Chapter 477 - Bad End to a Bad Week

At 0630 on Saturday I replaced the Duodopa cassette, changed the setting from 2.2 to 5.5 mL, initiated the Morning Dose of 6.0 mL, flushed the side port, retaped the tube to her tummy and pulled the tape in and out a few times, then gave her Ganfort and Simbrinza eye drops. She quickly returned to sleep after all this activity. She was asleep at 0730, laying on her back as usual, was hard to wake to begin the day. I had difficulty sitting her upright on the side of the bed in preparation to having her stand on the Sara Stedy; she said her right arm was tingling, "not there", then she said she was unable to "find" her feet. She had difficulty grasping the rail on the Sara Stedy as I attempted to lift her into a standing position. Five minutes later seated on the loo her right arm seemed slack, still tingling. While she remained on the loo I gave her some water to drink; she looked "dippy", the right arm was not tingling but felt "dead" at 0745. Moved her onto the commode at 0750 when she said the middle 3 fingers on her right hand were "burning" and felt "thick". Her feet were just not there, there was feeling only down to her knees. Becoming alarmed, I asked her to grin/smile and the grimace she made was balanced on her face, she was able to raise both arms in the air, she was able to touch her nose with each index finger but the right arm was tingling and burning whereas the left felt "normal". As the Wild Dog carer came in the front door at 0800 I was checking her blood pressure at 116/69 pulse 66, a second reading was almost the same. Her right hand fingers still felt "thick". I had the carer shower and dress her. The middle two fingers of her right hand were still "thick" as she was being dressed. I pushed our alarm button at about 0815, described the symptoms to the operator and asked for an ambulance to be sent. About 0820 the ambulance service rang to ask about the situation while an ambulance arrived. She was now sitting in her wheel chair. The ambulance officers asked appropriate questions; had her perform a smile, raising her arms in the air, strength of grip by each hand, then brought a trolley into the house, lifted her onto it and took her to the hospital.

After packing a small bag with necessities, assisted by the carer, I locked the house and at the hospital by 0900. I waited for 2 hours before I was called into Emergency, to learn she had had a number of scans and blood tests. Something had gone amiss with the cannula, leaving large blood stains on the bed linen. About 1130 she was given 300 mg of Aspirin. A doctor gave me a referral for our GP and described the tests conducted showed no brain damage, he assumed she had suffered a TIA because the symptoms experienced had rapidly subsided and any evidence of a TIA may not be immediately apparent.

So at 1245 i wheeled her in her wheel chair out to the car and home. I rang Wild Dog to say she was home. Since she behaviour seemed normal, I took her with me down to the chemist for the type of aspirin, Cartia, and restock Simbrinza eye drops. She had a milkshake. Back home, the normal evening routine was followed and by 2000 she was asleep in bed.

Beginning tomorrow, Monday, a busy week awaits us.

I can only wonder: a TIA or a weird PD symptom?