Parkinson’s Disease and Deep Brain Stimulation

We’ll start off by letting everyone know exactly how Parkinson’s disease affects the brain and body and thus how Deep Brain Stimulation (also known as DBS, not to be confused with VBS) surgery will help to correct these deficiencies.  I’ll try to make this as simplified as possible (we all know that nobody benefits from using unnecessary medical terms when you can just speak plain and simple English!).  So, here goes.

 In the human brain, we have nerve cells called neurons located in the substantia nigra (sorry, I had to use that one!).  When these cells die or become impaired, Parkinson’s disease occurs.  What these cells are supposed to do is produce a vital chemical called dopamine.  When dopamine is being produced in correct amounts, it controls smooth and coordinated function of our body’s muscles and movement.  However, with Parkinson’s disease, these cells produce less and less dopamine and this is how the progression of Parkinson’s disease occurs.  The less dopamine being produced in the brain, the more symptoms of Parkinson’s appear—tremor (shaking), slowness of movement, rigidity (stiffness), difficulty with balance, stiff facial expression, shuffling walk, muffled speech, etc. 

The direct cause of Parkinson’s is still unknown and there is no known cure of the disease either.  Over 1.5 million Americans suffer from this disease and about 60,000 more are diagnosed each year in the US alone.   Until recently, the only treatment for Parkinson’s disease was medications that either replace the dopamine loss or mimic the affect of dopamine.  These medications are not a cure for the disease, but simply alleviate some of the symptoms.  Typically, doctors will try and stay away from surgery as long as the medication is effective.  However, as the production of dopamine becomes less and less in the brain, the medication becomes less and less effective no matter how much the dosage of medication is increased.  When a patient reaches this stage, doctors begin to look at the patient as a candidate for DBS. 

 DBS is a procedure in which stimulators are inserted into the affected areas of the brain to “remind” the cells that have stopped producing dopamine to get back to work.  It’s kind of like the wake-up call that we all need once in a while to stay on track.  In this procedure, doctors insert a device into the chest much like a pacemaker for a heart.  This device is connected to wires that travel under the surface of the skin into the brain.  These wires are directly inserted into the area of the brain where the neurons have stopped working.  The device electronically sends “reminders” through the wires to the affected areas.  Thus, the cells begin to produce dopamine again all on their own.  This procedure is still not a cure but will simply reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s significantly.  There is an 80% success rate—success meaning the patient notices a significant difference before the surgery and after, with most patients being able to function almost completely normally taking at least half the dosage of medication prior to the procedure!  With such drastic results, you can see why this procedure is worth “taking the chance,” so to say.  There are only about 10-20% of Parkinson’s patients who are eligible for surgical treatments and every DBS patient goes through extensive testing and preparation to see if they qualify as a good candidate for this procedure.  We’re trusting that because Cheryl has been so highly recommended for this procedure by so many doctors and health professionals, God is opening the door for her to give it a shot.  Cheryl is walking into this operation with realistic expectations, knowing that the only guarantee she has is in knowing that God is in control of all things and He is her Hope beyond any doctor or procedure.   She continues to say with the psalmist:

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken…Find rest, O my soul, in God alone. –Psalm 62

With her confidence placed in Him, she will go in for surgery on November 5 at UCLA.  Please continue to pray for her as she prepares for this operation.  Pray for a continual trust in the Lord and an unshakeable hope in Him and his promises that far exceed the things of this world.  Thank you to all of you who have already blessed her in such rich ways.  Today, I found her crying not because of fear or anxiety, but because of how overwhelmed she was because of the support of her family and friends.  Thank you so much! 

 

Continuing to trust HIM,

Cheryl’s family