DBS part 2
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...