DAMIEN Grath’s life has been transformed by a breakthrough new drug to treat Parkinson’s.
Incredible footage shows the 52-year-old before and after infusion therapy Produodopa – and the difference is “massive”.
“It’s been extraordinary and life-changing,” he said.
“Just shortly after first having the treatment I was able to make a cup of coffee more easily and go to the supermarket without throwing eggs all over the aisles.”
Damien, from Derby, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s – a progressive neurological condition – 12 years ago.
It causes involuntary shaking, slow movement and muscle stiffness, as well as balance problems, a reduced sense of smell, and insomnia, according to the NHS.
Damien’s symptoms have steadily worsened over the last decade, making it increasingly difficult to carry out day-to-day tasks.
He had been taking four separate oral drugs six times a day to control the problematic involuntary movements.
But Damien was still in considerable pain at night, leaving him unable to sleep or even turn over as the medication wore off.
Last month, he became one of the first people in the UK to undergo new infusion therapy that is administered via a portable pump under the skin.
His wife Amanda filmed him before the treatment and just two days afterwards, and the contrast is remarkable.
In the first clip, Damien experiences extreme shakes and spasms while walking to his kitchen counter and pouring water from a kettle into a mug.
But in the second, taken 48 hours later, he makes a cup of tea with virtually no tremor at all.
Damien has now been trained to administer Produodopa to himself at home.
“The massive difference is that there are now no fluctuations,” he said.
“I am also sleeping much better and the duvet doesn’t feel like a ton weight on my legs – I can turn over when I want to.”
Speaking to the BBC, Damien added: “I almost can’t believe that’s me in the video.
“For the last three years I have been shaking uncontrollably for two to three hours a day, every day.
“It’s early days but now I shake for five or 10 minutes a day.
“I can start to think about getting back to a normal life.”
Now, we are just like any other couple enjoying themselves
Amanda
Amanda said: “We have always tried to continue to do normal everyday things like going out for a meal.
“But sometimes it was difficult to deal with the lack of understanding from people around you and that made me very protective of Damien.
“Now, we are just like any other couple enjoying themselves.”
Produodopa is a combination of two drugs – foslevodopa and foscarbidopa.
It works by turning foslevodopa into the chemical dopamine, which helps transmit messages between the parts of the brain and nerves that control movement.
A small pump delivers a continuous dose of medication 24 hours a day from a syringe, meaning patients no longer experience the fluctuations common with oral drugs, resulting in greater symptom management.
Produodopa is recommended for patients with advanced Parkinson’s who experience severe changes in their movement abilities.
It is also available to people who don’t get sufficient relief from standard medications.
Damien has been in the care of Sherwood Forest Hospital (SFH) in Nottinghamshire since 2016, which worked “tirelessly” to implement Produodopa as soon as it was approved for use by the NHS.
Dr Nishantha Silva, consultant geriatrician and service lead for Parkinson’s and related movement disorders at SFH, said: “We are proud to be the first Trust in the East Midlands to offer this and aim to build on this success by expanding access to Produodopa, ensuring that more patients can experience its benefits, providing our patients with the highest quality of care and latest treatment options.
“The successful implementation of Produodopa at SFH heralds a new era in the management of advanced Parkinson’s disease.”
Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition, meaning that it causes problems in the brain and gets worse over time.
It affects around 153,000 people in the UK.
People with Parkinson’s don’t have enough of the chemical dopamine because some of the nerve cells that make it have stopped working.
This can cause a range of more than 40 symptoms, but the three main ones are:
Other common signs include:
The four main ways of managing Parkinson’s include medication, staying active, exploring occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech and language therapy, and monitoring symptoms.
Source: Parkinson’s UK and NHS
