Patient A's experience of deep brain stimulation
Patient A tells us about their experience of deep brain stimulation, a form of surgery for
Parkinson's.
The person's name has been withheld to protect
confidentiality.
First operation
"I was asked to take part in a
large-scale trial of deep brain stimulation. The first operation
took 7 hours and I was fully conscious throughout.
"Firstly, they clamped my head so it could not move. I didn't
realise how frightening this would be, and the effect of tightening
up the bolts to hold the metal work in place echoed through my
ears.
"They then gave me an MRI scan and took me to the theatre. They
shaved part of my head and drilled 2 holes in my skull.
"The drill kept going until there was no resistance and then it
automatically stopped (so the brain is not damaged). It took
about 30 seconds to drill through my skull.
"Then they implanted an electrode on either side of my
brain.
"Finding the right place to insert it takes between 10 minutes
and an hour.
"While this was going on I was being continually asked my name
and address and asked to make various movements with my hands,
presumably to show that I was still compos mentis.
"After this, the electrode was positioned and clicked into
place.
"The second side took a lot longer and I was beginning to get
distressed. I was sweating, my back was aching and my legs felt
very stiff.
"They finally found the right spot, closed up the holes,
released the head vice and sent me back to the ward.
"Overnight, I was monitored at 4-hourly intervals to check my
blood pressure and sugar levels.
"A nurse put support stockings on me to avoid thrombosis
developing.
"As morning came, I felt much better and managed to struggle to
the toilet on my own.
"The next day I dressed myself and went for a walk with my
family in the local park in the afternoon.
Battery implanted
"2 days later I was put under a general anaesthetic so that they
could implant a very expensive battery in my chest – I am told it
costs £10,000.
"These are linked to the electrodes by leads. This operation
only took 40 minutes. I left hospital 3 days later.
"After the operation I had to go back to hospital for
adjustments, which are done by computer, using a stimulator placed
over the battery in my chest.
"It can take up to 6 months before the settings are adjusted to
the right level."
Update
Patient A has had a very successful operation, enjoys an
improved quality of life, has much less dyskinesia (unwanted
involuntary movements) and is currently taking less medication.
More surgery stories
You can read more on surgery for Parkinson's in our Surgery and Parkinson's booklet
The main forms of surgery for Parkinson's
Return to the surgical treatments of
Parkinson's main page
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