Hope you’re feeling a bit better now, Katy and your sneezing and coughing haven’t developed into a full blown lurg.
Perhaps it’s for the best your op won’t be during the festive season. I did think it unlikely, in the current state of the NHS, for it to be that quick. I hope you don’t have to wait too long. One of my neighbours has been waiting 18 months for an URGENT gall stone op; he’s been hospitalised with it 3 times already!
We didn’t get to the consultant appointment. He was stuck on the toilet and then the commode, in his pyjamas, unable to “go”, all morning, until after we should have left the house. Then he was an exhausted, anxious wreck physically unable to get dressed never mind get out of the house! YD was an absolute star and rang the hospital to explain the situation and arranged for the appointment to be done by phone. Not ideal but we so desperately needed to speak to Dr. The PD meds he takes through the day have been increased, which, along with increased antidepressant, has already made a massive difference. However, the first day of the increased dose was extremely traumatic because he’d developed a fear of taking that tablet, believing the increased PD symptoms and associated anxiety were caused by the tablets despite being told, repeatedly, by consultant, PD nurse and me that it was previous tab continuing to wear off before next one took effect. Eventually, I lost my temper with him, told him I’d reached the end of my tether and he took the first increased dose. What a surprise: It worked! As YD said, “it’s almost as if the professionals know what they’re talking about!”
The original suggestion was to move the tabs closer together and take 6 a day instead of previous 5 but because of his fear of it, he’s taking 1 1/2 tabs four times a day instead, which is easier to manage. I’m sooooo relieved we don’t have to go through transition to a new drug. I just couldn’t cope with that again!
He is continuing to improve but is in complete denial about how bad it was. The letters have come from both PDN and neurologist summarising our conversations and he laughed saying they were exaggerated. Nope! They state the facts exactly as they were.
I’m still traumatised. A couple of times, I have even dreamt he was calling me and jumped awake to go to him only to find him fast asleep! It will take a while to recover but at least things look more hopeful, for now at least, and I might even be able to get out to my groups. I was so frightened that we had descended, permanently, into the next phase of PD. Not yet. Thank goodness.
At least YD got an indication of how bad it’s been. She believed me but it would have been annoying of she’d come all this way and he was fine. I enjoyed her company and moral support.
Unfortunately, DIL is working Christmas Eve so they won’t travel here on that day, like they usually do. Instead, they’re coming 27th (ES’s birthday. He would have been 40 ) to 29th. We will have Christmas day on 28th. Not quite sure how I’m going to organise cooking the turkey as it will still need collecting on 23rd or 24th but I’ll cross that bridge…