Chapter 218 - An Interesting Experiment

Yesterday I collected the first bottle of the special supply of Sinemet CR 200/50 which has been on order. She began taking it today rather than Madopar HBS 100/25. She will be taking 5 doses each day so each bottle containing 100 capsules will last for 20 days thus with the repeat prescriptions held by the chemist she has a little over 3 months supply after which there is not much likelihood of any more. Recently I have been keeping a rough diary of the occasions when she has called for help and in speaking to the ACAT person a few days ago I realised that the number of requests has reduced since 28th February to almost none! What has changed? Perhaps I have been lax at recording events. When I asked for her meds schedule I noticed that half a Madopar (ordinary, not slow release) was taken at 2200. "Why? When did this begin" I asked. " A week ago to help stop the 'someone walking over my grave feeling' when I lay down in bed" she replied, and she says it has helped her get to sleep each night. My excitement that the additional bit of Madopar may have synchronised with reduction in her calls for help is not justified. Neither of us can recall any changes to our daily monotony at the end of February. The diary suggests nothing other than my phasing in two doses of Asasatin for my own problems; then ceasing because on March 1st I woke with a severe headache at 0300 following a week of dull background headaches. During that time I was dull & irritable so probably was not too concerned about record keeping. Our doctor has prescribed something else for me now. So from about the time I began taking 2 doses of Asasantin per day and my headaches became more than dull she needed less assistance. When i mentioned this she said simply "When there are problems I just try harder." So can some of her rising from chair/toilet problems be overcome by the stress induced by concern for me?

On Wednesday an ACAT person interviewed us for emergency care for her should I fall foul of big red bus or whatever. She has not been keen on renewing the assessment, last done in 2007, because she sees it as moving her closer to entry into an old people's home. ACAT rang back a yesterday to say that her condition entitled her to high level care. That caused her more concern than ever, upset her very much, she cried, rather than seeing it as a planning for future eventualities. I certainly don't wish her to be institutionalised in any form even for short term emergencies. Yet we both must realise that sooner rather than later, one of us will begin the spiralling course to our finality. We have a PD friend who has a live-in carer and I think we must look into a similar solution should I "go" first. There is a bedroom and a bathroom that could provide free accommodation for a retired elderly lady. Free accommodation and a small salary may be very attractive to a pensioner lady.

In the last couple of days she has been constructing a quilt. Yesterday we each entered some of our work into the local show at the little country town where she has her Bowen Therapy.

On Thursday we were to join our local PD group on a bus trip but she felt poorly and I was light-headed because my blood pressure was lower than usual, so we offered our apologies & stayed home.

Until yesterday, her recent medication history is:

0600 1x Sifrol ER 3
1x Deralin 40
2x Madopar HBS 100/25

1000 1x Deralin 40
2x Madopar HBS 100/25

1400 1x Deralin 40
2x Madopar HBS 100/25

1800 1x Deralin 40
2x Madopar HBS 100/25

2200 1/2x Madopar 200/50 (Note: not HBS)

2400 2x Madopar HBS 100/25

Beginning from today:

0600 1x Sifrol ER 3
1x Deralin 40
1x Sinemet CR 200/50

1000 1x Deralin 40
1x Sinemet CR 200/50

1400 1x Deralin 40
1x Sinemet CR 200/50

1800 1x Deralin 40
1x Sinemet CR 200/50

2200 1/2x Madopar 200/50 (Note: not HBS)

2400 1x Sinemet CR 200/50