Parkinson's Disease Chest Squeezing! {help}

Diseases & Conditions Parkinson's Disease
1
my wife has p.d. for 8 years and presently lives in a nursing home. She suffers from stiffness
in her left side, for which she takes Sinemet 4x daily.Her main problem is squeezing in her left
side round-about her abdomen. It's very painful starting about 60-90 minutes before taking her
medication. It is compounded by her anxiety. She is also taking Seroquel,Effexor and Clonazepam.
 
Anyone know of someone who suffers from the same squeezing problem? (the doctors and specialists do not know what it is (even after all the tests))
2

Mysticald.

I have had PD for 14 yrs. and while I don't have a squeezing on my left side by my abdomen I do have pain, like it's burning, in my stomach.  This has been going on for over a year now.  They thought it was my gallbladder so they did an ultra sound test and found a 5cm. stone blocking the duct ergo that was what was causing my stomach to hurt so much, so they took out the gallbladder last July but the pain continued.  I was sent to an internist and he did an endoscopy on my stomach and informed my husband that I had sever gastritis and it looked like someone had used sandpaper in my stomach.  Apparently I had H. Pylori so I was put on two different antibiotics.  It seemed to help for a little while but it flared up again.  They did another endoscopy and a CT scan.  There was no ulcer in my stomach but they found a mass on my ovary, which dosen't cause the stomach problem.  Now it's been determined that the Parkinson's is the root of the problem.  Your wife has problems on her left side and mine are on my right side.  Apparently the spasms that I get on my right side cause the stomach to hurt so much. 

Do you have a subscription to a magazine called The Parkinson's Post?  If you do you may have found a small article in there saying that PD can cause ones stomach to suffer from gas, bloating, nausea and/or vomiting etc.  It seems that we must just suffer with this along with all the other lovely things PD does to your body.

I probably haven't been any help to you but at least it's an avenue you can check up on.

Lizzy B 

3

Hi Mysticald,  Welcome to healing well forum.....

I have MSA atypical Parkinson's.  I have the feeling of being squeezed around my chest on a daily basis.  It feels as if someone is sitting on me and is difficult to breathe.  I take Zanaflex for muscle spasms as I also have Multiple Sclerosis diagnosed in 2001 and get spasms from this.  If you get tremors and muscle rigidity it would follow that you would also have spastisty of the muscles.  Maybe someone else has a different opinion...

~elisha
 

4

Hi Elisha,

I was interested to learn that you suffer from MSA as well as PD

as I too have an ongoing medical problem only mine is something called Kartagener's syndrom and I am also a breast cancer survivor.  I am interested in the zanaflex you take.  Does  it really help with the muscle spasms?  I get them all down my right side and have nothing to take for it, just suffer it through.
I had a pallidotomy done in Oct. 2002 to help relieve the symptoms on my left side and it worked so very well, even the neurosurgeon, Dr. Chris Honey, said I was in a very small percentage of people who achieved the results that I did from a pallidotomy.  Unfortunately it's not a permanent fixture as the PD is returning to my left side again but I am sure interested in finding out more about that zanaflex.  Who put you on that, your GP or your neurologist?
Looking foreward to hearing from you.
Lizzy B
5
Mysticald

Welcome to Healing well I wish you and your wife the best.Sounds like your wife is suffering from rigidity of the chest and abdominal muscles.Since dopamine is a major neurotransmitter,which plays a role in muscle shortening and relaxing no muscle groups are immune from this awfull symptom;caused by a shortage of dopamine.All that have had PD for a while seem to suffer with rigidity,and a universal trait seems to be the fact that we all have different muscles affected.You mentioned that it occurs 60-90 minutes before she takes her next dose of sinemet,which would indicate that the last dose is wearing off,and rigidity is setting in.You might get the neuro to prescribe comtan to increase the effective time of the sinemet or add an agonist such as requip or mirapex.These are just suggestions you might want to run by the neurologist treating your wife.hope it works out for the both of you.Stay in touch and let us know how you make out.Ed

Ed-Diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 1998.I am also Diabetic,and have major arthritis issues.As long as I can fish life is good.
 
support Healing Well thru the sponsors and with donations.The light is always on stay well,and listen to your neurologist.

Post Edited (yekkimo) : 3/3/2006 12:23:51 PM (GMT-7)

6

Hi Lizzy,

I dont have a Parkinson's diagnosis, mine is Multiple System Atrophy which is an atypical type of Parkinson's disease.  I was just diagnosed recently and my first major symptoms arose in August of last year.  I have some wonderful doctors that very attentive.  Anyway, I also have the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis.  I think that I was have symptoms of MSA for a while and didnt know it as my MS is pretty active too.  So who knows.  I have been on Zanaflex for about 3 years now.  I take 4mg three at bedtime and I can take up to two more during the day if I need to.  My Neurologist prescribed it for spasms.  It helps greatly with muscle spasms in my back and legs but for the chest tightening with the MSA not so much.  I have been on Bacloflen and Flexeril for spasms and the Zanaflex works so much better for me.  It is specially designed for people with Spinal Cord injury and Multiple Sclerosis.  Good luck finding something to help with your spasms, I know they are difficult to live with.


~elisha
 

7
Dear Lizzy
Thank you very much for your info. I'm sorry that you suffer so much too, it hurts me to hear that others
are suffering so much. I heard once the following ; Half of the people in the world are ill, and the other
half are going to be ill."
My wife will be going for a CT scan on the end of March. Will keep in touch. Thanks again.

Misticald.