Duodopa treatment
is not necessarily suitable for every Parkinson’s patient. A full examination
and consultation must be done to ascertain if you are a candidate for Duodopa.
I’ve
found not all hospitals have a “Movement Disorder Clinic” and not all clinics
offer “Duodopa”, a relatively new medication which is a therapy for patients
who are in an advanced stage of Parkinson's disease, with severe motor
fluctuations (on and off), when conventional oral therapy is no longer
effective. The portable pump delivers Levodopa – carbidopa in the form of an
intestinal gel, through a small tube that connects directly into the small
intestine. The medication is given throughout the day, which allows a constant exact
amount of medication to be administered and thereby decreasing the Parkinson's
symptoms.
Before I underwent
surgery to put in place a peg line, I was invited for a three-night stay in the
Neurological ward, where I had a trial run to ensure I was a good candidate. The
Duodopa nurse gave me instructions for my trial run with the Duodopa pump and
told me to bring with good walking shoes and my walker!!!! Walking shoes and my
walker? The nurse certainly sounded confident. This had to be a good sign,
right?
Sure
enough, once attached to the Duodopa Pump there was no stopping me. I grabbed
my walker and husband, and we went for a walk. We left the hospital grounds and
a little further along the street there was a small shopping mall. We found an
ice-cream shop and decided to stop for some mandatory ice-cream. After sitting there
about twenty minutes, we decided to make our way back. I very cautiously got
up, wondering if I’d be able to walk. It was an undisputable YES. I had walked
further that one day than I had in months.
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