Surgery

It is amazing to me that it has been 16 years ago that I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. It has been slow in moving, and able to be treated with medication. However, this past 6 – 9 months or so have been quite different. My gait and balance have been getting worse. It had gotten to the point that 2 months ago I bought a cane and a walker. There were days when I was not able to walk. Often at night I would be on my hands and knees to get from the bed to the bathroom. One unique thing is that oftentimes I could walk backwards, but not forwards!

In January, my neurologist suggested deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. It is surgery of the brain without any general anesthetic! This is a requirement in order to determine where exactly the correct spot in the brain is to connect with. I have some links to the procedure, if you so inclined.

http://www.nwhospital.org/services/neuro_video.asp

http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/video/255-deep_brain_stimulation.html

The surgery is done in two stages; first they put the electrodes into the brain, and 2 weeks later they put the electronics under the skins, much like a pacemaker. I finally got the dates for my surgery today; the first procedure will be Sept 9th, and the follow-up surgery on Sept 23rd. This will be done in Charleston, SC at MUSC (Medical University of South Carolina) University
Hospital.

Normally, by this time I would have sent out my support letter for my mission trip to Kenya. However, with this surgery pending (since January), I could not schedule that trip without knowing when the surgery would be. Also, I don’t think that I could have made the trip from a health perspective. It would have required a lot of walking, and doing a lot of construction. Thanks so much for your support, financially and in prayer for the past several years. I hope that you will pray for me as we get ready to do the procedure, and for the surgeon and his team, and for healing afterwards.