What if the prince’s staff hadn’t found the glass slipper ? Cindarella could have stumbled and the shoe (s) ended up in the palace shrubbery. And Cindarella? – back to the janitorial business, I guess.
Cindarella is on my mind because part of me is feeling like a princess — I hope the surgeons doing the Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) on me and will wave their magic wand and all my Parkinson’s symptoms will –Poof!–disappear!
Alas, life doesn’t work that way, so I am bracing for more physical theory and continuing to try to stand upright. I used to take for granted simple things like standing. No longer — Some days, you just can’t find that glass slipper.
An earlier blog has Q&A on the basics of DBS. Most of my remaining questions are specific to the surgeon and hospital doing the surgery (these days, they use the less scary sounding “procedure”.)
These questions include the following: (Feel free to send me additional questions, but I think I’ve only got a half hour with the surgeon.) I’ll update in another blog when I get answers.
What is hospital’s definition of “success” for this procedure?
“Success” would be that pain management for motor symptoms is more effective than through medication alone. [another entity’s definition – this is placeholder text.]
What is the percentage of successes for DBS surgery at this hospital for the last couple years?
[TBD]
My expectations – realistic?
I want to see improvement in my ability to stand up straight. and subsequent pain reduction in lower back. I hope I can minimize dystonia, dyskinesia, and “”Pisa”.
Briefly describe the procedure, especially the part where you wake me up during the surgery.
[TBD]
What is the likelihood of DBS having a permanent impact on my cognition or memory?
Equipment: The hospital usually uses Medtronix equipment. However, I wanted the rechargeable batteries because I don’t want to go thru another surgery in three years to replace the battery. BostonScientific has a new FDA-approved product (“Versice”) that is rechargeable. Medtronix’s rechargeable is still in the FDA approval pipeline.
Comments , Concerns? Have you worked with Boston Scientific products?
Why does being rechargeable enable patient to skip the three-year replacement surgery? Wouldn’t the product \get some serious wear and tear inside your body?
The Magic Trick - Life with Parkinson's 
What’s the date of your “procedure?”
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October 21. Thanks for the comment.
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Hi Laura, I had DBS last August, my big issue being tremor, so that’s what I said was my priority in my list of issues. I have the rechargeable battery from Boston Scientific. I have a few friends that have also had the surgery. For me, it was pretty transformative. My neurologist told me that tremor is the easiest problem to fix. My friends have had varying degrees of success.so, what I’m trying to say is I think it’s important to have realistic expectations and be prepared to work after surgery, get back to exercising as soon as possible! It took about 8-10 months for the settings to be adjusted properly. I still have tremor in my feet, but it doesn’t bother me compared to my full body tremor! My neurologist said that is she adjusts the settings anymore it will affect my voice more ( every once in a while, if I’m tired especially, I sound kind of drunk). Good luck with your surgery!
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Ah, the Queen of the Dolway Gardens of Ontario! Thanks for sending the detailed comments on your and other’s experience.
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All good questions
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