For those who care for someone with Parkinson's disease
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Have any of your PWPs had issues with weight loss? Is so, how did you handle it? For most of his life, my HWP who is 5’10” weighed in the low 200’s. One year ago, he weighed in the 170’s. Tonight, he weighed 153! (I wish I weighed that!) It is NOT a good weight for him. He is very thin and bony. He has been a pescetarian for years. That is a vegetarian who eats fish. He eats large meals, but still keeps losing weight. If I weighed him in the morning, he would probably be close to 150. Today, I started adding Ensure to his diet. Any other suggestions? He has had heart problems for years and so he rarely eats sweets or salty snacks. How do I keep him from continuing to lose weight? Or, is this just part of the disease? |
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Yes Hubby has probably lost about 40 lbs (mostly muscle) He used to weigh about 180 - 190 and was very strong. He was a firefighter for the city for over 25 years. Now it's all he can do to lift himself off a chair. Yes he's been going to therapy but he only does the exercises there, not at home. He expects me to help him. I just purchased a chair lift but he hasn't used it yet. Good Luck to you and yours. Just keep praying and try to see the good. |
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| It could very well be loss of muscle but it's worth running it by his doctor, too. There are a lot of things besides Parkinson's that can cause weight loss, too. Would be good to make sure there's nothing else going on. |
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Thanks JuniperSage. That’s good advice. We are temporarily having home healthcare and I mentioned it to the nurse in charge and she didn’t seem overly concerned.I will follow up with the doctor if the weight loss persists. Poollady, it sounds like your HWP has similar issues to mine. I find it very hard to watch such a physically strong man decline and lose muscle mass. My HWP also seems to be perfectly happy having me help him get out of chairs etc. What happened to his sense of independence??? I am afraid he is giving up. One bit of good news is that with the home healthcare we are now having, PT, OT, Speech Therapy, and a nurse will each be coming to our house twice per week. I am hoping my HWP will improve with all this therapy right in our home. Poollady, I just purchased a lift chair and my husband loves it. Is that what you also purchased? It is a recliner with a remote that moves from a full recline position to almost standing. I am also thinking about a chair lift that would carry him up the stairs, since he is having balance troubles on the stairs. I’ve been wondering about cost and how long my HWP would be able to use it and if they are worth the expense. |
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I bought the movable kind that sits on the dining room chair. You sit on the cushion and when you get up it helps lift you to a standing position. I'm hoping it works. Yes it's really hard to see him go downhill, especially when I used to rely on HIM for his strength. MY prayers to ALL of you having to cope with this terrible disease. |
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Well, Guess What? He threw it off the chair this morning and said "Worthless Piece of S***!" Oh well, I was just trying to help. He goes in to his neurologist Tuesday for a Brain Scan, we'll see what they find out. (Apparently he need a new one) LOL |
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LOl. I haven’t seen that kind. I guess I won’t buy it now. 😊 I have a few things laying around that HWP just won’t use. I bought a raised toilet seat and he said no way would he use it. Maybe some day… Prayers to you. |