I am 70 years old and was diagnosed in 2002 with symptoms being lack of flexibility in writing, walking. Have done very well with Sinemet until about 2 years ago. At present I take a total of 10 Sinemet 25/100 (one at a time), 2 time release Sinemet 50/100 (one at a time), and wear the Nupro patch (cut in half) daily.
I walk as much as I can and eat very healthy, but I spend a good part of my day sitting, as my symptoms have become worse.
It has taken me 8 months to complete all the requirements for DBS surgery (psychological assessments, MRI, and then waiting for a surgery date). I am scheduled for December 15th! If anyone is interested, I would be happy to post my journey through the surgery. To say I am excited is to put it mildly!!!
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annmariebaird
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Good for you! I would love to hear about your journey. The 15th is coming up soon. I just talked to someone Friday about his surgery and he was very glad he did it. It took a little while to get things adjusted just right, but he was so pleased that he can now drive again. Good luck!
It has been nearly two years since my surgery, and I am so thankful that I made the decision to undergo DBS. Before my surgery, I could only walk in the parks and was always groggy and tired. After - last week I rode my bicycle on the Hiawatha Railroad Trail (14 miles) and the Coeurd'Alene Trail (14 miles) in northern Idaho. Understand that each person's response to the surgery depends on many things. I am very driven to exercise each day and eat organic and non-processed food. I am very careful in where I place my feet even walking just around the house. It also depends on where you are with the progression of the disease. Everyone's Parkinsons is different. I hope this helps. Take good care.
I am interested in the psychological evaluation you had and what it took to qualify for the DBS. My PWP (aged 74 and pretty healthy) took some evaluations and he has very minor short term memory issues and visual identification issues(when he looks for something sometimes he can't see it). We will retake the tests in a year to see if there is any progression.
We are fortunate that his dose of Sinemet is low and working well for us, but I prefer to keep up on options as we never know when it might be needed.
These issues are well documented with some PWP according to the psychiatrist that gave us the tests and evaluation. Do you have any of these minor issues?
Best of luck to you. Please keep us abreast of the your preparation, surgery and recovery. It is great you have avenues available to you to improve your life with Parkinson's.
The psychological evaluation is probably tailored to each individual. For example,, I live alone, so they were looking to see if I could handle the responsibility of assessing the need for adjusting the regulator.
I do not have any the memory issues you mentioned.
I can't stress enough to folks with Parkinsons and their care givers is to focus intently on what makes their body "tick". So important to know what impact every single pill of every medication they are prescribed has on their body. Just because a medication is prescribed by a doctor does not mean that my body will accept it. This also goes for the food that is consumed. For Parkinsons patients, protein consumption should be watched for its effect on their medication. I have had to go to a vegan diet (which I hope to vary after DBS) because animal protein interfered with my meds.
You don't get to choose the diseases that attack your body, but you do get to choose how you fight it!
A slight tremor. If you are asking if DBS is for those with rolling tremors, I have a friend with major rolling tremors that is having the surgery 3 days before me.
I had mine done 3 years ago and wish I could have had it sooner. It was delayed due to my tendency for the nocebo effect.... the inverse of the placebo effect.
I had it at Oregon Health Science University in Portland with Dr Burchiel under full anaesthesia. It was a breeze as was my recovery. The electrodes were placed in the globus pallidus internus instead of the subthalamic nucleus, the most common placement.
I have the less common type of PD, non tremor PIGD. Do you have tremors?
My husband has PD and is 75 this mo. I will be very interested in your journey thru DBS. It has been talked about in our support group and I know of one lady in the group who did well with it. Very Very Good luck o you.. That's a lot of Sinemet to take. my hubby only takes 1 or 2 generic and an agonist, Pramipexole. He gets sleepy a lot in the eve and is having trouble getting up from chairs but walks ok. Both of us have balance issues so use a cane when walking the dog. A knee will give out on me for no reason. Just Fibromyalgia which has no rhyme nor reason. So...we both stumble along. I have to say that due to my condition .i have a lot of fear about the future which I feel cowardly about and ashamed when I get frustrated about things. He fell in the shower and doesn't know why. It wasn't a slip and he landed awkwardly but was glad our strong son was home and was able to pick him up. No damage was done. I couldn't have done it. I would sure like to be in a caregiver group because I think I'll be afraid. So far he has been helping me more than visa versa. Good wishes and prayers for you, M.A.
I would love to hear about your journey. I am 61 and was diagnosed at 44yrs. Had PD 17yrs. My specialist thinks I would be a good candidate for DBS so will keep track on your journey
I will pray for your OP to be a success in every way.
That is sooo awesome! I will note it on my calendar. You must post after surgery when you can.
I am doing very well. This week has been a challenge because now that my brain is healing, I now begin the challenge of how to reduce my meds/raise my voltage. My life is so amazing post surgery.
Your gift from me is my favorite inspirational music. I played this all the way to the hospital the morning of surgery and even at the hospital. This is now my ring tone on my cell - to remind me of how far I have come. Play it loud and proud!!
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