The good news first:
A Chick-fil A is opening close to my house. I just love their chicken, waffle fries, and especially their chocolate shakes. Yum Yum!!! I am so excited!
Now the bad news:
A Chick-fil A is opening close to my house. I really love their chicken,
waffle fries, and especially their chocolate shakes. Oh boy! This is so NOT good!!! Nope - not good at all ... especially not good for my waistline!!
Friday, April 27, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
It's a Beautiful Morning ~ Written by: Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati
Now if I can just find some energy to enjoy it!!!
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Impulse Control Issues with Parkinson's Agonist Drugs
Part 2 - Continuation of previous post - http://cmfalling.blogspot.com/2012/04/this-might-be-funnyif-it-happened-to.html
One of the topics, Dr. Greg Pontone, MD - Director of the Movement Disorder Psychiatric Clinic, discussed with us was Impulse Control Behavior problems that can occur with the Agonist drugs. (Mirapex & Requip are the 2 most popular agonist used as Parkinson's treatments). These issues include impulse control behaviors such as compulsive behaviors, and addictions (often gambling, shopping, or sexual). One lady in the discussion group said she experienced the compulsive behavior of picking her moles. (The Doctor said there is actually a name for it - and he pronounced it too. Surprisingly, I did not write down such an important piece of information. Sorry!!)
The Doctor said most people (85%) do not have any of these behavior issues with these drugs, but about 15% do. The problems are real and serious when they occur and can ruin peoples lives. He asked us to get this info out to anyone we know who has Parkinson's. So here it is - to the best of my memory!!
The meds may start the problem, but going off the meds does not necessarily stop the problem. The earlier the symptoms are reported to the doctor, the better! Let me repeat that - THE EARLIER THE SYMPTOMS ARE REPORTED TO THE DOCTOR, THE BETTER!!!!
Many will not report the problem to their doctors because they are embarrassed, they don't recognize they have a problem, or they think they can control it. It is IMPORTANT that family members know about these possible side effects and watch for signs. The earlier it is caught the easier it is to stop. If it gets to the addiction stage, the person has to fight it like any normal person fights addiction - usually by enrolling in an addiction 12 step program. And like any addiction, they are hard to overcome - even after going off the meds that caused it. If the behaviors are caught early before the full blown addiction stage, they can often be treated by just changing the meds.
One interesting side note - the Doctor said for those patients whose Parkinson's symptoms are responding really well to the agonist drug, but are experiencing the impulse control issues, they can sometimes keep them on the agonist by adding a drug like Naltrexone. For some adding the Naltrexone will stop the compulsions and allow the person to still enjoy the Parkinson symptom control from the Agonist drug for awhile longer.
Disclaimer: The above was written with the help of my very disorganized notes and faulty memory! However, I did run it by Hubby who also attended the session. His response when I asked if it was accurate according to his memory: "I don't remember - where's your notes?" Oh well! Please consult your doctor for more accurate info! In other words - Don't quote me!!!! ha ha
One of the topics, Dr. Greg Pontone, MD - Director of the Movement Disorder Psychiatric Clinic, discussed with us was Impulse Control Behavior problems that can occur with the Agonist drugs. (Mirapex & Requip are the 2 most popular agonist used as Parkinson's treatments). These issues include impulse control behaviors such as compulsive behaviors, and addictions (often gambling, shopping, or sexual). One lady in the discussion group said she experienced the compulsive behavior of picking her moles. (The Doctor said there is actually a name for it - and he pronounced it too. Surprisingly, I did not write down such an important piece of information. Sorry!!)
The Doctor said most people (85%) do not have any of these behavior issues with these drugs, but about 15% do. The problems are real and serious when they occur and can ruin peoples lives. He asked us to get this info out to anyone we know who has Parkinson's. So here it is - to the best of my memory!!
The meds may start the problem, but going off the meds does not necessarily stop the problem. The earlier the symptoms are reported to the doctor, the better! Let me repeat that - THE EARLIER THE SYMPTOMS ARE REPORTED TO THE DOCTOR, THE BETTER!!!!
Many will not report the problem to their doctors because they are embarrassed, they don't recognize they have a problem, or they think they can control it. It is IMPORTANT that family members know about these possible side effects and watch for signs. The earlier it is caught the easier it is to stop. If it gets to the addiction stage, the person has to fight it like any normal person fights addiction - usually by enrolling in an addiction 12 step program. And like any addiction, they are hard to overcome - even after going off the meds that caused it. If the behaviors are caught early before the full blown addiction stage, they can often be treated by just changing the meds.
One interesting side note - the Doctor said for those patients whose Parkinson's symptoms are responding really well to the agonist drug, but are experiencing the impulse control issues, they can sometimes keep them on the agonist by adding a drug like Naltrexone. For some adding the Naltrexone will stop the compulsions and allow the person to still enjoy the Parkinson symptom control from the Agonist drug for awhile longer.
Disclaimer: The above was written with the help of my very disorganized notes and faulty memory! However, I did run it by Hubby who also attended the session. His response when I asked if it was accurate according to his memory: "I don't remember - where's your notes?" Oh well! Please consult your doctor for more accurate info! In other words - Don't quote me!!!! ha ha
Monday, April 9, 2012
This might be funny...if it happened to someone else!!!
I was going to share some info on this blog that I received when I attended a "Sessions With Your Neurologist" meeting a week ago put on by John Hopkins University Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorder Center. One of their Neurologists, Dr. Ray Dorsey, MD - Director of the Movement Disorder Division at John Hopkins puts these sessions together quarterly with the subject matter decided by the participants at the previous session. The sessions are for anyone with Parkinson's Disease and their family members. This is the first session I have had the opportunity to go to and I hope to be able to attend more in the future.
This particular session's topic was "Mood and Behavior in Parkinson's Disease". Dr Ray invited Dr. Greg Pontone, MD - Director of the Movement Disorder Psychiatric Clinic, to do a presentation. Along with his presentation was a discussion with questions and answers. He broke the topic into the following areas:
Anxiety
Cognitive
Impulse Control
Mood
Psychotic
It was very informative and helpful.
I would like to share with you what I learned about these areas...except there is a problem. I opened up my notebook where I took notes and I can not make heads or tails of what I wrote.
You see, I started taking notes on one page, while trying to listen and write fast at the same time. I flipped to the next note book page to continue writing, skipping the back of the first one I wrote on. Then I turned that page over and wrote on the back of it, (I think). Then somewhere during the session, I apparently decided to go back and put notes on the back pages I had skipped, then... well you get the gist. And to make matters worse, I didn't put any topic headings on the pages so that I know what the notes are referencing.
As I look through my notes - it is all jumbled together - but there is some good stuff in there. Trust me!
Like...on one page I wrote:
Executive Function - Breakdown - organizing, planning, and sequencing.
Reasonable efforts aren't translating into productivity.
HHMmm... Kind of sounds like my note taking efforts!
I wonder what that breakdown signifies....????
This particular session's topic was "Mood and Behavior in Parkinson's Disease". Dr Ray invited Dr. Greg Pontone, MD - Director of the Movement Disorder Psychiatric Clinic, to do a presentation. Along with his presentation was a discussion with questions and answers. He broke the topic into the following areas:
Anxiety
Cognitive
Impulse Control
Mood
Psychotic
It was very informative and helpful.
I would like to share with you what I learned about these areas...except there is a problem. I opened up my notebook where I took notes and I can not make heads or tails of what I wrote.
You see, I started taking notes on one page, while trying to listen and write fast at the same time. I flipped to the next note book page to continue writing, skipping the back of the first one I wrote on. Then I turned that page over and wrote on the back of it, (I think). Then somewhere during the session, I apparently decided to go back and put notes on the back pages I had skipped, then... well you get the gist. And to make matters worse, I didn't put any topic headings on the pages so that I know what the notes are referencing.
As I look through my notes - it is all jumbled together - but there is some good stuff in there. Trust me!
Like...on one page I wrote:
Executive Function - Breakdown - organizing, planning, and sequencing.
Reasonable efforts aren't translating into productivity.
HHMmm... Kind of sounds like my note taking efforts!
I wonder what that breakdown signifies....????
Friday, April 6, 2012
Easter and what it means to me
Like many other Christians around the world, I find Easter season to be a special time that allows me to reflect on the resurrection of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and what He means to my life. Here is a song that expresses my thoughts and my beliefs in such a beautiful way that I could never even come close to with mere words.
And here is another one. Grab tissues!!!
And here is another one. Grab tissues!!!
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