Hi Leo,
Not true, the king of Belgium has not PD, only just one essentiale tremor.
Thank you for you response.
Greetings, Kris

-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: Leo Fuhr <[log in to unmask]>
Aan: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Datum: zaterdag 9 oktober 1999 0:59
Onderwerp: Re: Re.Introduction+DBS-STN


>Welcome Kris and Marcel and thank you for telling the remarkable story of
>Marcel's surgeries to improve his pd symptoms.  You certainly will have
>much to share with the list re:volunteering with PD patients.  I look
>forward to hearing more from you.  A student from Belgium stayed with our
>family when performing in our town as part of the group, Up With People.
>She told me that the king of Belgium has PD.
>
>Jeanette Fuhr 49-age now/47-age diagnosed/44?age symptoms started
>
>Kris Van Bogaert said in part:
>From: Kris Van Bogaert <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Thursday, October 07, 1999 4:03 PM
>
>For some months now I have been following your postings and I thought it's
>about time to introduce myself.
>My name is Kris, I live in Belgium together with my husband Marcel, who was
>confronted with Parkinson's disease at the age of 27.  .......  20 years
>after the onset, Marcel was totally dependent on others for his routine
>daily activities.  Quality of life had decreased to the lowest point
>possible. In march 1996 our life changed, he received his first DBS,
>unilateral right sided pallidal stimulation with initially a great success
>with great improvement of most of the symptoms and dyskinesias.   Several
>months later, however, severe dyskinesias developed on the left side and in
>mutual unnderstanding with our neurologist Dr. Chris van der Linden, we
>decided and go ahead with a second pallidal stimulation, however, without
>much success. He continued with side effects and the medication did not
>work
>sufficiently.  Meanwhile, the team in Ghent decided to switch to the STN
>target in the summer of 1997.  As a volunteer working for the Young
>Parkinson patient support group I saw PD patients on a weekly basis.  Most
>of my job consists of supporting patients before, during and after surgery.
>I am present in the operating room to help patients make them feel more
>comfortable.   The results were really astonishing, so my husband could
>choose to have an operation for the third time.  Three times, last time?
>Absolutely, on june 6 1998, Marcel got his bilateral STN and life has
>changed ever since than. He is totally releaved from all his symptoms and
>side effects. Medication is reduced to one third of the pre-op medication.
>Before surgery he was taken 23 pills a day!!!!
>We live again like we lived before the Parkinson struck us: bicycling,
>walking, working in the yard, making trips, visit restaurants and our
>social
>life is flourishing.  I would recommend this surgery for everyone, if you
>are a good candidate, don't even have any doubts about it.  De surgery is
>reversible, which is very important for new future treatments.
>I respect anybodies opinion, but the criticising Dr. Chris van der Linden
>is
>not fair. He is a very good physician, very alert, not dogmatic, always
>open
>for new ideas and concerned about his patients.  He is always available if
>you need him and last but not least his knowledge and experience with
>respect to Parkinson's disease and treatment, including off course DBS,  is
>very wide.  He has been able to select the best candidates for the surgery
>and therefore, I believe, excellent results.
>
>Next time, I would like to inform you about my volunteer work as a patient
>coordinator of the Parkinson support group in Belgium.
>
>Warmest regards to all of you.
>
>Kris and Marcel
>