and thank YOU, Bernie, for re-posting this loooong post, which has been seen
here in quite a number of days.- 4 I think. Just in case someone out there
just awoke from a coma since last night & did not see Bernie's re-post -
here it is yet again.  Keep up the good work , Bernie  !!!

[The problem with these long re-posts and useless Thank You messages is you
get no clue from the subject line, so you end up opening it.  I mean it IS
conceivable that even Berniie might be just forwarding back a key line and
adding an interesting, helpful or inquiring comment. Stranger things have
happened]

-----Original Message-----
From: bernard klainberg <[log in to unmask]>
To: Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Monday, December 14, 1998 12:55 AM
Subject: Re: Don Berns 5 yr Pallidotomy Rpt.


>thanks for the info
>
>----------
>From: Karen & Don Berns <[log in to unmask]>
>To: Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Don Berns 5 yr Pallidotomy Rpt.
>Date: Thursday, December 10, 1998 12:07 PM
>
>5 YEAR POST-Pallidotomy REPORT
>(Surgery date 12/1/93)
>By  Dr. Don Berns
> UPDRS  On      Off
>        3       11
>
>        After having suffered through the ravages of Parkinson's Disease
>for 12 1/2 years I was privileged to become Dr. Iacono's first simultaneous
>Pallidotomy patient.  NOW AT MY FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY I MUST SAY TO ALL THE
>NAYSAYERS WHO SAID THAT A Pallidotomy WOULD ONLY LAST A YEAR OR TWO AT THE
>MOST.
>        AT FIVE YEARS I AM STILL GOING STRONG AND CONSIDER THE results to
>be nothing short of MIRACULOUS.
>
>COLUMN CODES
>1.  SYMPTOM BEFORE SURGERY
>2.  6 mos. AFTER SURGERY
>3.  1 YR. POST-OPT
>4.  1 1/2 YR. POST- OPT
>5.  2 YR. POST-OPT
>6.  3 YR. POST-OPT
>7.  4 YR. POST-OPT
>8.  5 YR. POST-OPT
>
>SYMPTOM                                   COLUMNS
>                  1       2        3       4         6       7           8
>TREMOR        Severe    GONE     GONE     GONE     GONE     GONE
>GONE
>DYSKINESIA    Excessive GONE     GONE     GONE     GONE     GONE
>GONE
>SWEATING      Excessive GONE     GONE     GONE     GONE     GONE
>GONE
>SLEEP
>  DISTURBANCE Definite  GONE     GONE     GONE     GONE     GONE
>GONE
>
>EYELIDS       Slightly
>  During Sleep Open     Closed   Closed   Closed   Closed  Closed
>CLOSED
>SHUFFLE       Definite  GONE     GONE     GONE     GONE     GONE
>GONE
>GAIT FREEZE   Definite  GONE     GONE     GONE     GONE     GONE
>GONE
>SENSE SMELL   GONE      Back     Back     Back     Back     Back
>BACK
>ACHING
>   MUSCLES    Definite  NONE     NONE     NONE     Rarely   Rarely
>Rarely
>
>BACK PROBLEMS Definite  GONE     GONE     GONE     GONE     GONE
>GONE
>AKINESIA      Definite  GONE     GONE     GONE     GONE     GONE
>GONE
>BRADYKINESIA  Definite  GONE     GONE     Slight   Slight   Slight
>Slight
>SEXUAL STAYING
>    POWER     Lessened  Enhancd  Enhancd  Enhancd  Enhancd Enhancd
>Enhanced
>STRESS        Severely  No       No       No       No      No           No
>              Affected  Effect   Effect   Effect   Effect  Effect
>Effect
>
>DROOLING      NONE      Slight   Slight   Seldom   Seldom   Seldom
>Seldom
>URGENCY TO    URINATE   Yes      No       No       Slight   Slight
>Slight
>DYSTONIA      NONE      NONE     NONE     NONE     NONE     NONE
>None
>VOICE         Weak      Improved Improved Improved Varies   Varies
>Varies
>SPEECH        Affected  Improved Improved Improved Varies   Varies
>Varies
>
>SHORTNESS OF
>    BREATH    Affected  NONE     NONE     NONE     NONE     NONE
>None
>HANDWRITING   Very Bad  Normal   Normal   Normal   Normal   Normal
>Normal
>ON-OFF        Definite  GONE     GONE     GONE     GONE     GONE
>GONE
>APPETITE      Very Poor Normal   Normal   Normal   Normal   Normal
>Normal
>
>
>MEDICINE SCHEDULE
>                 1       2       3     4     5      6      7    8
>___________________________________________________________________
>Sinemet CR
>    50-200      3.5     3.5     3.5    4     4      4      5    5
>Sinemet 25-100   1
>Sinemet 10-100          .5      .5    .5    .5      2      1    6
>Eldepryl         2       1       1     1     0      0      0    0
>Amantadine       3       1       1     1     1      1      1    1
>Permax 5mg       4      1.5     1.5   1.5   1.5    1.5     2    2
>Zoloft 50 mg     1       1       1     1     1
>Paxil                                               1      1    1
>Hydergine        0       0       4     4     4      0      0    0
>
>VITAMINS etc.
>        In addition to the above meds I take the following on a daily
>basis: 800 I.U. of Vitamin E, 1000 mg of vitamin C, 750 mg of Chewable
>Calcium, and two Ginkoba tablets.       Since December 1995, I have been
>using magnetic therapy in the form of insoles for my shoes, chair pads, and
>sleeping on a magnetic sleep pad.  All of which I believe have benefited me
>in sleeping sounder and feeling more energized.
>
>OTHER PATIENT RESULTS
>Although I no longer go out to Loma Linda to work with Dr. Iacono since I
>have moved to Pittsburgh. Over the years I have seen literally hundreds of
>patients who have elected to have a unilateral Pallidotomy, a bilateral
>Pallidotomy or a combination Pallidotomy/Thalamotomy.
>        Conservatively 85% of these patients have a good result ranging
>from a C+ to an A+.  10-12% receive minimal help, but no harm is done, and
>3-5% have some sort of complication usually a result of bleeding.  NO ONE
>has died as the result of this surgery or attendant complications.  These
>results are based on a very broad patient selection pool.
>
>                FURTHER REFLECTIONS ON PALLIDOTOMY.
>        In further reflecting on my Pallidotomy I believe that after five
>years I can make the following statements:
>        The Pallidotomy intervened into my Parkinson's Disease and
>re-balanced the brain taking into account the dopamine and seratonin
>depletion that existed and given the medicine schedule I was on at the
>time.  This in a sense reset my Parkinson's Disease time clock back to
>zero.
>        I now have the luxury of taking a little more medicine when needed
>without facing those dreaded dyskinesias.  The greatest deficits I face are
>occasional drooling, getting sleepy mid-morning or mid-afternoon, some
>slurred speech when I am tired or low on medicine, and being slightly
>slowed down in the late evening.  There has been some deterioration in
>speech quality over the last year and a half.  You will notice from the
>chart above that I have increased my Sinemet intake which has presented no
>problems.  AT 4 1/2 YEARS I MADE A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN MY SINEMET FROM
>1200 TO 1600 mg/day of LEVADOPA WITH VERY GOOD RESULTS.
>        Concerning the stimulator implants, that may be a way to go if your
>surgeon has not had much experience or very good results with
>Pallidotomies.
>        I continue to feel my life was given back to me through the
>Pallidotomy and tend to view every day as a bonus day, a gracious gift from
>God.
>
>FOR MORE INFO SEE WEB SITES
>Website for Dr. Iacono and pallidotomies:
>www.pallidotomy.com    909-792-8188
>Website for Don Berns story:
>www.parkinsonalliance.net/medical/palberns.htm
>
>
>Dr. Don Berns
>110 Delano Dr.
>Pittsburgh, PA 15236
>412-650-6812
><[log in to unmask]>
>----------