12/25/25 Christmas Day 7 am
My Storm Update was released earlier today. You can scroll down the site to find it, or recheck your email.
I have not updated everyone on Susan’s condition since July. She had her Neurologist appointment yesterday morning. For those of you who are new (since the end of July), here is a link to the last update I sent on her condition on July 23rd, which provides background (rather than rehashing it in a new post).
https://durangoweatherguy.com/2025/07/23/susan-and-jeff-personal-update-no-weather/
Yesterday morning (yes, Christmas Eve), we met the new Neurologist. After getting to know us, I informed her that over the past couple of months, Susan’s aphasia (speech issues) has gotten worse; she experiences more frequent and longer uncontrollable emotional outbreaks, she also falls more than ever before, and she has experienced issues with controlling the right side of her body (she is left-handed).
It started with her right foot. When I would dress her, she could not figure out how to point her foot for me to get it into her pant leg. Then shortly after she started extending her right arm behind her back, bent at the wrist (think olympic speed skater). Now she can’t pick up anything with her right hand, but forgets every time and drops anything she picks up using that hand. Now we have the same problem with the right arm when getting dressed.
The Neurologist ran Susan through a battery of tests. Asked several date-specific questions. She then performed motor skills tests. Only a few minutes into the tests, Susan started crying and shaking; it was too much for her to process.
I asked the Neurologist to interpret what she saw, and she didn’t hesitate. She said, “PBA- Pseudobulbar Affect, she can’t control her emotions because of a disconnect in her brain”.
Interestingly, before running the battery of tests, she reviewed prior brain scans and noticed a gap. I believe she knew what she was looking for before she started the tests.
The Pseudobulbar Affect happens in Parkinson’s disease, ALS, MS, and people with traumatic brain injuries, as well as people with brain tumors and other afflictions related to neurological diseases and disorders.
It is a neurological condition, not a mental health one. It occurs when there is a disconnect between the parts of the brain that feel emotion and those that express it. It is often mistaken and misdiagnosed as depression.
There is one drug approved to treat it; unfortunately, she has to be weaned off one of her current prescriptions before she can start this treatment because they don’t play nicely together.
The Doc also referred her to the Gastroenterology department. She has been struggling with incontinence, which is a difficult situation for her to process and is definitely a new challenge for me.
Jeff,
My wife Connie and I will pray for peace in your life and that God might rest his healing hand on both of you.
Have a blessed Christmas.
Steve and Connie Beiser
County rd 201.