Discerning Between PD and PD w/ LBD

[Guest guest]

Hello again,

I am new to the group and I have so many questions for all of you.

Let me recap a bit. My 68 year old FIL was diagnosed about two

years ago with PD. Then, approx. 6 months later, he was told he

also has some LBD. My feeling on that is either you have it or you

don't; you can't just have a little of it. Anyhow, he was started

on Requip, which caused more troubles than good, then he was

switched to Sinemet. He now takes it every four hours, but we're

not noticing it brings about any improvement, other than controlling

his tremors somewhat. I am wondering how you know if your LO has PD

or PD w/ LBD? How do you tell the difference between the two? I

will, again, list the symptoms I've observed in him or those my MIL

has shared with me:

1. Stooped posture

2. Extreme slowness in walking, eating, going to the bathroom

3. Tremors (started with hands; now is full body)

4. Loss of facial expression; is having facial grimacing now

5. A lot of mental confusion

6. Inability to perform simple math problems (he was a former

banker)

7. Frequent freezing and rigidity

8. Often says inappropriate things

9. Gets fixated on ideas and things easily

10. Is oddly tolerant of high heat

11. Argumentive

12. Can no longer drive (safety issue)

13. Requires a lot of assistance with using the toilet, getting up

and out of bed, cars, and chairs. Walks slowly with a walker or

cane.

14. Doesn't socialize much anymore

15. Fatigues very easily

16. Very poor handwriting, sentence structure, grammar

17. Blurred vision (prisms don't help)

18. Bouts of urinary incontinence

19. Frequent falls

20. Easily agitated

I'm sure there are more symptoms, but that's all I can come up with

right now. I know that a lot of these sound like typical PD.

That's why I want to know how you tell if it's more than that? What

symptoms would lead one to conclude that he also has LBD, not that I

doubt it?

If he in fact does have PD and LBD, can we expect the Sinemet to do

much for him? If not, are there any meds he should be taking? He

is under the care of a much-recommended MDS in ton, SC by the

name of Dr. Bergmann. I guess I just keep expecting to see some

positive changes in my FIL, but when I see him every month or so, it

always takes my breath away to see the state he's in. My MIL is his

primary caretaker. Thankfully, her other son lives just down the

road from them, so he is able to help a lot. Unfortunately, he'll

be leaving at the end of this month to work in another city for a

couple of months. I don't know what my MIL will do then. When my

FIL falls, she can't lift him by herself. Someone on another board

suggested she call the local fire dept. and they'd come out and

assist her free of charge. I've also read that it's a good idea for

her to keep a daily journal so that she can record what my FIL is

like from day-to-day. Should she express her concerns to the MDS

that he doesn't seem to be getting any better? How much should we

expect from the meds, as far as improving his condition? I know

that there is no cure for either PD or LBD. Does LBD progress more

rapidly than PD? Is it common for PD to progress as rapidly as I've

described?

Thank you all so much for listening. My heart goes out to each and

everyone of you who are dealing with this terrible disease. It

truly is a devastating illness for all those involved.

April W.

GA.