Six months since Ann saw Dr. Baumann, her Neurologist – and yet it seems like a lifetime – as I am sure it does for many.

The Covid-19 pandemic has certainly impacted the lives of people worldwide and we have come through this period relatively un-scathed.

We have both been fully vaccinated – despite Australia really lagging the world in terms of vaccinated population numbers.

Casino, where we live, is a rural town of 9,500 souls a long way from anywhere and has not had any Covid-19 infections.

It is 2 hours North by road to the nearest major population center of the Gold Coast in Queensland – Population 550,000 and 6 hours South by road to Newcastle - Population 320,000 – with nothing of any size – and hence major big city type facilities - in between in either direction.

If you are at death’s door the local State Emergency Service Helicopter will fly you to the Gold Coast, but if you have a foot through that door, then they will overfly the Gold Coast and go another hour (by road) North to Brisbane, Population 2.2 Million.

Just to complete the picture, to the East is the Pacific ocean an hour away and then 9,200 miles to South America and to the West there is nothing for 2,100 miles as you cross Australia to reach the Indian Ocean and then head west only 6,500 miles to Africa where you will find Johannesburg.

You could say Casino is a little isolated and probably because of that, has been Covid-19 free!

But back to business.

ANN’S PROGRESS WITH PARKINSON’S

A brief recap. Ann was diagnosed with Parkinson's on November 16th, 2012 on the eve of her 70th birthday and is now almost 9 years into the journey.  Ann will be 79 on November 17th, 2021.

Parkinson's manifests itself in two ways - one you can see - the so-called Motor Symptoms like:

Tremor, Stooped posture, Shuffled gait, Freezing, Dyskinisea, Frozen face and so on.

And ones you can't see, the Non-motor Symptoms, which include: 

Pain, Fatigue, Low blood pressure, Restless legs, Bladder and bowel problems, Skin and sweating issues, Sleep disorders, Swallowing and saliva control, Speech and communication issues, Eye problems, Foot care and Dental health

And also can include, just to make life really difficult:

Mental health issues such as Mild memory and thinking problems, Anxiety, Dementia and Depression

For Ann, there has not been a lot of change once the medication adjustments kicked in back in February 2021 – which is actually very good news.

In the PD world, no change or minimal change is generally good news except when you are modifying medications to achieve an improvement. Then obviously you do want change.

Motor Symptoms are largely under control with only a slight tremor showing itself on occasion.  Control of the tremor is a trade-off - too much medication to control the tremor and you get Dyskinesia - which is worse.  Regular exercise, despite Covid-19 shutdown of the Gym, has reduced the Physiotherapy visits to address posture issues from every two weeks to every 4 to 6 weeks. 

Non-motor symptoms are slightly worse. Saliva control, speech and feet issues are all continuing problems.  Feet became an issue that had to be addressed with surgery and Saliva control is due to be assessed by an Ear Nose and Throat specialist in September 2021.

The feet surgery late in July will hopefully eliminate the every 10 day visit to the Podiatrist.

MEDICATIONS

The medication changes introduced in February 2021 have been successful.  Ann was over-medicated as evidenced by the dyskinesia that was happening.  Current Levodopa intake is near the optimum at 700mg a day taken in 5 doses of Madopar, one of the PD drug used in Australia. 

There was an immediate improvement in Ann’s PD motor functions after the medications adjustment in February 2021 and that was the desired outcome.  The improvements happened virtually overnight.  After that, we were looking for little to no change over the months from February to August 2021.

And that has largely been the case.

In about May 2021, we became aware of the impact that Magnesium can have on PD symptoms, specifically leg pain at night. Following some research, Ann has started to take Magnesium tablets, available over the counter, to address leg pains at night, and this has worked for her – as it seems to have done for a lot of other people with PD.

There have been no other medication issues in the last 6 months.

MOBILITY

During the six months since February, 2021 Ann has hardly used the U-Step Walker and generally does not use a cane, except when we go to the Gym when she uses it while standing while I get her gear and close up the car etc. 

Just a stability issue, as standing in the middle of a car park with nothing nearby to hold on to, is not the smartest thing for Ann to do.

We are making more use of the portable scooter when we go out as walking for more than a couple of hundred meters is exhausting for Ann.

There have been no falls – which is an achievement as falls are common for people with PD.

Mobility Aids – Security Poles

We have installed a total of 7 security poles in the house.  These are a Stander brand product and look like a Pole Dancing pole as used by ladies in a certain industry.  Or they look like the jacks used in the construction industry between a floor and a ceiling.  Stander is a USA company and their products are made in China.  One of the poles has a handle and is currently in the guest bathroom along with a standard pole without a handle.

They are installed in open areas of the house and act as grab rails – something to grab hold of as you are crossing an open area.  Been very successful with one in each bathroom, one in Ann's office, two in the lounge and one in the kitchen/dining area. They all get a lot of use. 

Mobility Aids – Vehicle Accessories

We have also purchased a Handy Bar that goes in the door catch of a car and the companion Handy Grab that goes over a car door – both to assist with exiting a vehicle.  They are also Stander products, but there are any number of similar products available.

Mobility Aids - Bedroom

Something from left field that really works has been the Wonder Sheet.  This is a fitted bed sheet with a satin insert which covers the middle section of the sheet and is designed to make turning over in bed a whole lot easier.