Chapter 504 - Winding Down
Her hallucinations gradually subsided in the week following the cessation of Symmetrel. On Tuesday 23rd October I went on my own to post copies of FitBit charts recorded during the last doses of Symmetrel to Dr F. Prior to my leaving she complained of seeing "people" in our kitchen; I think the first time she displayed concern about hallucinations. I returned with a surprise present for her; an epilator. For quite a long time she has attempted to remove old lady facial hair with finger tips or tweezers so I thought some sort of feminine razor may cheer her. In searching for such a device I had to google the word "epilator" to learn what it was.
A sweater she cut the arms out of was binned. Since then she removed the fancy lace bottoms of the legs and the waist band from a pair of quite nice (to my thinking anyway) blue slacks over a period of several days. More days were spent fitting a larger waist band but I don't think the job is finished yet. Her sewing jobs take ages and mostly end in rubbish. She knows want she wants to accomplish at the beginning but becomes lost along the way.
Recently I replaced the batteries in her little scooter, not used in about 10 years. One afternoon I took her to a local park to check how easily she could slide from the car seat on the slider board onto the scooter. There was no great difficulty; other than she was dead scared of controlling the scooter. The trial was cut short because someone we knew stopped to talk. Last Sunday I took her to ride around the rose garden area of the park. She was more terrified this time, tending to hold the handle bars with rigid arms, negotiating bends with difficulty. At all times the speed control has been on minimum. I'm unsure whether trying again is worth the effort.
Since the hallucinations began she has no desire to go shopping on Sundays. Says she doesn't like being in the car. I just mentioned to her that we haven't been shopping together since the hallucinations began and that may be why she hasn't wished to go out. She has agreed to go to Target this afternoon. The place has its own parking area separate to the main shopping area.
Since cancelling the Symmetrel her FitBit charts show that her bouts of dyskinesia are of shorter duration and when they begin I try to give her a couple of soluble Panadol, seeming to relax her and stop her legs kicking. Researching Symmetrel on line I found that an extended release form is available but is not yet on the PBS and that taken at night it has a beneficial effect on LID (stands for "levidopa induced dydkinesia") during the following day. With or without hallucinations I can but ask when we next see the neuro.
A sweater she cut the arms out of was binned. Since then she removed the fancy lace bottoms of the legs and the waist band from a pair of quite nice (to my thinking anyway) blue slacks over a period of several days. More days were spent fitting a larger waist band but I don't think the job is finished yet. Her sewing jobs take ages and mostly end in rubbish. She knows want she wants to accomplish at the beginning but becomes lost along the way.
Recently I replaced the batteries in her little scooter, not used in about 10 years. One afternoon I took her to a local park to check how easily she could slide from the car seat on the slider board onto the scooter. There was no great difficulty; other than she was dead scared of controlling the scooter. The trial was cut short because someone we knew stopped to talk. Last Sunday I took her to ride around the rose garden area of the park. She was more terrified this time, tending to hold the handle bars with rigid arms, negotiating bends with difficulty. At all times the speed control has been on minimum. I'm unsure whether trying again is worth the effort.
Since the hallucinations began she has no desire to go shopping on Sundays. Says she doesn't like being in the car. I just mentioned to her that we haven't been shopping together since the hallucinations began and that may be why she hasn't wished to go out. She has agreed to go to Target this afternoon. The place has its own parking area separate to the main shopping area.
Since cancelling the Symmetrel her FitBit charts show that her bouts of dyskinesia are of shorter duration and when they begin I try to give her a couple of soluble Panadol, seeming to relax her and stop her legs kicking. Researching Symmetrel on line I found that an extended release form is available but is not yet on the PBS and that taken at night it has a beneficial effect on LID (stands for "levidopa induced dydkinesia") during the following day. With or without hallucinations I can but ask when we next see the neuro.
posted by Kilpike | 10:57 am
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