DBS? Courage. A second chance to live

DBS is on my mind. I am slowly inching towards the deep brain stimulation. Everyone I speak with has encouraging words.  I MAY BE SCARED. I MAY HAVE ANXIETY. It's freakin' brain surgery. Who wouldn't have anxiety or be afraid? I have anxiety getting my teeth cleaned in the dentist office.

This is MY CHANCE TO LIVE AGAIN. I want to explore places and experience things I have been thinking about since Parkinson's put my life on hold.  I know DBS is not a cure and does not slow down progression. I'm still hoping for a cure, and reversal of damage, a repair of dopamine receptors and transmitters and I don't want to sit in a pool of my own urine waiting for my demise.  This sure seems like a lifeline and I'm ready to live, again.

It's funny the things that go on in the brain, recently I met up with a red tail hawk and had a sudden boost in courage. Is the hawk my spirit animal? Maybe. Did I have the courage all along and was my brain filled with so much noise I couldn't see the path,  not to mention the goal. Maybe.

For now I'll give the hawk credit for showing me the path and giving me courage to follow the path to my chance to live again. I also want to thank those of you who i met in support groups for sharing your own experiences.

More of my thoughts and apprehension on DBS as I meet with doctors and counselors. 

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DBS? Scared out of my mind

 I'm almost 10 years since my diagnosis with Parkinson's Disease.  At first Sinemet was the magic fix. One tablet 25/100 brought me back. Then mixing, matching, optimizing meds for the next 10+ years, like playing a carnival game. Where's the neuron. Transmitter or Receptor? Guess the med, win a prize.

Failed doses and off times are my norm. My "on times" are rare and brief. Stiffness, slowness, freezing all the time. Quality of life sucks. This illness and I destroyed my spouse, which hurts me most.

DBS. Deep Brain Stimulation.   Is this the final solution? Freakin' drill holes in my skull and poke some leads into my brain. Twice. Then a third surgery for batteries. Flip switch and, who knows. Surgeries every few years for new batteries. Praying to die instead of this modern twist on a medieval technique. Sure it's been fine tuned with super high resolution cameras and imaging but it's still probing around and see how the patient responds. It's brain surgery, folks.  Does DBS even help stiffness and slowness or just the shaking?  And what about personality changes.  Before PD ravaged me, I had a pretty good personality, liked by many (I would like to think) and very quick with humor.  I'm taking a ton of pills now, will that change? Less or more?  What is long term expectations with DBS. It doesn't stop PD progression, will it slow down?  

I'm the first to admit that I live in a fantasy world. Where is the nano virus that destroys what is killing my dopamine transmitters and receptors, fix everyone affected by PD. Where are the stem cells that regrow damaged and destroyed areas of the brain, and gut. Something. We have such high tech, the Parkinson's meds all revolved around Sinemet in one form or another.  

It's almost high noon, time for a radical breakthrough solution or face the reaper. I'm just about out of time. Science I believe in you! Don't disappoint. You must think outside the box. 

So scared. Wolves are circling.  Save me. Not much time left. 

I NEED A MIRACLE! Save my loving spouse. Please.

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PD Treatment

Parkinson's Disease can't be cured, but medications can help with the symptoms. In some cases, Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery may be suggested. Your doctor will probably also recommend lifestyle changes, especially exercise.

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]You may find run into some scams online that claim cures. The cure may involve going to another country for the cure. It may be about people taking a bunch of vitamins and herbs for the cure. There is no cure for Parkinson’s disease. People don't die from having PD, but you can die from PD complications such as choking, falling, infections, and skin cancer. 

The gold standard is carbidopa levodopa which takes various forms, time released pills, pumps, injections. There are also other meds that work with carbidopa levodopa. It's all a balancing act that you and your movement specialist will continue to adjust over time.  Don't let someone else's treatment affect your own decisions because everyone is different.

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