I am a 52 year old father of 3 (married) who has been dealing with PD for about 11 years. I would love to hear from anyone who has undergone the dBS surgery. especially someone with young onset.
First let me apologize for my absence and for the slow response but I too just had DBS. Four surgeries in the last year beginning in Feb 07 and the last on Nov 07. I should probably explain - you see, my Doctors (Dr. Michael Okun, Med Dir with the Natl. Park. Fdn.) and (Dr. Kelly Foote, Neurosurgeon) believe in a progressive approach to DBS. In other words, "the brain doesn't like too much, too soon." I had an implant on the right side, went home to recover for 30 days and then had the programmer implanted and turned on, hence (2 implants and 2 programmers = 4 surgical procedures). The result has been phenominal. I've cut my medication in half (sinemet 25/100 3x a day and 1 amantadine 2x a day). My tremors are non-existent, I sleep much better and I am able to do things like button a shirt, tie shoes again. I have control of my life back. Of course, every once in a while, I will get a tremor or two but that is so infrequently. DBS has been a godsend and blessing for me but it isn't for everybody and the results vary. If you think you'd like DBS talk to your doctor. Please email me or post more on your experiences with DBS so we can all learn. Thanks.
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