Some good news: Hello everyone, I wanted... - PSP Association

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Some good news

CateT profile image
19 Replies

Hello everyone,

I wanted to share some good news with you all. For well over a year now my mum has not been able to speak to us and we have explored so many avenues trying to communicate with her. Its been horrible and I think we all felt that we had lost her.

However, she can now speak to us in phrases and even sentences that we can understand! It is completely wonderful for me, I really do feel like I have my mum back. Sometimes we have to ask her to repeat things but the improvement is remarkable!

It could be as a result of a change in medication. She has been taken off a strong sedating medication called trazadone and put on amitriptaline. She is also on the Brighton trial of Davunetide but I am too cautious to say it could be as a result of that as we don't even know whether she is on the placebo or the medication.

Whatever, I am loving it. It makes everything else easier to bear, just being able to have a chat with my mum again.

Cathy

x

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CateT profile image
CateT
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19 Replies
ray-wiffen-1958 profile image
ray-wiffen-1958

hi cathy,

what great news i am so pleased for you and your mum

theres nothing worse than not being able to talk my voice

is getting worse now but i keep doing my speech exercises

and hope for the best, i hope your mums voice keeps getting

stronger and stronger good luck to you all,

ray xx

jillannf6 profile image
jillannf6

hi cathy

wonderful news!

-there are so few examples of improvements

in this \psp

so hang on to the good

love jill

xxx

Peter2 profile image
Peter2

Hi Cathy,

What marvelous news for you and your mum. I hope the improvement continues.

Love Peter2.

LesleyB profile image
LesleyB

Hi Cathy

That is fantastic news. I can imagine that it is wonderful to have those chats again with your mum and it does make other things a little easier to cope with. Take care of yourself and my love to you and your mum

Lesley x

kay1 profile image
kay1

So nice to have good news and every one is so pleased for you. May your mum get even stronger.

Kay x

CateT profile image
CateT

Thank you everyone. Fingers crossed it continues for a while. Love to you all.

Cathy

timrawsthorne profile image
timrawsthorne

That's amazing to hear, Cathy! Thank you for sharing it with us.

All the best to you and your mum,

Tim

PSPA_JillL profile image
PSPA_JillL

Its great to hear this and a reminder of the importance of a regular good medication review.

SuzieQ profile image
SuzieQ

Hi Cathy

How wonderful for you all. It is so encouraging to hear of improvements for people who suffer from PSP, however small. I am so pleased for you and hope your mum continues to maintain this progress. You must be jumping for joy to see such a slight improvement. How lovely.......enjoy every minute!

God Bless.................SuzieQ xx

hazelb profile image
hazelb

Hi Cathy...such good news is rare with PSP. I'm so pleased for you. Israel posted a while ago that his speech & walking had improved since he was on the Davunetide trial. Frank started on the trial at Salford Royal 2wks ago so will let you know if any improvement. His speech isn't good & his limbs, especially arms, are so stiff I sometimes struggle to move them. He still has a powerful grip which doesn't help me either!!!!!

Take care & keep smiling. Love Hazel B xx

clara profile image
clara

Hi Cathy

Just sent an email to you and then see this news here!! Thats so wonderful! I am really thrilled to hear that, please send your mum a big hug from us all here who are sharing in yours and her happiness of being able to communicate more. So we both had good news today!

Clara XX

hmfsli profile image
hmfsli

Hi Cathy,

Good news indeed! How pleased you must all be and I am sure your Mum is happier being able to communicate with you all again.

hmfsli

kathleens profile image
kathleens

Hi Cathy

That is super news as it is great to hear any good news relating to the condition. My mum is at an advanced stage of the disease and her speech is all but gone except we notice when she has an adrenaline rush - a new visitor, a fright or maybe if she is particularly agitated. When she can speak on those occasions I am reminded there is a voice there and do keep thinking some drug may be a cause or provide a solution. I read you comment with interest and will show it to our doctors to see if it may be useful in her case.

These pieces of information swapping are invaluable, so thanks again.

Regards

Kathleen

Kathy profile image
Kathy

So lovely to hear your news! :-)

Love Kathy x

FranR profile image
FranR

Hi Cathy.

I'm trying everything to get my dad to communicate with me again - I really miss him and I can't remember the last time I heard his lovely laughing voice! I'm so glad you found this bit of happiness - I wish they'd find something that would work for everyone... Dad unfortunately had zero positive result from the noscira trial, and is too far advanced for davuntide... hope good results come soon from that. all the best, thinking of you. fran x

daughter_Julie profile image
daughter_Julie

Brilliant to hear such good news. I'm tempted to see if dad can get hold of some amytriptiline! is that an anti-depressant?

Fran, my dad also took part in the trial and had no joy. Has your dad opted to continue taking the real thing? Which site was he at? My dad was in Liverpool. Has he found out if he had placebo or not yet?

FranR profile image
FranR in reply to daughter_Julie

Hi Julie

Dad was at Newcastle - he finished the trial in May after a year. We had such high hopes, obviously (I was actually living in Spain at the time, and remember thinking to myself that I would petition the Spanish gov to release the drug early so that Dad wouldnt have to suffer a relapse!!) but Dad really didnt show any difference. I really do suspect he was on the placebo but we don't know...how can we find out? I didn't know that they could continue to take the real drug - no one told us. Has your dad - what has the outcome been?

Dad has been on amytriptiline - it's helped him with sleep a bit I think. No effect on speech etc though. It's so hard trying to find things that help, isn't it?! let me know how things are.

daughter_Julie profile image
daughter_Julie

Hi Fran, the neurologist at your dads trial centre should be able to find out for you. They can only reveal when the last person finishes the 1 year trial plus 3 month wash out. It's interesting you say that you didn't know there was an option to continue with the "real thing". I know it was something that mum and dad started to push for early on, and it got a bit sticky with the Company when they asked for it, The neurologists also said no one else had said they wanted to continue with the drug. I just couldn't understand why not. When mum asked the neuro, he said to her "why do you think?" . Perhaps it was a money / effort issue? Or perhaps they know it doesn't work. If it's any consolation, dad also seemed to not improve and got much worse whilst on the trial. He definately took a big step down (loss of speech / terrible movement / Balance problems) when he stopped taking it (probably a co-incidence) but since re-taking it has only got worse again.

Such a terrible shame to have had the hopes dashed, I dont know about you but it did provide promise in an otherwise bleak situation for a while. I'm wondering now if we backed the wrong horse so to speak, not taking part in Davunetide, but I guess it was a timing thing.

Lovely though to communicate with someone involved with this trial.

x

melindamay profile image
melindamay

that really is good news. It's unusual to get a positive result so all the better. We had to use a picture board with my dad and then even pointing got too much and you could see his frustration at being unable to speak so it is great for you and your mum. I wish her and you all the best and hope the improvements continue, it would be great if it was the meds so keeping my fingers crossed for the trial.

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