the best gift of all

As Christmas gifts go, the one I received this year has to be the best.
My neurologist told me just before the holidays that my Deep Brain Stimulation surgical procedure, designed to provide some relief from my Parkinson’s disease symptoms, is scheduled for the first week of March. It’s really going to happen.
I can’t wait. I’m scared, curious and hopeful all at once.
As explained in a previous posting Sept. 18, the procedure, known as Sub thalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation (STN-DBS) will be done at Foothills Hospital in Calgary. Electrical impulses generated by a pacemaker-like device implanted in my trunk will be conveyed by wire to the sub thalamic nucleus (STN), a structure in the brain’s basal ganglia, where muscle movements are controlled.
This procedure has been helpful in alleviating symptoms for hundreds of patients like me whose medications are generally not as effective as they once were due to PD’s progressive nature.
In preparation for the surgery, I will be tested at the Foothills Hospital’s Movement Disorders Clinic in mid-January to see how my body behaves without my current dosages of Parkinson’s medications.
Then I will take my medications and be retested. These observations will establish a baseline and be used to adjust medication levels after surgery. Hopefully, I could need less then, although the primary target in my brain for electrical stimulation has been chosen to reduce powerful spasms in my neck called dystonia. A different target site is used in many patients and is generally more effective at cutting medication needs by as much as 50 per cent.
I will be sedated and awake for part of the surgery – the electrode implantation stage – as I need to assure the surgeon that the correct target in the brain has been reached. Local freezing is used on the scalp where holes are drilled in the skull. CT scan or MRI technology is used to plan and map the surgery as well.
Other pre-surgery preparation sessions are likely. I’ve already had a battery of psychological tests to provide a baseline of my mental functioning prior to surgery. These results will likely be compared to results post-surgery.
I’ve also been able to chat with several people in my support group organized by Parkinson Alberta Society who have had the surgery. That’s been extremely helpful in answering a long list of questions I’ve had about the procedure and what to expect.
As other questions pop into my mind, I can call on them for answers, which they are more than willing to provide.
As I write this, it’s New Year’s Eve. Here’s to a healthy and happy 2013 for all of us. I’ll let you all know when I have a precise date for my surgery so we can focus prayers and positive thoughts that day on a successful outcome.
Until next time, take care.