THE 411

BY THE TIME A PERSON IS DIAGNOSED WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE, THEY'VE ALREADY LOST UP TO 80 PERCENT OF A CRUCIAL BRAIN STRUCTURE. The substantia nigra is a brain structure located in the mesencephalon (midbrain) that plays an important role in reward, addiction, and movement,WIKIPEDIA STATES.

ACCORDING TO MEDTRONICSDBS.COM, WHICH I ASSUME MAKES EQUIPMENT USED FOR DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION SURGERIES:

Why Consider DBS Therapy Now?

The medicines used to treat Parkinson's disease are normally very effective for treating symptoms at first. Over time, many people find that these medicines do not work as well as they used to. When this happens, their doctors make changes to their therapy. At the time medicines stop working as well, one option is DBS Therapy.

How DBS Helps

DBS Therapy for Parkinson's has been approved by the FDA to treat shaking, stiffness, or difficulty moving. DBS Therapy has helped people continue working, care for their families, return to favorite activities, and experience the joy of doing the simplest things in life again.

The Right Time for DBS

The symptoms of Parkinson's get worse over time. During the course of the disease, there is a period when DBS Therapy can do the most good to help control your symptoms. The right time for DBS is when your body stops responding to medication as well as it used to, but before your medicine stops working completely. If you wait too long, DBS Therapy will not be an option.

THAT'S STRIKE TWO IN MY WIFE'S ARGUMENT ABOUT HAVING DBS. STRIKE ONE IS EVEN SIMPLE SURGERIES.

So don't think of DBS as something for later, but as something to explore now.

Signs Levodopa Is Losing Effectiveness

You are probably taking levodopa to control your movement symptoms. Brand names include Parcopa, Sinemet, and Stalevo.

After 2 to 5 years, many people find that levodopa is becoming less effective at controlling their symptoms. Signs to watch for include:

• More hours a day with symptoms.
• Longer waits for relief to kick in after taking a dose.
• Wearing off of the medication between doses.
• Needing to take it more often, including at night.
• Drug-induced side effects like uncontrolled movements.

DBS OR THE dB's?

IT'S A NO-BRAINER, REALLY.

ACTUALLY, IT'S AN ALL-BRAINER FOR A TINY SLIVER OF THE POPULATION.

THE QUESTION: WOULD YOU RATHER LISTEN TO AN OLD BAND CALLED THE dBs OR HAVE DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION SURGERY TO RELIEVE PARKINSON'S DISEASE SYMPTOMS?

DBS OR dBs?

DUH. CRANK UP THAT OLD CASSETTE PLAYER AND I'LL PLAY SOME JANGLY TUNES FROM THE GROUP WHOSE NAME IS BASED ON "STANDS FOR DeciBels."

OR I CAN HAVE A NEUROSURGEON CRANK UP WHAT I CAN ONLY IMAGINE IS A LOUD SAW - OR WHATEVER THEY USE TO LITERALLY GET INTO THE TOP OF MY HEAD - TO PERFORM DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION SURGERY.

THERE'S SKULL THEY HAVE TO GET THROUGH TO REACH THE PART OF THE BRAIN THEY NEED TO WORK ON. CAN'T IMAGINE THAT'S THE EASIEST THING TO GET INTO.

NOW THE BEST PART: I AM WIDE AWAKE DURING THIS PROCEDURE, AS THERE AREN'T ANY NERVE ENDINGS UP THERE, HENCE I CAN'T FEEL A THING.

SURE.

BUT I CAN IMAGINE I FEEL STUFF AS THEY DIG AROUND UP THERE LIKE A TODDLER REACHING INSIDE HIS TOY BIN TO GRAB A FEW BRIGHTLY-COLORED BLOCKS.

TO BE HONEST, I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT DBS WILL DO FOR ME, SO I WILL THROW SOME STUFF FROM THE INTERNET AT YOU IN THE NEXT COLUMN.

BUT FIRST A BIT OF BACKGROUND. ON DEC, 8, IT WAS MY 11th YEAR SINCE BEING DIAGNOSED WITH EARLY-ONSET PARKINSON'S DISEASE. (YOU CAN FIND OUT ABOUT "MY STORY" AT THE BOTTOM OF www.pdproject2020.blogspot.com).

I WAS 38 WHEN DIAGNOSED, AFTER A FEW SCARY MONTHS OF MEDICAL TESTS AND MY NEUROLOGIST UNABLE TO PINPOINT WHAT WAS GOING ON.

NOW, 11 YEARS LATER, I SPEND SOME OF THE DAY IN A WHEELCHAIR. I HAVE FALLEN TOO MUCH IN THE LAST TWO YEARS NOT TO DO THIS.

OUR NEIGHBOR'S FATHER HAD PARKINSON'S AS WELL. WHEN I SAW GARY AND HIS WIFE AT ROBERT TINO'S FALL FESTIVAL A FEW MONTHS AGO, I TOLD THEM I WAS READY TO HAVE THE SURGERY, BASICALLY BECAUSE I WANT SOME SEMBLANCE OF QUALITY OF LIFE BACK.

GARY SAID HIS DAD HAD THE SURGERY IN 1965 - AND WHEN SURGEONS FROZE PART OF HIS BRAIN, HIS DAD'S TREMORS IMMEDIATELY CEASED AND THAT THE SURGERY HELPED HIM.

MY WIFE ANGIE IS IN THE MEDICAL FIELD - SHE KNOWS EVEN SIMPLE SURGERIES KILL. WE SAW A DOCTOR AT VANDERBILT A FEW MONTHS AGO AND HE TOLD US WE SHOULD CONSIDER THE SURGERY NOW.

I AM PRETTY SURE ANGIE HAS ALWAYS LOOKED AT DBS AS A "LAST RESORT," WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT THE VANDY DOC TOLD US NOT TO DO.

HE WANTS ME TO HAVE THE SURGERY ASAP, SO I CAN SLOW DOWN THE SYMPTOMS AND BETTER ENJOY LIFE - WHILE I CAN.

THAT'S BECOME MY VOTE, TOO, AFTER GOING THROUGH WHAT I HAVE THE PAST 24 MONTHS. TO ME, THE CIRCLES OF PARKINSON'S ARE MOVING FROM ONE AREA TO ANOTHER, CONSTANTLY SEARCHING FOR A PIECE OF FURNITURE, A PILE OF PILLOWS, A COUNTERTOP TO LEAN AGAINST, ALL IN THE SEARCH OF COMFORT.

IT'S NOT POSSIBLE FOR ME TO FIND IT - IF I HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE MENTAL DISTRESS OF THE WAIT FOR THE SURGERY, THEN I WILL.