Answered a question 1/15/2010 at 2:25 pm
She had tremors in her head, mouth and hands. She also had a voice tremor and some internal shakiness. Medication only improved the tremors a modest amount, so she was a good candidate for the surgery.
...Read MoreShe had tremors in her head, mouth and hands. She also had a voice tremor and some internal shakiness. Medication only improved the tremors a modest amount, so she was a good candidate for the surgery.
The surgery was about 7 1/2 hours long. She was only under anesthesia for the first hour or so. She had to be awake the remaining 6 1/2 hours to follow the doctors' instructions (to determine the probe placement). After the surgery, her only complaint was about her back - she had to lay still, flat on her back, for the entire 7 1/2 hours, which gave her a backache.
About 3 weeks after the probes were implanted in her brain, she had to have a second surgery to implant the wires and battery. That wasn't a big deal; it was done as an outpatient and required minimal recovery time. The battery sits in her abdomen, about belly-button height, but most patients have it implanted near the collarbone.
With DBS, she now has about 80% tremor control. She still takes medication, but the dosage is less than half what it was. However, she now has a little difficulty with balance, which didn't exist prior to the surgery. I guess when they dig around in your brain, they can't always get it perfect. Overall, everyone is extremely pleased with the result and she is glad she had the surgery.
The process doesn't end with surgery. The stimulator must be programmed and tweaked occassionally until the brain heals completely, which takes about 4-6 months. Programming is simple to do. You have a device that looks like a TV remote control with buttons for up and down. You just place the controller against your skin near the battery and push the up/down buttons to adjust the stimulation. I have to tell you that the grandkids had great fun cranking the stimulation up on grandma to see what they could make her body do! (No, it doesn't hurt)
The surgery was a little over two years ago, and looking back on it, I can see that it had an enormous positive impact on her quality of life. She was nearly 80 years old when the surgery was performed, so although it was an arduous process, she came through it without a hitch.