Teva CFS Book English

Caring “When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s I was convinced that the doctors were mistaken. There is no genetic history of the disease in my family and until then I thought that the disease belonged to a much older age group”. Thirteen years have passed, and Yael Meishar - a singer and now 42 years old and mother of two girls, has experienced firsthand that medicine is not an exact science. “Immediately after the diagnosis I decided to fulfill my dream of becoming a mother. I was afraid that the doctors would try and persuade me not to get pregnant, and so I disappeared on them and reappeared nine months later with a baby. The pregnancy actually went great, but after the birth my condition deteriorated quickly. After she breastfed her eldest daughter (now 11 years old) for seven months, Yael went back to the doctors dragging her left leg and arm, and for the first time asked for medication. That was when Azilect came into her life, which is the first line of treatment for Parkinson’s. Recruiting the strong side “It wasn’t easy to manage with a baby. During the initial months the family helped and later her daughter went to daycare. At the time, the hardship was manageable thanks to the medication, which made it possible to function. I learned to get by and rely more on my right side, which was my strong side. If, for example, I was about the leave home with the baby and I knew I would want to breastfeed, I would breastfeed on my weak side at home and leave the other side for when I was out”. Yael was treated with Azilect for two years, and only after the effect started wearing off, did she change her medication. My second gift Yael has been taking Duodopa for about four and a half years, which is given once the efficacy of the oral treatment decreases and requires more complex therapeutic interventions. With this type of treatment, Levodopa is pumped directly into the duodenum, thereby bypassing the stomach. The patient can largely continue with their routine: “I walk around with a pouch or purse, where I carry a device that looks like the old fashioned cell phones, with a small tube attached to it”. Thanks to the medication, which is considered relatively safe for a fetus, Yael and her husband managed to bring their Shaking things up Yael Meishar was only 29 years old, newlywed, and at the beginning of her singing career when the doctors told her that she had Parkinson’s. Since then, the drugs have become an inseparable part of her life and they have helped her fulfill her dream of motherhood, continue performing, and touching people’s hearts. ◄ 63