My mom has Parkinson's disease, she take Sinemet and Olanzapine(for sleep). But sometime she get something similar to panic attacks when she feared something or was not able to do a chore that she used to do. ex: cooking.
When I notify about this to doctors they prescribed anti-depressant medication(Duloxetine + Mirtazapine, Venlafaxine), but given those meds, my mom complain that there is burning sensation in body after taking them, so we stopped those meds. It seems to be Dr have miss diagnosed this as depression even though those panic like attacks only occur due to some incident in the environment as I said earlier. Has anyone had similar experience with loved one with PD? If so what did you do?
I myself have OCD and recently diagnosed with ADHD, due to undiagnosed ADHD I I am struggling financially, but when I am hearing mom's pain I have hard time working.
I am aware this is not the place to ask for medical advice. but any advice regarding this matter is highly appreciated!
Whilst struggling to deal with all the different variables, a very wise surgeon told me to keep a notebook of everything. Medications, complaints, pain reports, etc. This allowed to share more direct data with doctors and nurses. Mom’s QOL increased noticeably. Mine did too as a result as her main care taker (I was living in the hospital with her).
Second the doctor told me to do the same for myself. Start journaling about yourself. Now, I also have ADHD. Doing it was a challenge. What worked for me was doing so immediate after waking up. I would write about whatever right when I woke up and be done for the day. Sometimes I’d write again during the day but not very often.
Third, know that taking care of a loved one is really fucking hard. Oh my god so so hard. You will feel guilty and powerless. Like the biggest piece of shit failure. That’s normal. Try and be a little kinder to yourself.
Fourth, put yourself first. Take care of you first. Otherwise you won’t be able to take care of her well enough. You first puts her in the best possible position.
Fifth, ADHD can be improved with medication. It does help. Don’t be shy to try it. You might also be depressed due to the situation. Make sure to tell your doctor.
Sixth, be open to receiving help. There are organizations and hospitals out there that have services for people in your same situation. I even received grief counseling during the hospital stay. Don’t trust google on this one. Pick up the phone and call the local hospitals. Explain the situation to anyone who will listen and ask if they have any free services or know of any free services you can leverage.
There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. If you need to speak your mind and share, there’s groups like this one: https://m.facebook.com/groups/113354218750970/ These groups are very helpful and full info and support. Take advantage of them and learn quicker. I was able to find a good online group and got so much from it (FREE).
Best of luck.