There are a lot of great ideas floating around regarding how to better care for your Person with Parkinson’s. I have been particularly interested in diet and supplements that might help him move more freely and minimize tremors. We hear that dairy is bad, fresh fruits and vegetables are good, fish is healthy for him and that he needs to eat nuts and seeds. I have been trying to work many of these ideas into our diet and encouraged him to start taking fish oil capsules twice a day thinking I was doing the right thing. It never occurred to me to contact his Primary Care Physician or Neurologist before making these minor dietary changes.

My husband went in for surgery this past week. When I met with the doctor following the procedure, he mentioned that there was more bleeding than he expected to see. As we talked about it, he asked whether there were any new supplements and I mentioned the fish oil. It turns out that in my desire to help my husband I had actually added an additional risk factor, fish oil can hinder blood coagulation.

Things turned out okay this time but we have discontinued the new supplements until he is cleared by his surgeon. I am also doing what we should have done in the first place by contacting his PCP to get her advice and check on any other potential side effects these changes might cause. It was a reminder that, while I always have his best interest at heart, I am not the only person on his team. We have experts working with us for a reason, I need to let them do their jobs and make sure we are all on the same page to create the best outcome for my husband.