Tag Archives: nausea

I Should Know Better – Back on Bowel Retraining Routine

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on 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?????

Slept All Day Yesterday

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I overdid it. We have been going more and more to fresh foods, mostly raw, for lunch. Our salads have been getting larger, while the amount of cooked vegetables has been decreasing. We’ve also had a few smoothies, including one the other day that was a total disaster. I made myself drink about 6 oz of it, because I just couldn’t stand the thought of wasting all that food. Well, if I ever make one again that tastes yucky – it will make great compost!!

I was bloated on Wednesday morning, and I didn’t feel like exercising at all. I did a little moving around, but quit about half way through the video. But I felt OK as the day went on. I should have paid attention to my body and gone back on my strict safe diet and the bowel retraining regimen I have used in the past. But I didn’t listen.

By that night, I was nauseated and so uncomfortable that I used a Phynergan suppository and went to sleep early. I woke up about midnight coughing uncontrollably from acid reflux, so I started sipping on liquid Gaviscon to calm down my esophagus.

I slept until my medicine alarm went off at 5:00AM, was so groggy that I took the Zelepar and went right back to sleep. I kept on waking up for meds and going back to sleep most of the day. I went back to using the glycerin suppositories, too. I cut back on medicines to only those I thought were essential, and only had a couple of lightly buttered English muffins to eat all day. I managed some chicken soup for supper, and then slept all night again.

Surprisingly, I felt OK this morning. But I will be extra careful with my meals for the next few days, and will be using the glycerin suppositories again for awhile. My Gastroenterologist explained to me that I feel like that when I am constipated. The fact that I am still going to the bathroom doesn’t matter, if I am not eliminating enough to keep my colon working properly.

I went for my Physical Therapy this morning, as usual, and we even did a little traveling for our Date Day. There aren’t very many Estate Sales this time of year, so we ended up going to just two. Neither one of them was very interesting, but we did find some old toys that will pay for our day out, anyway.

I feel fine as I write this, but I had become complacent, I guess, since it had been so long since my tummy has bothered me. I learned my lesson this week.

Drug Interaction Still Causing Problems

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on 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 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.

Walking on Jello

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by 6

The saga of drug interactions continues, evidently. I had a Celestone shot on Thursday to get the poison ivy under control, as a steroid shot always does the trick for me. My regular doctor has given these to me several times in the last few years, so I was not surprised when I woke up very nervous Friday. That’s pretty much par for the course, plus they make it hard for me to sleep, too. So, I tolerated the shakiness Friday, and we continued with our Estate Sale hunting and went to see our younger DD for an overnight stay.

By Saturday morning I was even shakier, but we had a long way to drive home. I kept the way I was feeling to myself, figuring it would go away, and I did feel better after we ate a big breakfast. But, this morning, I was in really bad shape. I was shaking all over and holding on to furniture and the walls to get around. When my hubby got up several hours after me, I was worse. So, I called the Neurologist’s answering service and the doctor on call promptly called me back. After listening to all this, he told me to go to the ER. He said he was concerned it was an infection (I didn’t think so, but?) and they would be able to give me something to stop the tremors. So, we were off for the hour long drive to get to the ER, with DH trying his best not to show just how worried he was about me, and me trying my best to be still.

They took me right away, but it still took quite awhile to get the results from all the blood work they did. They did not find signs of any infection, and concluded, just as I had, that the steroid shot had precipitated this acceleration of my symptoms. So, armed with four prescriptions and orders to see my Neurologist this week, they sent me home.

So, at least for now, I’m back on Sinemet, which is the “Gold Standard” drug for Parkinson’s. Since I was so nauseated with it when I took it for the Sinemet Challenge that confirmed my Parkinson’s diagnosis, I had asked the ER doctor to also give me a prescription for Lodosyn, Carafate, and Phenergan. This is where my journal of everything that has happened since my diagnosis came in handy. I was able to show him in my journal that this is what my own Neurologist had put me on way back in September of 2006, when I got so nauseated with the Sinemet.

So, I’m typing this with a fairly steady hand, with all these extra meds in my system. I have an appointment tomorrow with my Gastroenterologist to find out what he thinks is going on with my digestive tract, and as soon as I know what is going on in that area, I will make an appointment to see my Neurologist.

This whole experience has been very upsetting to say the least, not only for me, but for DH as well. I hate it that he’s having to take care of me the way he’s had to. I hate it that I couldn’t stop myself from shaking. I hate it that the ER guard came immediately, being so very solicitous, wanting to get me a wheelchair, as I was obviously so feeble looking, wobbly cane and all. I hate being this way. Today I got a glimpse of what the future holds. I hate it.

CPAP Saga Continues

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by 2

I recently read that something like 80% of all people with Parkinson’s Disease have some kind of Sleep Disorder, so I’m in good company, eh? There’s even a study in progress to see if using a CPAP machine will improve the cognitive abilities of PWP, particularly memory. That’s something I’d love to see as a side effect of putting up with this thing!

Well, I haven’t given up yet, but I also haven’t gotten through a whole night with the CPAP machine on, either. I’ve been getting to sleep with it pretty well. But then my old insomnia habits take over, and I’m wide awake several hours later. I am finding it easier to get back to sleep the first time, but not when I wake up around 1:30 or 2:00AM. That’s when I’ve been taking it off on most nights.

I’ve also had a vague nausea and a horrible bout of stomach bloating, particularly this weekend. Since this is already a problem related to the elimination difficulties I have, I treated it with that in mind, with no success. Then, just on a lark, I Googled for bloating and Cpap. To my surprise, I found that this is a common problem, as some people get air forced in their stomachs. The suggestion was given to use Gas-X, and after I did that I felt much better! It’s a shame I didn’t think to check that sooner, as I didn’t go to Church this Sunday, as I just felt entirely too yucky.

Another thing I discovered quite on my own yesterday made a considerable comfort difference for me last night. There are Velcro adjustments at the forehead and around the back of the neck and under the ears for the attachment of the mask. I’ve been loosening and pulling on them for days, trying to get comfortable. I happened to notice, while the mask was off, that the harness was all twisted out of shape, with one side pulled tighter than the other. So, I undid them all and started from scratch, carefully tightening them up in a symmetrical way, until I thought I had the right size. Then, I tried it on with the CPAP blowing air at its top volume and carefully adjusted it again. Now it is much more comfortable to wear!

I’ve been up since 1:30AM, so the CPAP hasn’t helped me break the insomnia cycle yet. But I did sleep until something like 5:30AM Sunday morning, although most of that was without the CPAP. It’s just going to take time, I know, but I WANT IT NOW. Patience was never one of my virtues.

Cortisone Shot Again

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by 2

I went yesterday and got another cortisone shot in my right knee, and I can already tell that it’s beginning to help. The Orthopedist says he doesn’t like to do them more often than every 3 months, so that gives me some idea of how long I would need to wait until I could have it done again. I was doing OK on this last shot, until I did too much packing of stuff of Daddy’s, which involved squatting down. That’s just something I can’t do anymore, not only for the knee’s sake, but also for other problems I’m having. I’ll just have to do all the other exercises for my knee that the Physical Therapist gave me, and leave that type of exercise out of my routine.

It’s just too hot to walk at the track right now, with 103 yesterday. Even at 5:00AM it’s just too hot and the air quality is too poor to be out there, so we’re exercising in the house to some videos. Well, hubby is following the video, and I’m bouncing very carefully on the mini trampoline at the same time.

I noticed a vague nausea last night after supper again. The same thing happened night before last, but I’m not sure where that’s coming from. The Amitiza I’ve just started on is bad about that, so that may be what’s going on, or it could be the elimination problem I’m having causing it.

The steroids always make me not sleep, even before I had trouble with insomnia, so I managed the C-pap until about 1:00AM and then I just couldn’t get back to sleep with it on. I was pleased I got by with it that long, knowing how the steroids do me. I will get used to this thing … I will get used to it!! Just have to keep telling myself that, and take each day at a time.

Things Not as They Should Be

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by 4

Well, I was right. Something is wrong with my elimination anatomy. I saw the Gastroenterologist Tuesday, and he sent me to another doctor, who found the problem. This doctor is not giving us a high percentage of likelihood of being able to fix it, though. He’s sending his findings back to my Gastroenterologist, Dr. B, and I have another appointment with Dr. B next Tuesday. I really don’t see much choice but to have the surgery that may repair the problem, even with less than best odds. Not exactly the news we wanted to hear.

Dr. B did give me some samples of Amitiza, the prescription that is replacing the Zelnorm I was taking for the problems with my digestive muscles not working properly, until it was taken off the market. From what I’ve read it nauseates some people horribly, but I’ve been lucky. So far, no problems taking it. I can’t tell yet if it is going to be helpful, though.

Now, this evening, I found a tick on the side of my knee, and the bite area has a red ring around it. According to what I’ve been able to find, that means I’m headed to the doctor tomorrow, possibly to start a round of antibiotics, as this apparently is a symptom of Lyme Disease.

What’s the expression? When it rains??????

Decided Against It

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by 6

I do appreciate the feedback you gave me on the decision about joining the St. Vincent’s facility, but we finally decided not to do it at this time. Time was, after all, the deciding factor. It was going to eat up about 3 hours each day I went, and to get any good out of it, I would have to have gone at least 2 days a week, if not 3. I think I can accomplish just about as much with home exercise equipment and our time at the walking track, which is about 5 minutes from home. Of course, in this day and time, we have to take gas prices into account too, and we do live a long way from any of these kinds of sports facilities, with some really bad traffic to contend with both ways.

I continue to accomplish more and more when I exercise in the mornings, but I’m paying for it each night with a lot of sore muscles. DH fusses at me for over doing it, but it doesn’t ever seem like I am at the time. It’s only later in the day that I realize I’ve over taxed my muscles. I think some of this pain I experience is coming from the Peripheral Neuropathy, particularly since I went off the Cymbalta. My Neurologist wasn’t the least concerned about me taking it in conjunction with the Zelepar, even though the Pharmacist had warned me about the combination. So, I may yet go back on it. But for now, I’m still adjusting to adding the Requip back to my meds, so I don’t want to add 2 new drugs at the same time.

The Requip is beginning to upset my stomach, just the way it did last time. I’m having lots of heartburn and belching a lot. Nothing else has changed, so it has to be the culprit. I’ll put up with it if it doesn’t get much worse than this, but I’m still planning to ask for the Neupro patch when I go back to Dr. S in June.

Just to document where I stand physically:

I can now sit down and stand up from a straight chair without using my arms, at least in the morning. I can’t by the evening, though. Sofas and soft chairs I haven’t mastered yet. I can walk over 3000 steps a day on the pedometer most days. I’ve put the handicap toilet seat away for now, as I can deal with the standard one, as long as I have the sink cabinet to hold onto. I’m still using the cane when we go to yard sales and such, where the terrain is unknown, and I still don’t go up and down flights of stairs if I can avoid it. Crouching down to get things in and out of my kitchen cabinets is difficult, so I usually depend on DH to do that for me. I lose my balance too easily, particularly with something in my hands. My core muscles, those of the trunk, are definitely getting stronger as I continue to exercise, as I can now lift my behind when I do what’s called the Bridge. It’s a simple exercise, really. All you do is lie on your back, feet on the floor, with your knees raised, and try to lift your bottom. Until recently, I couldn’t lift more than a half inch or so, but now I’m coming completely off the floor.

I’m doing the Tai Chi short form almost every day now, and I’m getting pretty good at it again. My balance continues to improve.

The biggest problem I am having right now, I suppose, is the insomnia. As soon as I started back on the Requip, it started back again. I haven’t been able to sleep past 3:00 AM for some time now. I get a lot done on the computer, but I really need the sleep! I’ve tried napping later in the day, but that doesn’t work unless I’m in the car. Then I can doze off almost instantly ;).

So, I am progressing, but I have lots of room for improvement. Eating healthy foods and exercising are just as much medicines for me as anything that comes in a bottle!

Parkinson’s Patch Approved in USA

Day by Day with a Movement Disorder Posted on by 4

Neupro, a dopamine agonist delivered in patch form, has been available in Canada and Europe for some time, but now it has been approved in the USA. The Requip I am on is a dopamine agonist, so I should be a good candidate for the patch.

I was disappointed on doing some research to find that nausea is still one of the more common side effects. I was hoping that my tummy would not be involved, since it’s not a medicine that is swallowed. There’s also a fairly high incidence of irritation at the patch site, and users are not supposed to put the patch in the same place more often than 14 days apart. Most of the other side effects are true of just about all the Parkinson’s medicines, from dizziness to low blood pressure on standing. As a dopamine agonist, there is a certain level of risk of obsessive behavior and also of suddenly falling asleep. Driving can be risky. Thank goodness we’re both retired, because my not driving has really not been a real problem for us.

So, although I had planned on bugging the Neurologist to change me to the patch as soon as it was approved, now that I know a little more about it, I probably won’t be in such a hurry to push for it.

If anyone reads this who has been on Neupro, or is now on it, please leave a comment about your results and/or side effects.