Hazards of Winter Weather and Parkinson's

<br><br><br><br><br>I wandered around the site, learned some things I didn't know including some drug interactions, ordered a free go kit and made a donation. Win-win. <br><br>Steve  

Luckily we moved to Southern New Mexico a few years ago so don't have many worries about the snow. If it comes, it only lasts a few hours. I always keep my hubby's medication ready for at least a week and carry information in my wallet regarding both our medications. He is never out without me. We are lucky in that our daughter calls (from 3,000 miles away) every night to make sure everything is OK. When i read about others problems and difficulties, I realize I am lucky in that I have a great caregiver time and a daughter, grandson and God son who worries about us and keeps close tabs on us. As you can probably tell, this was a good day and I got out of the house for about 90 minutes tonight with friends. Something I rarely do but it gave me a new outlook =at least for a few days.

@tntredhead Thanks for your response! I'm happy to hear that you have such a good support system in place. It is also great that you have moved to a warmer climate. Your plan on having extra meds sound like a good plan. I'm trusting that everyone has a system like this in place.

Hi @ggopher, Glad to hear that the website was helpful to you. Could you tell us about the free go kit that you ordered? It might be of interest to others. Do you have any special plans in place for winter hazards?

I have always had problems mis-reading things. For the longest time, I passed a realty ofice every day on my way to work. The name of the agency was "Realty Central." It was in those balloon letters and I always saw "Reality Control, and I most certainly could have used a bit of Reality Control some days. Too bad that wasn't their specialty. I wanted to ask them how much Reality Control I could buy on my salary. I fear it wouldn't have been enough to make a difference, though. Mych Now that Mr. Parkinson's has found it necessaray to invaade every aspedct of my being,, my eyesight has gotten a tad worse, affecting my vision such that I have many more episodes of "mis reading" and today when I saw '"Hazards of Winter" I thought it said "Bastards of Winter" - and I though, 'Yep!" It's often the case that my mis-reading turns our to reveal the reality behind the actual words. Tata for the nonce!

@hopeful33250 I don't know how many folks in the US have the l-dopa pump. I live in Germany and have had mine since February 9, 2024. The one thing that I worried about was what would happen if my pump failed (it's a machine and from to time they do that -- even though so far, it has proven remarkably sturdy and reliable.However I seem to have a tendency to destroy things, despite how robust they are. I've not had that experience yet with my pump. In fact, every problem I have had had been self-inflicted - such as forgetting to turn it back on after a shower - USER ERROR !)- ). But sooner or later something will happen that may make the med difficult to get (a ship getting stuck in the Panama canal, for instance, and while it may not be the ship bringing my meds to me, it may easily be the that the ship that does bring me my meds in about the 80-millionth in line, waiting for the errant ship to be set free.. So I have a schedule of what pills I was taking and I put together a 30-day supply of those meds, put them in a ZIP-lock bag , and store them in the same place as I store my other meds. (Don't want to get too caustious and put them in a 'Safe Place" that my PD brain will have forgotten, in case this problem could become real. Travelers should consider having a "go bag" , too before I close the cabinet door)te. I spent my formative years in a town on the Gulf Coast of Mexico , where hurricanes occur with an increasing frequency and vigor. Folks who s live in such places often have to evacuate, so they might want to put together a go- bag, too. (especially if they are on the pump. because it only became available in the US in October of 2024 and, since the meds cost 6,000 Euro a month(yes - that FOUR zeroes after the six, and it is month)y, there may not be many pharmacies that stock it at all - it has to be refrigerated, another reason pharmacies may not have it on hand and only special order it , so even under normal circumstances, it can take a week to get the presscription filled).So, as the Boy Scouts always say, "Be prepared!)

@jatonlouise

It sounds like you have a good plan if you have a supply of medications in case of a mechanical or distribution problem. A few members have mentioned using the pump. I would also be interested in hearing how they prepare for emergencies.

@hopeful3325The solution is simple. Just fall back to pills until the crisis is resolved. But it's important to coordinate your dosing with your neurologist periodically. For example, I got my pump in February 2024. The level of dosing has increased since then and if I were to follow the take same pill doses that I took in Feb 2O24, it wouldn't be enough . So you need to revisit your back-up dosing plan at least once a year. I have had a very good experience with my pump. It requires commitment and you have to order your schedule to yield to the pump's demads. For example, if I'm planning to go out for dinner, I have to set a time for that to accommodate my pump. I am fortunate to have a dosing that lasts almost 24 hours so I only need to "re-load" once a day. This includes changing the cannula (eqivalent of a needle). Our target to change is around 5 or 6 pm. It can vary, depending on how I have done adjustments during the day. It I've had an easy day and haven't had to take an extra dose or raise the setting to HIGH, then I can change it at 5 or 6. But if it's been a busy day and I've needed more, then I might run out sooner. What you don't want is to have it run out while you're sitting at a table in a restaurant because this isn't a process that is easy ( or
advisable) to do in a public restroom. It involves some paraphenenalia ( new syringe, disninfectant , gauze pads, bandaids, tape, scizzors ( to cut the tape), cannula, hose bottle of med,).
So if I'm going out for dinner, I need to be home by 5 or 6 to change every thing and maybe target getting to the restaurant by 7. Spontinaity doesn't lend itself well to this. Fortunately, my husband and I are both retired so we don't have situations like somebody at work saying, "
"How about stopping at Bennie's Bar for a drink before heading home".)

@jatonlouise xxxxxjyst putting something here to satisfy the the command to add text. Font kniw hiw this happens but i must misinterpret what this ao wants from me. 😉