Something’s not right
Hubby had his appointment with his psychiatrist just over a week ago. He's had his ADs increased again. I always feel uncomfortable going in with hubby for his psych appointments. I always sit in the waiting room to allow him to go in on his own, but he calls me in anyway. He just isn't confident these days of remembering things, which is why he likes me in there. He's certainly changed in that regard over the past year. He now asks me to go in with him to all medical appointments, GP, neuro, psych, oncologist, etc. I understand it for oncologists, neurologists, GPs, etc but I do think psych's are a little different. At least I like this current psychiatrist of his. The psych he had before was totally crazy! I'd hear him ranting and raving from the waiting room. He was always kinda scary to me really. He retired mid last year.
Hubby saw his neurologist last Saturday, and has been given additional new meds. As he explained, with Parkinson's, they never take meds away ... they just keep adding more to try to offset the symptoms of the disease as it progresses over time. The aim is not so much to improve things, but more to delay further deterioration. At least that's the way I see it. So between the psychiatrist and the neurologist last week, the package of medications hubby continues to ingest is becoming ever larger.
Hubby had been feeling particularly unwell leading up to his neuro apt last Saturday - a raging headache and severe vertigo, which resulted in another fall. Nothing major thankfully, but it makes him feel very vulnerable. As you would expect. After speaking to his neuro, its likely all this is related to his worsening Parkinsons. Which is why he has added a new medication to his list. This one is meant to even things out through the day. The original one he was put on helps, but only for a couple of hours, this one should even out the peaks and troughs.
Since the additional medication he has been sleeping even more than usual. I tried to wake him for breakfast this morning at 9am, but he rolled over and said to wake him up at 10am. So I gave him his first Parkinsons meds, which is meant to be on an empty stomach anyway. Then I woke him up for a late breakfast at about 10.15am after which he took his other assorted pills. which includes his second Parkinson's meds plus one of his ADs. At least given it was so late for breakfast, he stayed up until lunch at 12.30pm when I got home from grocery shopping with fresh bread and cold meat. But then it was straight back to bed again until around 2.30pm. This seems to be our lives lately, with little change. No wonder he rages sometimes that life isnt worth living. Hopefully though, he will start to adjust to the new meds and notice some improvement overall in both his physical and his mental health. It's only been a week on the new and/or increased meds so far which is too early to judge yet. I really hope though that he can get well enough to enable him to make a plane trip over the Perth to see his ill father. I don't know whether it's best to wait and hope his health improves a little more, or whether he is only likely to deteriorate further, and therefore it may be best to go sooner rather than later? I don't know.
Hubby's due for his next lot of 3-monthly scans to monitor his cancer in about 3 weeks too, followed by an appointment with his oncologist. Hoping recent dizziness and nausea is all to do with his medication, as opposed to his cancer rearing its ugly head again. Hoping the scans will show he continues to be in remission for now, although we know that could change at any time. Melanoma is a particularly virulent cancer.
My Mum and Dad continue to be a concern. Dad still has to visit the local hospital each week to get his cut toe tended to. He sleeps most of the day and has difficulty getting around. He has had one shower in the approximately10 weeks since he came out of the nursing home. Mum got hearing aids on Thursday, which she had been anxious to get and had been looking forward to getting. Now she is refusing to wear them because she says they are too loud. And she has lost the instructions. She is constantly losing things - keys, etc. Then she went to the GP mid week and was to ask about feeling weak, wonky and lacking energy. Usually a B12 injection helps perk her up, which she had last week. But she tells me it has not helped this time. I suggested she mention it to the Dr when she sees them. So she did .. or at least she tells me she did. And when I rang and asked how she got along ... she said the Dr gave her something to help pick her up a bit. I was thinking it would be some sort of supplement or vitamin. But she said it was a script. I asked her to spell the name of the medication. Turns out its a strong pain killer, an opiate. She is already on a very strong opiate pain killer for her back fractures. She tells me that she is no longer in much pain at all and that she's fine with that. So I dont know what she told the Dr. I asked her to please dont take both pain killers. The instructions on the new one is to take twice a day as needed. What is wrong with DRs these days? She will write herself off with double dosing on opiates. Thats how she had her fall to get the spinal fractures in the first place! She's a bit of a pill popper at the best of times, so I suspect she's spinning yarns to the Dr and stocking up on meds to use at her own discretion. She's already as haphazard as you can get with the webster packs of meds for both herself and Dad. She's downright dangerous! Argh ....
At least my dear brother is fairly stable right now, after going through a tough time at Christmas. His increased ADs his psychiatrist put him on seem to have done the trick. He tends to give me a call a couple of times a week for a long chat, but he seems relatively okay for now. Things may get difficult for him again in anniversary times like his little daughter's birthday at the end of April and the date of her death in August. But that is something which he will no doubt live with for the rest of his life. It will get easier over time. It's something we all experience and each deal with in our own way. While shopping today at the supermarket, I saw a little girl who would have been the same age as Em. A pretty, bright, skinny little long-haired blonde. It just makes you feel so damned sad. I felt tears start to roll down my face. Such a tragic loss of a bright young life. My poor brother and his wife, I feel so terrible for them. She was only my niece, and it still hurts me badly. I can only imagine how hard it would be for them.
@Shaz51 @Former-Member @Zoe7 @outlander @Former-Member @Starta @Peri @Sophia1 @Faith-and-Hope
Sherry 
The loss of a child is tragic under any circumstances @Former-Member and that is the kind of pain that never leaves you. It is good that your brother is doing okay for now - he needs his strength to help get through those tougher dates.
Your mum and dad still need so much support but I know you and your brother have done everything you can to guide them in that direction. You can only hope that your mum takes the meds as described - but I hear you about over prescribing - you would think that the gp would know what she has and doesn'y add in anything that could be potentially dangerous but that doesn't always happen either.
I certainly hope that your hubby starts to feel more positive effects from the new and increased meds. As for the trip to Perth - that is a hard one - maybe give it a few more weeks to see if there is any change and then think about booking the trip.
As always you have so much going on in your life and I know you have your own struggles both now and even greater with anniversaries coming up - here for you with that one in particular Hon - know how hard that one is - so tag me and I'll be here for you - even if you can't talk I am good at doing that for both of us if need be 
