For the last , at least five months, i have been like a bear, hibernating. I sleep in two daily "cycles" one that starts at around 5:00 pm and lasts until around 9:00 pm, and a more unpredictable one which lasts from around 2:00 am until 11.00 am. I am getting much worse at typing and so don't post in the forum anymore (it's too frustrating). The too much sleeping, is no doubt connected to depression, but I take an antidepressant that works pretty well, I just don't want to be awake anymore becaus of the home situation.
What I wanted too get across in this post is the dangers of lying in a prone position most of the day, and sitting down the rest, with little excercise. This has been talked about before , but i wonder how many people have experienced this and don't know what's going on.
What i'm talking about is DVT or phlebitis. Both are caused by blood "pooling" in the legs, but deep vein thrombisis (DVT), is in the deep veins of the thigh and is the more dangerous of the two problems . Phlebitis is near in surface veins of the thigh or calves and is less serious of the two conditions , but still painful and it freaks you out, you feel loss of touch, or a weird feeling upon touching the affected area and a tingling feeling in any appendage, like your arms or your feet. This is a clot formation disease, and can be deadly. especially with DVT because a clot can break off and get lodged in your lungs (pulmonary embolism). You know when you have phlebitis when you feel pain and have redness and swelling in your thigh or calf. This is a condition usually seen in people with surfaces varicose veins , but can be found in anyone. You can often feel the vein affected by putting your fingers over the area and feeling a swollen vein along the surface of the skin. Don't be alarmed too much but phlebitis, see a doctor soon, but DVT, pain deep in the affected area, should be treated at once, as it could be life threatening. The best way to avoid both condiitions is to get enough excercise, but sleeping with your legs elevated and conciously "sqeezing" and moving your leg muscles even in bed will help a lot. If you are hospitalized with this condition, you will probably have to take blood thinners for the rest of your life, and you don't want that; yucch

ol cs-

I have a gadget called (I think) an Electronic Muscle Stimulator that might be worth looking into. Physiotherapists use them. They send an electrical current into the muscle that makes it contract and relax with the device's pulse. It is supposed to exercise the muscle. I got it off ebay for about $50 so it won't break you. It might save you some grief. Heck, it might even be covered by Medicare or something.

From{ http://www.activeforever.com/p-1088-...timulator.aspx
Benefits of Electronic Muscle Stimulation:

Relaxation of muscle spasms, prevention of retardation of disuse atrophy, increasing local blood circulation, muscle re-education, Immediate post-surgical stimulation of calf muscles to prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and maintaining or increasing range of motion.

Ol'Cs,

Please be careful. I don't want to read about you ended up in the hospital because of this! Right now it's that yucky time of year when everyone is pretty low. Spring is coming soon so hopefully this will get you out of the old funk. Right now you're sleeping to escape, which isn't good. See if you can find someone to talk to, or even someone to do things with that you like. Do you have any hobbies that you like to do? These really help when I'm down as I like to escape into them.

Of all of them, I like model railroading. Although I no longer have a physical layout, I'm now into virtual modelling. This is through a really inexpensive program called Trainz 2006. It cost about $20 USD or $35Au. This is from an Australian company, and the user support is wonderful through the forums. The user base ranges from 8 years old to close to 90. You can build any route you like and then sit in the driver's seat and go for a ride. There is plenty of objects to download, and there are plenty of premade routes to drive. This is very addicting and a good way to escape from rotten things like your household right now.

Anyway, take it easy and I really hope things brighten up for you.

John

Cs, I was thinking about you this morning, wondering how you are. I didn't realize blood clots were a problem associated with lying down. I thought sitting was the problem. When I sit for awhile, I move my legs around alot. Thanks for the important info.

Perhaps a creative activity would be better for you than sleeping. When I do anything creative, I get sucked in like a vortex, and life's problems don't get any attention.

~Zucchini

dear friend,
I too have been thinking about you for quite awhile...
I am so sorry - to hear you feel like you are in hibernation,

yet I have had too have had to resist the very same wanting to snooze,
yet you are taking a couple of meds that do not keep you awake...
I have to say - I am worried about you...
I remember this was the effect of post encephalectic rain fever sp?
the type of PD... in Awakenings...

and vitamin c may help your nausea -

http://www.newscientist.com/article....794&print=true

Crossing the Blood-Brain Barrier

By Rosella Lorenzi

Summer 2002


Florence (Reuters Health) -- Vitamin C could provide a key to unlock the blood-brain barrier, which stops many drugs from getting into the brain where they could potentially treat diseases such as Alzheimer's or epilepsy, according to preliminary findings from researchers in Italy. Dr. Stefano Manfredini and colleagues found that drugs used to treat neurological disorders appear to slip past the blood-brain barrier more easily when a vitamin C molecule is attached.
"Ascorbic acid works like a sort of a shuttle. Theoretically, it could transport onto the brain any compound," Manfredini told Reuters Health.

Potential applications include not only drugs for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and epilepsy, but also viral infections, including AIDS.

In the past, glucose and amino acid units have already shown an ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, Manfredini explained. "But they do not guarantee a selective target, while the SVCT2 transporter can get directly to the central nervous system."

In the laboratory, the researchers evaluated the effect of adding vitamin C to drugs known to have difficulty crossing the blood-brain barrier -- namely diclophenamic acid, nipecotic acid and kynurenic acid. Adding a vitamin C component to each of these three compounds greatly improved their ability to interact with the SVCT2 transporter, the researchers report in the January issue of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

Manfredini told Reuters Health that further tests and additional animal studies of vitamin C-modified drugs were planned. He has filed a patent for the discovery.

Note: It's important that HIV meds cross the blood brain barrier in order to attack the virus in the central nervous system.

Source: Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2002 January.

many of you old timers who I've got to know over the years on here all the time, and I read the forum every day pretty well. I sometimes reply but my typing is getting like John G's (anybody remember him?). I'll bet that is the reason that he doesn't post anymore. It's a real pain when you have to correct your spelling and grammar all the time, and i hit multple keyts and a lot of "run on" lettters, as well as letting the backspace get aw on me:
Thanks for the tips. Rev, I gotta git me one o' those leg thingees, considering that this is no joke anymore. In 2005, I was hospitalized and on heparin for a week in april. It seems like springtime is when my blood is at it's "thickest", if i cut myself, (even deeply), i hardly bleed at all, so forget slitting my wrists, i'd just end up cleaning up the mess myself (just a joke really).
And Tena my dear, i always think of how you are doing. I take my share of vitamins especially vit C , mostly becuase of my old chemist friend Linus Pauling (not a real, friend , friend, like i didn't personally know him) who "pushed" Vit C like a crack dealer. Ol' Linus would recommend up to 10 grams a day, but I can only stomach about 3 before i get "acid stomach". O, and it's important to take a good amount of vit. D during the winter, the preparation that doesn't need sunlight to activate it.
So you see, i really am trying to take care of myself, as I believe that someday soon life will get better, it just sucks NOW
I've really got to hand it to you long time posters here who keep on keepin' like Larry J used to say. Time is going by too fast. I sure hope that our cure or a reasonable facsimile comes to us all soon, and that it's affordable and in reach for ALL OF US.
So to you "power posters" Carolyn, Zucchini, Tena, to name a few (i can't possibly give all your names here, so do't feel left out), keep on posting. This place has attracted some good new people who post a lot about relevant PD stuff , as well as the "PD lifestyle". I beleive that this is one of the worlds premier "PD bloggs". G'night all.

Funny, I also thought of you today, CS, and wondered when you'd post again, and here you are. I have no new advice, just many good wishes, and I hope you feel better when spring springs and the birds sing.
My typing is getting exhausting too, very annoying.
All the best from birte.

Just for fun:

Oh, Spring
Oh lovely Spring
Oh here comes Spring
Oh sing of Spring
Oh spring out Spring
Oh wondrous Spring
Oh give me Spring
Oh I love Spring
Oh Spring oh Spring
Oh Spring, Spring oh
Oh
Oh
Oh….

CS..Ive been thinking about you too..I know you havent been feeling good, and I can only imagine how tough it is to deal with the issues on the home front..You've had alot on your plate, and no doubt all that makes your pd symptoms alot worse than they would normally be..Hang in there, and keep the faith..I hope it gets better in time..It sure does suck big time when you're going through it

you know what I am going to say......so I won't!!


keep posting Chuck, and don'tt worry about the typos!!

hang in there buddy!

Charlie