the U.S. quite a few years ago one study seemed to indicate that CoQ-10 was beneficial to pwp. Then when doctors had their patients buying tons of it, a more thorough study found that its benefits were small to none. I keep taking it simply on the don't-rock-the-boat theory: I'm doing so well that I don't want to make any changes.
I definitely agree on the idea of taking the minimal effective amount of a medication. I'm not sure if I wrote something above that sounded otherwise, but I didn't intend to. My dose of generic Sinemet is quite small and I haven't increased it since I began taking it. My dose of Azilect (rasagiline) is half the usual starting dose, too. Yes, taking minimal doses gives the feeling that one has an insurance policy.
I'm getting a new doctor next month, so I hope he agrees with our strategy!
J
Hi J
I had to look up the Pileated Woodpecker as I hadn't a clue what it looked like, what a striking bird it is too.
Two other things I certainly agree that if you are ok on minimum doses of medication, it makes sense to keep it that way as they can always be increased when needed.
You having said you have had PD for 18 years gives me a great deal of hope and comfort for the future, in the fact that one can go so long and still be relatively ok, at 76 I shall probably have fallen off of my perch by then lol
Happy Birding
George
PS by coincidence I too will be seeing a new consultant for my next appointment.