Parkinson's Disease Support Group
Parkinson's disease is a movement disorder often characterized by muscle rigidity, tremor, a slowing of physical movement, and in extreme cases, a loss of physical movement. The primary symptoms of Parkinsons are due to excessive muscle contraction, normally caused by the insufficient formation and action of dopamine, which is produced in the dopaminergic neurons of the...
My husband has had a cough for 4 months and the MDS recommended a swallowing assessment. He went through that and they recommended swallowing x-rays and he was going to have some speech therapy.
About 3 weeks ago he was having chest pains and stomach pains in the night. The ambulance took him to the hospital.
By the time I got to the hospital his stomach was hurting mostly and so they gave him meds for acid reflex, which helped a little. (He had a heavy meal the night before)
I was more concerned about his cough which he's had for 4 months and coughing up phlegm and as he had never had an x-ray.
So. they took an x-ray and ultra sound an discovered a large mass on one lung. What a shock!
He is now under the care of a Thoracic surgeon who wanted a CT scan of the head and a Pulmonary Function
(breathing test) and PET. He has had the first 2 and we are waiting for an appointment for a PETscan (full body scan).
The surgeon wants to make sure it isn't in any other area before he does the biopsy. At this point we don't know if the mass which is about 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 inches is cancer. Hopefully not.........
I will be calling the nurse next week to see if she can hurry up the appointment. There is only one machine in this area, so it takes a while to get appointment but should be before Christmas.
I guess it was a blessing that he had the pains in the night and went to the hospital. I don't blame the MDS who thought it was something else.
He should have had an x-ray before this happened, but fortunately we know now.
He is still coughing and he breathes okay and has no pain or spitting up blood so that's a good thing. It is a deep cough and coughs up clear phlegm .
LYNNIE
About 3 weeks ago he was having chest pains and stomach pains in the night. The ambulance took him to the hospital.
By the time I got to the hospital his stomach was hurting mostly and so they gave him meds for acid reflex, which helped a little. (He had a heavy meal the night before)
I was more concerned about his cough which he's had for 4 months and coughing up phlegm and as he had never had an x-ray.
So. they took an x-ray and ultra sound an discovered a large mass on one lung. What a shock!
He is now under the care of a Thoracic surgeon who wanted a CT scan of the head and a Pulmonary Function
(breathing test) and PET. He has had the first 2 and we are waiting for an appointment for a PETscan (full body scan).
The surgeon wants to make sure it isn't in any other area before he does the biopsy. At this point we don't know if the mass which is about 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 inches is cancer. Hopefully not.........
I will be calling the nurse next week to see if she can hurry up the appointment. There is only one machine in this area, so it takes a while to get appointment but should be before Christmas.
I guess it was a blessing that he had the pains in the night and went to the hospital. I don't blame the MDS who thought it was something else.
He should have had an x-ray before this happened, but fortunately we know now.
He is still coughing and he breathes okay and has no pain or spitting up blood so that's a good thing. It is a deep cough and coughs up clear phlegm .
LYNNIE
RE CHEST PAIN AND SWALLOWING.
PLEASE BE CAREFULL.
I WAS TAKEN TO HOSPITAL EMMERGENCY WITH PNEMONIA. THIS WAS CAUSED BY FOOD GOING THE WRONG WAY. I SAW A SPEECH THERAPIST TOO.
THIS CONDITION IS REALY VERY SERIOUS FOR PEOPLE WITH PARKINSON'S.I WAS KEPT IN HOSPITAL FOR TWO WEEKS,SO PLEASE TAKE CARE AND HAVE CHEST AND COUGH CHECKED OUT AGAIN.
DO LET ME KNOW HOW YOU GO.
BEST WISHES,
STEWART/ALIVEO
/
It was from eating too much the night before and it created acid reflex in the night.
However, he's had the cough for several months and after taking an x-ray and ultra sound they discovered the mass on his lung.
It isn't pneumonia as I thought it might be.
The thoracic doctor ordered a CT scan of the head and Pulmonary Function, breathing test, as I mentioned in the first blog.
He is also going to have a PET scan. A PET scan uses radiation to create 3 dimensional, color images of the functional processes in the human body.
A CT or MRI scan examines the size and shape of body organs and tissue. A PET SCAN looks at function of those organs.
The doctor wants to see if there are any more tumors in his body before he does a biopsy.
So I think he is in good hands.
Thanks for your thoughts........ LYNN
It can show up a cancer, reveal the stage of the cancer, show whether the cancer has spread, help doctors decide on the most appropriate cancer treatment and give doctors an indication on the effectiveness of ongoing chemotherapy.
I am so sorry to hear your news. I know you have been worried for some time about your husband's cough. I am glad to hear that finally some action is being taken to treat him. I will follow your posts about him and will keep you both in my prayers.
May I suggest one thing...get a notebook (a nice big obvious one) and keep it with you always. When you think of questions you want to ask, write them down in your journal. Take notes at the doctor's office, at the hospital, during his testing and ask questions about anything you don't understand. If they use medical terms, make them spell the words and give you a definition. If they order a test, ask why and what do they hope to accomplish. Same thing with any treatment or medication they might give your husband. Also make note of names and attitudes.
The first thing that will happen is a flag will be placed on his chart to let all personnel know you are keeping a journal of his treatment and the people who treat him. You would be surprised at the change in attitude. His chart is a legal document and cannot be changed in anyway. If you have your own record and it differs from the medical record, it is your protection if you decide on legal action in the future. The delay in treatment for 4 months is inexcusable and does not meet the standard of care.
It sounds like he is in for some serious treatment and your journal will allow you some piece of mind because it will remember everything for you.
I wish your husband the best of all outcomes and hope you can spend the Christmas Holidays at home and not in the hospital. Let us know how things go if you can.