MSA

My mom called today to tell me they were in Denver for a doctor's appt with my Dad's Parkinsons doctor and asked if I wanted to meet them for lunch.

Here is the conversation I was hit with as soon as I sat down:

Dad: "Well, Breezer, good news, I am not dying!"
Me: " That's great news, Dad! Were we worried you were??"
Dad: " Well, I was! The doctor thought I had MSA"
Me: " What the hell is MSA?!!!??"

He and my mom went on to tell me that MSA stands for " Multiple System Atrophy", which is rare and serious side affect of Parkinsons. The explained all of your major organs, like the heart, liver, kidneys begin to atrophy. The prognosis is always death, and an early death at that.

Needless to say my stomach dropped out, and tears came to my eyes. They explained that is why they had been up here for so many tests and MRI's, they of course didn't tell us because they didn't want us to worry.

When I got home, I googeled it. And I can see why the Doc thought Dad had it, the below list continues many, many of his problems.


MSA damages the nervous system, which can cause the following symptoms:

Changes in facial expression
"Mask" appearance to face
May be unable to close mouth
Reduced ability to show facial expressions
Staring
Difficulty chewing or swallowing (occasionally)
Disrupted sleep patterns (especially during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep late at night)
Dizziness or fainting when standing up or after standing still
Frequent falls
Loss of control over bowels or bladder
Loss of fine motor skills
Difficulty eating
Difficulty with any activity that requires small movements
Writing that is small and hard to read
Loss of sweating in any part of the body
Mild decline in mental function (may occur)
Movement difficulties
Loss of balance
Shuffling
Walking pattern (gait) changes
Muscle aches and pains (myalgia)
Muscle rigidity
Difficulty bending arms or legs
Stiffness
Nausea and problems with digestion
Posture difficulties: may be unstable, stooped, or slumped over
Slow movements
Difficulty beginning to walk or starting any voluntary movement
Freezing of movement when the movement is stopped, unable to start moving again
Small steps followed by the need to run to keep balance
Tremors
May become severe enough to interfere with activities
May be worse when tired, excited, or stressed
May occur at rest or at any time
May occur with any action, such as holding a cup or other eating utensils
Finger-thumb rubbing (pill rolling tremor)
Vision changes, decreased or blurred vision
Voice and speech changes
Difficulty speaking
Monotone
Slow speaking
Voice is low volume

Parkinsons is such an ugly disease. I hate that it has forced them to carry this burden for the past two months. I think it is crazy that even though I am 34, and Nik is 32, they still do everytihng they can to protect us...I guess that is what great parents do...protect their babies to the very end...

I love you, Dad!