Thursday 18 April 2013

Programmed and ready to go!

I'm not going to tell you everything is perfect-- it's not.
On Monday, I had my DBS system programmed and turned on at the Foothills Hospital's Movement Disorders Clinic
The results of my recent Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery are a significant improvement over my previous state.  I've tossed my cane aside and I'm walking more normally than I have for years. I feel fluid and loose, more confident of my step. My arms swing freely now and I don't shuffle. I have more on and less off periods with my meds. Tremors have disappeared almost completely on my left side. I have less dyskinesia, those jerky movements brought on by meds. I feel stronger and I'm sleeping better.
  My head is still bobbing, but a lot less than it had in the past.  We still have some tinkering with the neurotransmitter settings and medications to address that concern at future follow-up sessions..
At the clinic, I felt like breaking into a run once I was properly programmed.
It was sort of like getting a new bike when I was a kid.  I just wanted to go on and on when I started to walk.
Vicki looked on, texting what was happening to family and friends.  She says she can't remember when she last saw me walk with a somewhat normal gait.  Perhaps it was sometime prior to my hip replacement and PD diagnosis shortly after in 2005. Limping is just normal to me.
I'm grateful for the surgery, which should slow the progression of my PD down and allow Vicki and me to travel more over the next few years. My golf game might even improve. When I consider how fortunate I am to have had access to the procedure and the expertise to deliver it safely here in Calgary, I consider myself truly blessed.
A large thank you to all of the staff at the Foothills Hospital -- surgeons, neurologists, nurses, technicians and clerks -- and everybody in the Movement Disorders Clinic who made this work for me.
I'll keep you updated through this next month of adjustments and changes.
Next week, it's back to Deep Water Exercise Class and longer walks with our dog, O'Grady. Spring can't come soon enough for me, especially this year.












1 comment:

  1. Congrats Dave, i have been waiting to hear how it went and i am glad that you have had such great success. Ken from Early Onset Group

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