Sandy,
I have had PD for 17 years. I haven't had DBS and have no idea if it
could help the pain. Your sister needs to go to a movement disorder
specialist if she is not already.
I had the same procedure for a herniated disc which also didn't help me
because I really needed a back fusion. The neurosurgeon suggested that as
the preferred option, but I tried to get away with doing the other and it
didn't work. The recovery takes about a year after the fusion, but my back
pain is completely gone! I think the disk problem resulted from my poor
gait, but don't put everything off as a pd symptom. She should see a
neurosurgeon and get a second opinion.
Good luck,
nina
-----Original Message-----
From: Parkinson's Information Exchange Network
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Sandy Fliegelman
Sent: Monday, September 08, 2003 2:32 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: New subscriber with question about DBS
Hi, my name is Sandy. I am a new subscriber to this listserv and I have
a sister, Pat, who has had Parkinson's for over 20 years now, since she
was in her early 30s. She recently had a laminectamy to treat severe
sciatica that was the apparent result of one or more herniated discs in
her lower back. It's been several weeks since the surgery, she is in a
rehab center, and she is still having severe pain in her back with the
pain just recently (in the last 3-4 days) recurring in her affected
leg. She is in so much pain right now that they are giving her what
they say is the maximum amount of painkiller and she still can't fathom
sitting up or getting out of bed. (She was walking a bit just last
week.) I did some research on the Internet over the weekend and found
several articles that indicated that pain can be caused by Parkinson's
itself but that the mechanism by which it occurs are somewhat
mysterious. The articles also seem to indicate that the brain's
interpretation of pain signals may also be altered. The research into
pain led me into several articles on Deep Brain Stimulation. Some of
these articles indicate that DBS can help with the pain in addition to
restoring a great deal of lost functionality. My questions are as
follows: 1) Does anyone have knowledge or experience of DBS and it's
effects on pain, and 2) Can anyone give me advice as to how to find a
good Doctor and/or hospital to perform this procedure? (My sister and I
live near the city of Chicago in the state of Illinois in the USA).
Thank you,
Sandy
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