Helping Those Who Care for Parkinson's Patients
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Has anyone noticed Parkinson's symptoms worsening if they don't eat enough? This is usually not a problem for mom, but occasionally for whatever reason she doesn't eat much, and by the time I get home she isn't doing very well. This was the case today, and I thought I would make a fairly big plate of food (sweet potatoes, rice, and scalloped potatoes...nothing with too much protein, and most of the time she likes all those things). She ate half of it and her somewhat distressed affect went away almost like magic. ... Sometimes I don't know how we can possibly remember all this stuff. When she's doing worse, it MIGHT be an infection, it MIGHT be the meds, it MIGHT be her DBS, it MIGHT be that she needs to take a shower, it MIGHT be half a dozen things I've now forgotten. ... Her neurologist told us that Parkinson's patients usually don't eat enough and don't want to eat, but as I said, generally that isn't the case with mom. But once in a while, she doesn't eat enough, and doesn't remember not eating much. It doesn't always occur to me because this usually isn't a problem for her. |
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My HWP usually eats a lot, sometimes I'm surprised how much. He'll get up from eating supper and then go to the snack shelf and get a bowlful of pretzels or chips. However he doesn't seem to gain any weight, in fact he has lost some. Go figure. Sometimes his symptoms are worse, sometimes better. But I can't connect it with anything in particular. Good Luck with Mom, Greyeyed. Be sure to get YOUR rest and take care of Yourself! |
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I have noticed that my HWP has a much smaller appetite and often eats far less than I feel he should need. He began losing weight and the doctor advised that he needed high calorie foods, not so much the array of veggies I was making sure he ate. I have been making sure he has more meat in his diet as well as ice cream (his absolute favorite). I have also been making smoothies with fruit, flax seeds and hemp seeds. This has helped him keep his weight and has helped him enjoy eating. I have not noticed that the protein intake has been an issue for him but I have noticed he does feel better after refueling with a meal. I have noticed the "sun downing" issue- he gets very mixed up. Have you all noticed this problem with your loved ones? NoMatterWhat |
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CK, the gentleman I care for, told me that he eats a lot. That sometimes he is starving because of the tremors and muscle rigidity burn calories as if he is always working out. Although his doctor told him to loose 10lbs. lol CK was also a chef, so he still has the desire to cook. He buys a lot of fresh food. Recently, he has had more forgetting moments in the kitchen. He can't remember how many cups of flour, etc he's already added to a recipe. Not always though. Best of luck HeartOpen |
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| Hello. I am new here. My husband was diagnosed a year ago but has probably had PD for at least 3-4 years. He has had a tremor for that long but we always thought it was essential tremor like his dad, not PD. Of course, now we wonder if his dad had PD. Anyway, he definitely is eating less. First of all, eating is hard for him with his tremor even though I have purchased weighted silverware and he will sometimes eat with his left hand (non-tremoring). But he also said the food doesn't taste good to him any more. |
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Hi Ruthliz!! I do notice that when mom's Parkinson's symptoms are worse, she doesn't want to eat. But when they are better controlled, she does. And that can change from hour to hour. She struggles with protein because it cancels out her Parkinson's meds. Generally she does ok with rice protein, or whatever amount is in noodles, but there have been times where she ate a lot of noodles and it seemed to cancel out her pills also. |
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| Thanks Greyeyed, This is helpful to know, especially about the rice protein. |
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Also, her local neurologist years ago suggested soy protein. She never wanted to try it though. I'm not even sure what that would be. Tofu, I guess. ... Any meat protein eaten close to a dose of pills, though, almost always cancels out the pills, and she has noticeable "off" time shortly after (usually an hour later, but it can be random). The rice protein never had that effect that I've noticed. We always try to time eating 30-40 minutes after a dose of pills, though. Usually that works. But I guess different Parkinson's patients may react in different ways. |