4/24/26 Holy crap

So I was trying to send out an update. I pulled up the template, and all of the links were red. So I gave Gemini permission to fix it from red to green. Then it sent it that last post with no information. Sorry

I was about to talk about ways anyone can use AI to help them. I use specific threads (conversations) to keep conversations focused on the topic I need information on.

And I still will. I opened this convo at the end of December and have been feeding videos to Gemini Pro, mostly PBA and Apraxia events. I asked the AI to summarize the discussions so I could email the doc prior to the appointment.

Here it was.  I think well done. I am wondering what my Doc followers think. There was a time when Docs hated “the search.” Not so sure that is the case anymore, would love to hear from Docs about this. I understand. But I would hope that because the Neuro Doc spends 4 hours a year on the Patient, they should welcome the feedback.

SO here was the summary: Too short in my opinion.

Patient Observation Summary: Sus
**Date Range:** Late 2025 – April 24, 2026
**Primary Caretaker:** Jeff Givens

### 1. Medication Adjustments & Recent Observations
* **Donepezil Taper:** Successfully tapered Donepezil due to suspected conflict with Levodopa.
* **Finding:** Observed that Donepezil appeared to trigger **aphasia** first, followed by severe **PBA (Pseudobulbar Affect)**, which then cascaded into **respiratory apraxia**.
* **Current Status:** Since tapering, the “It hurts!” (gastric distress/stomach acid) reports have significantly decreased.
* **Levodopa (Immediate Release):** Transitioning to a clearer focus on LD efficiency.
* **Absorption Issues:** Previously noted erratic absorption; recent reduction in gastric “friction” (less stomach acid/gastric juices) seems to be allowing the IR dose to hit more effectively.

### 2. Symptom Presentation & Breakthroughs
* **PBA & OCD Loops:** Episodes often present as sudden “stumbles” into emotional dysregulation, even after stable periods.
* **Recent Success (4/24/26):** Navigated the difficult 2:00 PM window with no PBA or OCD flares, indicating a more stable dopamine baseline.
* **Physical Symptoms:** Ongoing management of rigidity (noted in her non-dominant arm) and apraxia during high-stress episodes.

### 3. Caretaker Notes for Monday Appointment
* **The “Acid Tax”:** Requesting the doctor’s perspective on the interaction between cholinesterase inhibitors (Donepezil) and gastric acid levels interfering with Levodopa absorption.
* **The “Afternoon Shadow”:** Observations on late-day fatigue triggering PBA outbreaks even when morning/midday doses are effective.

 

So that is what I will share, but Doc should (hopefully) use her own observations.

 

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4/24/26 Friday 6:oo am

I am very pleased with how everything is coming together for our next precipitation event. The West Coast storm will approach our area on Saturday night, bringing abundant moisture (175% of normal).

Showers may start as early as Saturday evening, but the main event waits until Sunday morning. Initial snow levels look to be 9,500 feet. There are some indications that snow levels will drop, but I will try to make that call tomorrow morning or afternoon.

If this were the dead of winter, we would be talking about pass-level snow of 1 1/2 – 2 feet. The “strength” (angle) of the sun this time of year will limit accumulations during the day.

Up to 3/4 of an inch of rain is possible across the mid elevations, with 1/2 of an inch likely the norm in most lower-elevation areas. As always, expect anomalies. It’s also worth mentioning that with all of these high-conviction storms we have had, the models underpredicted precipitation amounts. To clarify, by “high-conviction” I mean the consensus of multiple models across all parameters.

Here are the European model’s maps in motion.

Map Guide

European

GFS

Canadian

German

I don’t expect major changes in the models this morning, but if there are. I will jump back on early afternoon. Otherwise, my next update will be Saturday morning.

 

 

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4/21/26 Tuesday 5 am

Well, this week’s not going to turn out as wet as I was seeing on the models last week, but next week looks good according to the European. I hear you. Why is it always next week? A variety of reasons, including historical and seasonal. It’s frustrating, I know.

We will have to see how this evolves over the coming days. For this week, there are just a couple of chances for light pop-up showers today and Thursday. The higher elevations will be favored.

The Euro shows a pattern change beginning Saturday night. and continuing into early May. It looks great, but I remain cautious about getting too attached to that solution because the European is the only model that shows it so deliberately.

This means either the European is right, and the other models have not sniffed it out. Or, it means the European is wrong. I would expect this to be answered in the next 48 hours.

All models show decent precipitation totals between now and May 1st, mostly in the mountains, which is fine; they just get there differently (right for the wrong reasons).

In short, I don’t have any big storms to talk about, but I am starting to get “Are you Ok?” emails. So I thought I better post.

Now is not the time, but I will update everyone on Susan’s condition after her Neuro appointment on Monday.

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4/15/26 Wednesday 9 am

Sorry for my absence. It has been very challenging lately. I had a moment of peace, so I thought I would let you know that we are far from done with precipitation this month. Multiple chances are coming next week. The little Friday storm will be mostly a miss. Red Mountain and Telluride have the best chances of getting 1 to 3 inches of snow.

I think April will be our wettest month since last October. The next best chance of widespread showers is Monday and Wednesday next week. As we get closer, I will keep you updated.

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4/13/26 Monday 1 pm

BTW Freeze Warning for late Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

 

There are still discrepancies in precipitation among the models. That said, I think the lower elevations (< 6,800′) can expect 0.50″ or more of rain.  7,400 and above 0.50 to 1.00″ inches of liquid precipitation. I also think there will be a chance of snow above 7,400″, which will be sloppy and unmeasurable.

For snow, it will have a difficult time accumulating until the cold front comes through.  At or below 9,500″ it looks like 3 to 6″. Above 9,500–8 to 12″.

For the far northern areas-Silverton, Telluride, I am going to hopecast 3 to 6″. Lizard Head and Red Mountain 8 to 12″. Wolf Creek 10 to 14″.

I am hoping to post in the morning.

 

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4/13/26 Monday 4:30 am

Everything looks good. I am leaning more on the European model for guidance. It did pretty well during the early-month storm, with lower-elevation totals.

Here is the European model in motion, now through late Wednesday night.

Here is its precipitation forecast

The first thing that jumps off the page is the higher totals from Durango down to the NM border. If it were December, this would be one of those storms that I would have said that areas south of Durango would get more than Purgatory.

You could draw a straight line from that bullseye north of Farmingto(.66) up to Wolf Creek. That is the current projected storm path of the low-pressure system.

Let’s hope the morning models also see this as well. I will be just after noon today.

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4/12/26 Sunday 11:30

First of all, I unintentionally teased another storm on my last post, but I got sidetracked with the millibars and forgot to talk about it.

I don’t know yet how well it will come together; if it does, there will be more precipitation on Friday. Looking beyond, I see 3 more chances of mountain snow before the end of April!

Models are coming in, and things still look great for the Tuesday storm. In fact, 3 of the 4 models are showing higher totals than the previous runs.

Next update tomorrow morning.

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4/12/26 Sunday 4:30 am

For today, there is a slight chance of a few pop-up storms here and there.  Conditions will be favorable for the dreaded winds to make an appearance today and tomorrow before the next storm arrives Monday night. I am feeling much more confident with the Tuesday storm. You could likely sense my frustration with the last (bust) storm in my posts.

There will be a couple of things to work out. Snow levels will be much lower. Very cold temperatures, especially on Wednesday morning, could once again threaten vegetation. Models range from 18 to 27 degrees on Wednesday morning. That could change, of course. It will. depend on how clear the skies are. However, I wanted to give those who could potentially be affected enough time to plan.

Here is the European model in motion, from Monday morning through Wednesday morning.

It’s been a while since I explained what those red lines with numbers on them are.

You will see the number 552 contour towards the beginning. That corresponds with a snow level of 8,000 feet. Towards the end, you will see 546, which would result in a snow level of 6,500 feet.

Math geeks may notice that those contour lines are 6mb (millibars) apart.

So here is the cheat sheet:

540mb: 5,000 feet

546mb: 6,500feet (Durango)

552mb: 8,000 feet

558mb: 9,500 feet

564mb: 11,000 feet

Yes,  every 6 millibars change equals 1,500 feet. See? Easy.

That’s enough math for now. Here are the liquid equivalent  precipitation forecasts from the models:

Map Cheat

European

I thought this was a model error, but this is the second run that it has shown those bullseyes. I can’t come up with a reason that those bullseyes should be there, but we’ll see. I am anxious for the next run.

GFS

This looks like a typical GFS run. I factor it into my forecast, but I don’t weight it as heavily in determining the totals.

German

I like it when a model handles terrain the way it should. That is exactly what the German model is doing here. Whether or not it will be correct is another story. I will be tracking this one as well.

WPC (Weather Prediction Center)

This model is typically a little too conservative with its amounts, but I threw it in the lineup as a contrast to the other models. Notice: even this model shows 1+ feet of snow on Wolf Creek Pass.

If all goes well enough today, I will post again in the afternoon. Otherwise, it will be tomorrow morning.

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We are getting to the point as a civilization where we are better at treating cancer than neurological diseases and disorders. Thank god we are getting better at cancer. But a higher percentage of the population struggles with Neuro. Unbelievably tough riddle, I think any big developments will be too late for Sus. She is beyond tracking medically.  1 in 10,000 Parkinsons patients go through Atypical Parkinson’s: 1 in 100,000 PD patients have Aphasia and CBD. I stopped giving her a medication that put her into confident Psychosis. She would go from not being able to move to walking fast and jumping down the steps. Could not protect her, of course, several falls were involved. With the new (simpler, lighter) dosages, so far, it has been better. But it never lasts very long.  Can’t stop the PBA (inability to control emotions based on a short circuit in the brain). It starts with PBA, which immediately triggers her respiratory ataxia. Similar, but for no reason, sleep apnea. I don’t buy it. Sleep apnea occurs in affected folks while they sleep. Respiratory Ataxia happens while they are trying to talk to you. Mix that with aphasia, and both impact speech. The ataxia is crazy. She will say two words, then check out. Almost like she dies, because it takes 1 or 2 seconds to come back, which seems like a lifetime, until she “wakes back up”. I am doing what I can.

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