Mayo, Day Two

This morning, we dropped off Dennis' 24 hour collection of urine for a sodium count. No matter what you put urine in, unless you flush it down the toilet, it still smells. I was very happy to leave the jugs at the front desk, and take Dennis to his next test - the sweat box.

For the sweat box, a person is stripped naked, and then covered with powder, from head to toe. You are then placed in a large plastic box, and the heat is turned up. As you begin to sweat, the powder turns from white to purple. A typical MSA/SDS patient will sweat only in patches, and large areas of the body show no signs of sweat at all. They will be spotted with purple stains. Dennis was a mass sweat producer and came out of the test completely purple. He failed this test, also.

The nuerologists are fairly certain that Dennis does NOT have an autonomic disorder, or MSA. He still is diagnosed as having stage 4 Parkinson's, on a scale of 1 to 5. These doctors are sure there is something else going on, as is his local doctor.

The next step is yet another test for another study. This one will rule out MSA completely, or confuse the situation even further. He also will receive a referral to a movement specialist at the Mayo, hopefully providing further insight to the progression of Dennis' situation.

We both left today feeling a bit lighter. The death shroud of MSA has been lifted.

Today I don't feel like asking any more questions. I simply feel like sitting here, enjoying the good news.

Until Tomorrow,
Ann and Dennis
Living without Shy-Drager or Multiple System Atrophy