Hi

[Susan Tomlin <stomlin@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

To SJS

Is there any place on the Internet that I can look up perscription drugs
with  color photos?

My mother doled out her own pills. Unfortunately, she kept perscriptions
she no longer took with ones she did in a cardboard box along with
vitamins, so all I could do was check the dates on the bottles.

I found two bottles of sinemet, one from '94 100/25 and a more recent one
200/50 from  '96 she only took a quarter of a tablet when she felt like she
needed it as was perscribed on the later batch.

She takes Artane (trihexyphenidyl ) one tablet daily

She was also taking methotrexate 2.5 mg ( for Arthritis ). 8 tablets once
each week. An increase of one pill since June.

Provera ( for osteoporosis ) one tablet daily 5.0 mg ( last week she was
switched to 2.5 mg but she hadn't started taking them, yet )

Premerin ( C.E.S. ) 0.625 mg one pill daily.

Didrocal ( I can't locate the package I saw it last week ).  She started
taking that several months ago for her osteoporosis.

Calcium 500 mg
vitamin D 1,000 iu  she split each pill in half.
folic acid 1mg
vitamin E 400 ui

Tonite when I speak with our Doctor I will find out exactly how much
Sinemet they are giving her now and why? Plus a whole bunch of other
questions!!!!! I also will mention if they could check to see if she has a
bladder infection too...

In 89/90 mom took Prednezone (sp) and Gold injections for her Arthritis.
Mom went from being a strong healthy woman to being bed ridden and
paralyzed from the knees down and as weak as a kitten in 2 1/2 months. I
did not know if she would live or die and neither did the doctors... She
had bad reactions to both the medications and later they felt she had
neuropathy. I did notice when she was in the Hospital that her right hand
was trembling when she held a styrofoam cup of water ( co-incidently that
was the same hand that took her that got her diagnosed with Parkinson's 2
years later ). Sometimes I wonder if those drugs caused her Parkinson's.

With mom being in the hospital I worry she might become dyhdrated. They
only seem to hand out those little juice cup things and a jug of water
which mom is unable to handle right now. When I was there I made sure she
drank something. The staff are helping her to eat too.

Her eating habits ( at home ) were good as I did all the cooking. I would
make sure that she got a smaller portion of meat and more veggies. She ate
three meals a day.

Mom slept with her patio door open so I'm sure she got more fresh air than
I got at night. She is sure sweating now that she is in the hospital. They
rigged up a fan for her.

I phone the hospital three times a day and ask if they are getting her up
to use the commode or bedpan, how many times etc. Today they told me they
took her for a walk around the ward and are going to start taking her to
the bathroom tomorrow. I want to make sure that they get my mom up and
moving as much as possible. Some of the staff in the hospital know me and
how much I care for my mother, so I think that in one respect, because of
that they will treat my mother slightly better than the average person ( I
hope ).

Question: What type of clothing would be suitable for my mother both cool
and easy for her to get on and off ( remembering her hands are bad ). We
got velcro put on her shoes and she could manage that ok.

Thanks for all your help so far :-)

Take care

Bye for now

Susan


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