When our loved one only has Parkinson’s Disease, we can focus on that one condition. However, many people have other issues as well such as diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, heart disease, or something else. I recently read an article that included some tips to help manage multiple physical problems along with a major problem like Parkinson’s.
Here are some suggestions to help navigate all of those at the same time:
- Get as much information about all the conditions, not just the major one. Don’t overlook the minor ones.
- When visiting the doctor, be sure to let them know what bothers you the most. They don’t know these things until we tell them!
- If your doctor prescribes a new medication, don’t leave before asking 2 things: what are the benefits of this drug, and what are the possible side effects. This is true for EVERYONE, no matter our ailments. Side effects can be worse than the original problem that we are trying to eliminate!
- Alert your doctor immediately if any of those side effects occur. Don’t delay.
- After 2 weeks if you see no benefit to taking this new drug, let the doctor know. Perhaps it is not doing what was intended.
- One more thing about new medications. If the new treatment or medication seems too difficult to manage, tell the doctor. It is important to be honest with them about all things, and perhaps there is another way.
- It is important to begin with medications with the fewest side effects. So, when given an option, choose wisely.
One personal example may explain this topic. My husband, Carlton, had no other physical problems besides Parkinson’s Disease, except that he also had high blood pressure that had been being treated for years before and was under control.
However, after 20 years of Parkinson’s, suddenly he developed LOW blood pressure and began passing out every time he stood up from a seated position. When we mentioned this to his neurologist, he looked at the medications Carlton was taking, and he realized that he was taking a medication to keep his blood pressure low, so we removed that medication from our daily routine.
Eventually, he had to take medication to RAISE his blood pressure, but one of the side effects was constipation. We were already having issues with constipation, so when the doctor mentioned that as one of the side effects, I told him about the constipation. That was something we watched for when taking the new drug. I knew I should alert the doctor if that developed or worsened.
The bottom line is that everything is connected, and knowing what to watch for is so important. For those of you who are managing several conditions at the same time, you may have to take good notes to remember everything! However, don’t give up. Keep working at finding that balance that is necessary to keep our loved ones comfortable on this journey.
Thanks for reading and commenting. Have a great week ahead!