Deep brain stimulation diary: Moving on
Kathy was
diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2001. In
February 2010 she underwent deep brain
stimulation (DBS), a form of surgery which can treat some of
the symptoms of Parkinson's.
Here, Kathy talks about life following the surgery, and
shares her personal experiences in an online diary.
Previous - Deep brain stimulation diary:
3 tremor-free days
27 July 2010
I have now had my small operation to reposition the control box
in my stomach and hopefully make the wires more comfortable than
before. At the moment I am still quite sore and bruised so it
is difficult to tell if it has worked or not.
I have now been retuned and my voltage increased to 2.7 on my
left side. My tremor is once again further improved and I cannot
believe it can get better than this. If I take my meds at the
right times the tremor is only very slight and quite often not even
visible to others.
The downside is that my walking and balance are worse but for me
it is a small price to pay for reducing the tremor so much.
I'm still hoping that I might hold my soon-to-be-born grandson
without shaking him to bits - I can’t wait for that day to
come.
Downsizing
Things are pretty hectic in our household at the moment as we
have taken the decision to move from our lovely bungalow to a
retirement flat in town.
What with my problems and Doug’s heart attack last year, from
which he has not yet fully recovered, we know this is the right
decision to take - and now is the right time to do it.
We were very lucky to sell our bungalow one day after going on
the market - and we are now in the process of buying a 2 bedroom
retirement flat in the town of Herne Bay.
Moving house will give me back some independence.
It's warden assisted - and we will both feel more comfortable
knowing help is at hand if needed.
It will also give me back a bit more independence as I will be
able to take a slow walk to the beach, park, local gardens and
shops without having to rely on Doug all the time for transport as
I do now.
So - lots of sorting out to do. Downsizing is what it is called
these days I believe. There is much to get rid of and time is
passing by so quickly - I hope we will be ready when the time comes
to move.
Gardens and gliding
Our Parkinson's UK branch in
Canterbury held their annual Garden Gathering in the Dean's
Garden in the precincts of Canterbury Cathedral 2 weeks ago and it
was once again a great success and beautiful weather. The Dean
is our branch president and opens his garden for us each year.
In early August some of our branch members are taking advantage
of the opportunity to go gliding with our local gliding club. I
have been for the last 2 years and it is an amazing experience
being up in the clouds with no engine noise.
The gliders are either towed up by another plane or have a winch
launch - a bit like a catapult. There's only a limited number of
places so I've stepped aside this time to allow someone else to
have this wonderful opportunity.
Now, I am off to King's College Hospital to see how things have
gone following my operation and to check my voltage again.
Your comments
Kathy I am so glad things are going well for you. I have
had Parkinson's now for 10 years and I feel I will be going
down that road shortly. I hope things will continue to
improve.
Lucy, Ireland
48, had Parkinson's since I was 31. Had the dbs op 2 years ago.
Before the op, I was taking 48 madopar 125 tablets a day. Since the
dbs op the doctor cut me down to 5 madopar 62.5 after 6
months.
John, Southport
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