Interview -- with Together for Sharon

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DBS part 2

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To understand why I chose to move forward with DBS--and why I chose to do it now--some background is needed. First, there is the concept of 'on' and 'off'.  In the world of Parkinson's, 'on' and 'off' refer to the effectiveness of medication at any point in time, in terms of how functional you are.  Generally speaking, if you can do the things you want and/or need to do, you are on (or your meds are on).  If you cannot, your meds are off, or you are in 'off time'. Second, there are many medications used to treat the symptoms of PD.  I say 'treat the symptoms' because they do just that.  The symptoms are caused by a lack of the neurotransmitter dopamine, and while much research is ongoing to find a way to slow the progression of the disease, the historically-common medications mostly work to preserve and protect the dopamine that is in the patient's system, and to add artifical dopamine to replace the dopamine that the brain should...
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DBS part 1

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DBS stands for deep brain stimulation. It is a well-established surgical treatment option for Parkinson's Disease.  For more details, see https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21088-deep-brain-stimulation My DBS journey began nearly a year ago, in the spring of 2024.  Prior to that I had heard about it, talked about it, and learned about it for a few years, but that is when I began to have serious discussions about it with my neurologist.  There are several steps to complete in order to determine if you are a good candidate for DBS.  Some of them can be completed just by looking at medical records--for example, determining how long it has been since diagnosis. Others require action, and we began to plan those action items in May 2024.  Among other things, I had to be tested for cognitive decline and get an MRI of my brain.  The final check was a series of standard PD tests--walk, stomp your feet, stand up from a chair, etc--without and then ...
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DBS part 3

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Several people have asked if DBS is a cure for Parkinson's (it is not) or if it will freeze the progression (it will not).  DBS is a treatment, akin to medication.  Each treats symptoms of the disease, but not the disease itself.  Neither can slow the progression of PD.  Medications are a pharmaceutical treatment, and DBS is a surgical treatment. An analogy that might help understand what DBS will do for most patients who undergo the procedure is a house which has a leaky pipe in the basement.  For my purposes here, the basement is the brain, the leaky pipe is PD, and flooding in the basement represents symptoms of the disease--typically reduced functionality (slow movement, tremor, freezing etc., but the symptoms vary from person to person). In the beginning the leak is small, and it goes unnoticed.  You have PD, but there are no noticeable symptoms, and it remains undiagnosed.  Over time the leak grows larger--PD progresses--until the water accumula...
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