Tag Archives: gas

Merry Christmas!!

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on December 21, 2008 by 9

The Christmas presents are wrapped, and the stocking presents are ready for stuffing, the house is straighter than it has been in a long time, and I’m in good spirits. Not everything is the way I would wish it to be, but I’m thankful for my improved health and the health of all our family. I pray to God daily, with confidence that things will work out for the best for our family.

My elimination difficulties are settling down somewhat, but the gas was particularly bad yesterday. It’s hard to think of eating out in public, not knowing how my body will react. Hubby and I can joke about it, but it’s extremely embarrassing even just with him. My intention is to wait until after the holidays to get back with my Gastrologist, since my normal routines and diet are disrupted so much right now. Yes, we both love fruit cake, and I had a small piece yesterday, plus a little bit of egg nog. I don’t know if that set off the bloated feeling or not, but I was not comfortable.

I’m better today, at least for now, so maybe I’ll be more careful with what I eat today and see how I do. That’s easy to say now, when I’m not hungry and there are no luscious desserts tempting me.

I’m particularly pleased with my progress with my morning exercises. When a muscle is used for awhile there is a buildup of lactic acid in the muscle fibers. This causes the pain we feel when we exercise. I was not able to do even one repetition of 10 of any of my exercises at first without tremendous cramping. Now I can do almost all of them for 2 repetitions, as long as I don’t do them in a row. So, I go through my Tai Chi form, and then repeat it all for my full 20 times each. This gives the muscles a chance to rest, but I still get the full routine in. While I’m sitting at the computer I do the same thing with my neck exercises, going through the whole routine twice so I get 20 times for each motion.

I’m still doing only 10 minutes on the mini trampoline, and still having to do little resting movements every couple of minutes. But I can get through a whole song on the radio now doing jogging motions that make me bounce all over. This should be good for my gas and digestion problems, too. Until I can “jog” for the whole 10 minutes there really is no point in staying on it any longer.

My little victories in my exercise routine would certainly seem trivial to someone in good health, but I am very proud of how far I’ve come. And I have hope that I will continue to increase my level of activity.

Yes, today is a good day.

Today is My Last Day on the High Powered Ulcer Antibiotics

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on August 24, 2008 by 2

I have been counting the days until this Prevpac was finished, because the strong antibiotics have sapped my energy something terrible. My tummy is still tender and I get very uncomfortable after anything, even water, is swallowed. So I don’t think the ulceration in my lower stomach is healed yet. I have felt a little better since I started eating a little something with each medicine dose, and I spread my meds back out over the day the way they used to be. I’m hoping that will keep my stomach from getting irritated and inflamed so badly again.

I am blaming this on the stress that the Clonazepam put me under, plus I have a long standing problem with GERD and have had ulcers before. I have not felt like exercising for a long time now, and I know that I need to, whether I feel like it or not. But the thought of moving is just so overwhelming. There are days when everything seems like such an effort. It’s hard to explain, but sometimes the thought of even getting up to go get a drink of water seems to be too much.

I’m not really depressed, the way I was with the Clonazepam, but just totally wiped out physically, which leaves me low on brain power, too.

So I am celebrating that this is my last day of this stuff and hoping that I see some improvement in my digestion this next week. If I don’t I’ll have to call the Gastro’s nurse, and I suspect he will put me back on another two weeks of this stuff. That’s what happened the last time I had an ulcer.

As for the jerking and tics, I am doing just fine. I have them more as the day goes on, but nothing at all like they used to be. I still startle in an odd way over the least little thing. My body seems to paralyze for a moment, my eyelids flutter, and everything goes blank for a second or two. Then I come out of it and usually realize that whatever startled me was trivial.

I have been able to use the relaxation techniques I learned a long time ago when I was being treated for Functional Dysphonia. I am using the low register of my voice, instead of allowing it to be the high pitched “female” voice. I have sung alto since elementary school, so that is a good indication that my speaking voice should probably be lower than what I normally use. Making a conscious effort to breath at the beginning of make a sound and letting it come from down deep has taken a lot of the strain off of my vocal chords, so I am not choking and gagging with a horrible tickle all the time any more. This was obviously stress induced, and that means I can control it to a great extent.

So once again I choose to look for the positive improvements I have made and hope and pray for continued good progress.

I Should Know Better – Back on Bowel Retraining Routine

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on July 30, 2008 by  

CAUTION: I try to be as specific with symptoms, problems, etc., as I can, so that what I write might help someone else in a similar situation. Feel free to skip this post if you’re not up to a frank discussion of bodily functions.

There’s nothing that aggravates me more than to go to my wonderful Gastrologist again with nausea and abdominal pain, only to be told to do the same thing he has had me do before. Each time I go through one of these strange “I don’t think I’m constipated” episodes, I think that it can’t possibly be the same thing I had before.

I have to use Miralax each morning, eat a high fiber breakfast cereal, drink lots of fluids, take 4 Bentyl tablets, a chewable Acidophilus tablet, and 3 Metamucil capsules every day. I’ve been on that regimen now for a long time. Until I started on the Primidone I was not having any problems with my bowels. But as soon as I started taking the Primidone, which has done wonders for my jerking and twitching, I noticed that I was heading for trouble with my elimination.

So, I increased my fiber intake, thinking that was going to be enough. And it looked like I was correct, up until the last few weeks. Then I started having a yucky taste in my mouth most of the day. I had a tickling kind of cough if I swallowed anything the least bit spicy or scratchy, and it was not going down the wrong way. I was almost constantly clearing my throat, and by the end of the day my throat was sore.

I was still having my usual 4 or 5 bowel movements a day, just as I have had ever since I went on all this elimination routine. I have problems with the muscles needed for defecation, so I have to stay just shy of diarrhea to be comfortable. I was still having times when I almost didn’t make it to the bathroom, so everything seemed as it should be as far as elimination was concerned.

So, after a miserable weekend, I decided it was time to see my Gastro, and they are so good about working me in. We saw him yesterday, and he says that I AM constipated, despite my objections to his conclusion. I am to call him Friday after being on the full Bowel Retraining routine, which I started last night.

So now, added to the list of procedures that I was already following, I took 4 TBS Milk of Magnesia this morning, plus used 2 Glycerin suppositories. I am to continue using the suppositories daily, and the Milk of Magnesia every 3 days if I still have symptoms. He also told me to go back to eating my normal diet, instead of the baked potatoes and chicken soup that I have eaten almost exclusively since Friday.

So, you know where I have been most of this day. I’m still clearing my throat constantly, and my throat is irritated, but I am not nauseated like I was yesterday morning. I’ll be eating our usual lunch today, and hopefully it will not cause the coughing or nausea to worsen.

Will I ever learn?????

Looks Like I Can Cross Sleep Apnea OFF My List!!

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on November 9, 2007 by 4

I have slept longer and waked more refreshed almost every night now for over a week with the dental appliance set to a very comfortable amount of lower jaw extension. I’m not having as much trouble with daytime sleepiness, except for the odd woozy feeling I get after lunch. So, unless something unforeseen happens, I am going to cross Sleep Apnea off my list of problems! That feels so good, to have one less thing going wrong with me.

My neck continues to spasm, so I guess in a way I have traded one problem for another. But I know that will either work itself out, or I can go to my Orthopedist and he will deal with it. If it has not relaxed by Monday, I will make an appointment. I suspect he will give me a prescription for some Physical Therapy. That’s why I stopped going earlier this year when my knee was so painful. I wanted to be sure I had some PT time left, as my insurance only covers 15 trips a year, I think it was. Anyway, I know I have some sessions left, and that will be enough to get this painfully stiff neck relaxed, I’m sure.

I am in an optimistic mood, and have been for some time now. It feels glorious!! Even my elimination seems to be getting back to normal. The combination of Bentyl, the antispasmodic and mild antidepressant, the extra Metamucil capsule, and the Acidophilus, have done the trick. I still have gas problems, as I try to figure out which foods I will have to delete from my diet, but that is so minor a problem compared to what I was dealing with.

So, this is going to be a great day! I just feel it!!

Some Things Better, Progress with Others

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on October 27, 2007 by 2

I’ve been busy the last few days trying to get used to the TAP and regulating my meds and diet to try to deal with the colon problems I’ve had for well over a year now. The TAP dental appliance is doing as well as I would expect. I slept about 7 hours last night, which is a huge improvement for me. I am still waking up a couple of times in the night to go to the bathroom, though, so it’s not yet a completely restful sleep. It’s time for me to make an appointment for a new Sleep Study, to see if the device is handling my Apnea appropriately. That will be the determining factor on whether I can get my insurance to pay for the TAP or not, and whether it’s worth using.

I am pleased to see that there is a way to use the TAP device as the anchoring mechanism for a CPAP mask, if it becomes necessary to go back on that. A nasal pillow delivery system can be attached directly to the dental appliance, so there would be no straps or mask all over my face. That’s encouraging, as it means I can look forward to either getting by with just the TAP, or the TAP plus CPAP – but NO MASK!!! So, I’m very optimistic about the coming Sleep Study.

As for the elimination situation, I am somewhat improved, although certainly not where I would like to be. I’m still belching and having gas problems, but not having as much trouble actually going to the bathroom as I was. So, the Acidophilus, the Bentyl prescription, and an extra Metamucil capsule a day seem to be the right plan of attack for that problem.

DH and I have been searching for some practical ways for me to keep track of all my pills, the dosing times, and a way to effectively keep me on schedule. I seem to have some kind of Freudian aversion to remembering to take my pills. I hate having to take so much medicine, and I think it’s causing some kind of passive aggressive reaction that I’m going to have to overcome. We’ve taken some positive steps to get over this hump. We bought two Plano tool/fishing tackle boxes, each with 4 storage boxes in it. That gives me enough boxes for 8 days, so I can make up meds once a week and have a spare. Right now I am taking medicine at 12 different times a day, so I put a numbered sticker in the bottom of each little compartment, with the dosing time on it. I can take the small box for one day with me wherever I go fairly easily. I even found that I could use my Bible cover to “hide” my pills on Sunday. I just carried my Bible loose and put the pill box in where the Bible would have been. I have to take a dose between Sunday School and Church, so this worked nicely.

Getting me on a dependable schedule was the next problem to handle. I searched for days all over the Internet, looking for pill reminder systems that I thought would work for me. Most would not give enough alarms to suit my needs, or any PWP’s needs, for that matter. PWP tend to take our meds closer and closer to each other as the disease progresses, so it’s not unusual for a Parkie to be taking something every hour during the day, and even getting up in the night to take something. Also, some of the more promising systems only allowed you to set pill reminders from say 8:00AM to midnight, and my first pill is at 5:00 AM.

So, I ended up buying a Timex Ironman Data Link watch, which can be connected to the computer via USB. It’s like having a PDA on your wrist. It came yesterday, but I have been studying everything I could find about it while I waited for it to come, and I had my pill schedule all ready to send to the watch. It worked like a charm. It beeps and the face lights up and flashes for several seconds, and the names of the pills I need to take scroll across the watch face. If I don’t push a button on the watch, I get another reminder in 5 minutes. Since I’ll be wearing it, I’m much more likely to heed the reminder. I also have the reminders set up on Outlook, since the computer is on all day long, anyway.

The watch needs to be quite large, as you might expect, so it’s the size of a man’s sports watch. I don’t mind that, if it keeps me from forgetting a pill, as I have been prone to do. For now, it’s in my pocket, because I’m going to have some links taken out of the band. There’s a lot to learn about this watch, but the main thing for me was the Alarm mode, as it allows up to 200 alarms a day! And that was super easy to get up and running.

My tremors still remain, not as bad as they were when I went to the ER, but still enough to make me feel like I’m trying to walk on Jello, and it gets worse as I get tired later on in the day. I use the walls and the furniture here in the house to steady myself, and I have managed to do without my cane at church, by the hardest. But anywhere else we go, like our Date Day, or to go out to eat, I’m using the cane. The hand tremors are also more prominent, and don’t seem to ever go away completely, but I can handle a fork and spoon OK, and type, so I can live with that.

My biggest problem has been the odd about to pass out feeling I’ve been getting after lunch and supper, but not breakfast. We’ve checked my blood pressure during a couple of these attacks, and it’s always low, like 98/58 low. I can’t do much but sit very still and wait for the feeling to pass. I have found that eating something sweet makes me feel better, but that may just be because it’s a comfort food for me. Or, it may means that this feeling is from a low blood sugar situation, rather than a low blood pressure one.

We may have narrowed it down to being an interaction between the Sinemet and the protein in my meals. Yesterday, just as a test, I had a vegetable lunch without any meat, and I did not have the weird feeling later on. So, I’ll try that again for a few days, and see what happens.

Dear sweet hubby took over the compost making task for me for the last couple of weeks, but I did it all by myself this morning. I’m very tired, but feeling good that I was able to accomplish it. I’m also sweeping off parts of the driveway almost daily now, and the deck and patio underneath every once in awhile. That gives my arms and shoulders a good workout, and it’s good for my balance, too. I’m also using the trekking poles the whole time at the track now, where I usually do 3 laps, and then the leg exercises and my Tai Chi. My balance is still way off, so the Tai Chi looks pretty ragged, but I’m doing it anyway. After all, nobody but me knows just how pitiful my form is, right? 😉

So, I see progress with several areas of concern, but disappointment that I am in nowhere near as good a shape as I was before I had the Celestone shot that sent me to the ER.

I continue to try my best to live each day with a positive outlook, and I think the Bentyl has helped with the depression I was dealing with.

Drug Interaction Still Causing Problems

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on October 5, 2007 by 10

I went to the Gastroenterologist Wednesday afternoon, and he did X-rays of my abdomen to determine if I was as constipated as he thought I would be, based on my symptoms. He was surprised to find that nothing in my colon was hard or compacted. After examining me, he has come to the conclusion that my problem is caused by spasms of the digestive tract, rather than weak muscles, as he had been telling me it was. So, now he thinks my trouble is exactly the opposite of what he had thought previously!! He prescribed Triavil, which relaxes the colon muscles, and he said I should feel much better by Monday.

I’ve learned my lesson though, so I specifically asked him if he was sure I could take this med with my Parkinson’s meds. He said he did not think this would be a problem, but to ask my pharmacist. Full of hope that he had found a way to stop my very uncomfortable situation, I called our drugstore on the way home to be sure he had it in stock. But, when hubby came back from the drugstore, he didn’t bring in the prescription bag. He said the pharmacist said his computer all but crashed when he put in the medicine, it produced such a strong warning that this was a dangerous combination with my other PD meds!!

At first I handled the news stoically, but later on that evening I went through a rough time of being very depressed, with lots of crying. I called my doctor’s nurse first thing Thursday morning to let her know I couldn’t take it, and to remind her that he would see Selegiline listed in the interaction information, rather than Zelepar, which is just a dissolving form of Selegiline. I think that must be why he didn’t realize I couldn’t take it.

Anyhow, I haven’t heard back from him yet, so DH and I decided it was time to take matters in our own hands. We went enzyme, herb, and spice shopping, as I have been doing some research on my own about Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and I found some things that should help, without causing problems.

Yesterday, I started taking Turmeric, St. John’s Wort, and Acidophilus capsules. DH’s Oncologist has had him on Turmeric ever since he had colon cancer, and his doctor had already suggested I use it. We had our usual Date Day today, and I continued to belch a lot all day, but did not have any nausea at all, or my usual sensation as if my food was sitting at the top of my throat all day. I’m encouraged that I will find a way to calm my system down and get things back to closer to normal, whether my Gastro can find a medicine I can take or not.

I’m still very wobbly, though, so I used the cane just about everywhere we went today, and I’m using it in the house tonight, too. It may be that it’s just going to take awhile to recover from the really bad state I was in Sunday, plus I may still have some of the Cortisol in my system. I’ll have to see if I can find something about how long it stays in the system after getting an injection. Or, it may be that the St. John’s Wort, added to my other PD meds, is giving me an overdose of Levadopa.

That’s what makes figuring this all out so difficult, as too much PD meds makes for jerky movements, called Dyskinesia. If you’ve seen Michael J. Fox jerking around, you’ve seen it. When PWP have been on meds for a long time their systems process the Levadopa in a very unpredictable way, and you see these wild jerking movements. But early on, if the meds aren’t strong enough, you see tremors. It’s hard for me to tell if my wobbliness is tremor or jerking, so I can’t tell, based on that, if I’m getting too little or too much Levadopa. My hands are only shaking ever so slightly, which makes me think I’m not getting too much. My Neuro will know when he sees me.

By then I should have heard from my Gastro doctor, and I’ll know if the herbs are going to do any good or cause any problems. I will be doing more research, too, to be sure there are no contraindications of these OTC with my prescriptions.

Tummy in Rebellion

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on October 2, 2007 by 6

Warning: This post is not for the weak stomached!

Today did not go well at all. I followed my list of med times, trying to spread out all the doses as much as possible. I was careful to take the ones that needed to be with food, and the one that needed to be without food at appropriate times.

Before I could finish sipping my hot tea this morning after breakfast, I moved to get up from the sofa to go to the bathroom, and all the liquids I had taken in over the last hour – juice, water, and tea – all came up explosively all over me and the sofa, propelled by all this gas I have. It’s as if my stomach is stopped up at the bottom and couldn’t hold it all. That is called Gastroparesis, which means slowing of the emptying of the stomach, and is quite likely part of my problem. Really, every part of my digestive tract shows signs of weakening, so I shouldn’t be surprised when something like this happens. That didn’t make it any less upsetting, though, as DH had to quickly do a wash before all that acid ruined my clothes, while I took a bath, and we had to try to get our sofa cleaned up, too. And, I’ve stayed nauseated most of the day, just as I did when I tried to take Sinemet last year.

From what I’ve read from other PWP, many people get over the nausea fairly quickly when they start Sinemet, so I sure hope I will be able to tolerate it this time. I was much sicker with the GERD last year when I tried to take it than I am now, so there is reason to be optimistic, which is what I choose to be.

I see my Gastroenterologist tomorrow, and I have an appointment with my Neurologist next Friday, so maybe I will know what needs to be done soon to get the benefit, and not the side effects, of my meds.

Day One with Sinemet

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on October 2, 2007 by 6

Yesterday was the first full day of taking Sinemet again, as well as the Requip and Zelepar I was already on. I also had the Lodosyn and Sucralfate I requested from the ER doc, so that the Sinemet had a better chance of not making me so nauseated, the way it did last year. I started the morning hardly able to feed myself or walk, but ended the day almost back to my normal state. That was a huge relief, to say the least!!!

I also talked to my Gastroenterologist last night, but without any real conclusion to my gas and belching problem, or my elimination difficulties. He basically just asked me a lot of questions, most of which I could not give him any clear cut answer to, and told me to go on and make an appointment with him. I told him about the ER trip, and how I had been delaying my Neuro appointment, waiting for a diagnosis. He said to go on and make the Neurologist appointment, so I’ll do that today. The fact that he has taken so long going over all the diary I gave him, plus his obvious quandary as to what is going on, leads me to think that a serious diagnosis is not jumping out at him as likely. That is what I’m going to assume, anyway.

The comical part of all this was trying to figure out a schedule to add in three more meds, taking into account all the restrictions on timing and eating and nearness to other meds that each one has. I finally wrote out today’s schedule, and I’m taking one or more medicines today at 5AM, 6, 7:30, 9, 11, 12, 1:15, 3, 5, 6:30, and 8PM! And that doesn’t count the Myralax that goes on my cereal or the glycerin suppositories I use! You should see the size of my pill boxes!! Oops, my timer just went off…. time to go take medicine LOL!

Well, I’m back. I just took the Sucralfate, a hog pill that I had trouble swallowing yesterday. Last night we cut it in half, but I still choked on it, because it’s so dry going down. So, this morning I soaked the two halves in a tablespoon of water, and swallowed that. That was much easier, although I can still feel the dry scratchiness down my throat. That’s one of my new stomach protector meds, so I have to take it, uncomfortable or not.

Each day is a new adventure with this PD, with some days being hopeful and others being miserable. Thank goodness I don’t often get as down as I was Sunday night. I thank God for that!! And, I thank you for caring enough to say an encouraging word, too, as I surely need it.

I Told You I Have a Good Doctor!!

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on September 9, 2007 by 17

Well, I carried the phone around with me all day yesterday, even when I worked outside, just on the chance my Gastroenterologist would call. If it were any doctor but he, I wouldn’t have even considered that to be a possibility. Sure enough, he called about 7:00 last night, apologizing for not having called sooner.

He had me describe my problems again, in greater detail. Even over the phone, it was difficult to go into minute specifics about my elimination situation. He wants me to keep a detailed diary for a few days of every single thing I put in my mouth, plus each symptom event I have. So, I started that last night. It’s funny writing down the time and intensity of each belch and gas episode. ROTFL And it means writing down every bite and sip, including the ingredients of the different herbal teas I drink, but if it helps, it’s worth it! He didn’t think the Beano I had been trying for the last few days would do any good, though, so I didn’t take them this morning.

I know many would not agree with me, but Dr. B’s dedication, and that of other doctors I have, just convince me that much more that I do not want the USA to EVER go to a national health care system. What I read from blogs from countries that have it makes me think that they would not have a doctor going out of his way to call from his home on the weekend to help me with something that is chronic, as this problem is. I am quite willing to have government subsidized health care for those who can’t afford it, but I am adamantly opposed to making it into universal health care, where I have no control over much of anything concerning my health. OK, I’m off my soap box now. ;}

Bits of This and That

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on August 27, 2007 by  

I’ve been a good girl, and I’ve tried to use the C-Pap machine every night. I can only say try, because I’m still not using it all night long. I did manage to keep it on for 6 hours on Saturday night, and I thought I had it licked. Then last night I couldn’t stand it past 1:30AM.

I’m pretty much used to the nose canula now, but the chin strap contraption is quite another matter. I’m going to call the tech again this morning for another appointment, since I only have another week before I’m stuck with whatever equipment I have after 30 days. I have Acne Rosacea, which normally is not a problem for me, as I quit wearing makeup, except for lipstick, many years ago. The reason I bring that up is that all these straps and bands is irritating my face. I’m starting to get red patches around my mouth where the chin strap is rubbing as I turn in the night. There are several other types of chin straps available, so I’m hoping she can find something else that I can use.

We’re in the middle of a cold wave right now, with high temperatures in the 90’s! So, DH got up this morning in the mood to go walking. We were out at the track at 5:15AM, and there were already people out there walking. It’s really the only time of day that it’s safe to be doing it right now. I did 3/4 mile, plus my knee and shoulder exercises, and the Tai Chi, while he did 2 miles. Not bad for the first time we’ve been there in several weeks. Of course, I’ve been walking around at home and working a little bit in the yard each morning, so I was not out of shape too badly. Maybe tomorrow I’ll walk a mile, but I won’t push it if I’m not ready. I learned that lesson really well.

The gas is still just as much a problem as it has been, and I’m supposed to call my Gastro this week to let him know how I’m doing. I’ll wait a few more days, just in case DH’s explanation is right. He thinks I need to give myself a few days for the colon to adjust after the GoLYTELY, and he’s probably right.

I also noticed that the tremor in my hands is becoming more noticeable, and showing up more often. I’ve not had tremors up until recently. Balance wasn’t so good yesterday, either. But I’m not in walking shoes on Sunday morning, and that could be it. I am wearing flats, with as much support as I could find, but I never feel as secure when I wear them. I’m not sure what I could wear that didn’t look like athletic shoes, but I’m going to have to find something. Part of the problem right now is that I have more tissue swelling than I have been having. I’ve been on a diuretic for a long time, even before I was diagnosed with PD. But now, my fingers are so swollen that I can’t completely close my fists. My ankles are badly swollen, too, and my weight is up, which I’m assuming is fluid.

So, I’m still dealing with lots of little problems, none of which, hopefully, are serious, but all are things that lesson my quality of life. I am thankful that I am in as good a shape as I am. Reading about all the problems that other PWP have makes me feel very blessed that I have a wonderful hubby to help me when I need it, and sympathize with me when I need that, too. I feel for those Parkies friends whose symptoms are so much more debilitating than mine are, and pray that they have a good day today.