At 04:41 AM 2/17/97 -0500, you wrote:
>Hello again from Maine!
>
> Are any courageous PWP's, or their caregivers, willing to share
>their stories of your pallidotomies that have NOT succeeded---where you
>are WORSE than you were before surgery?? Or have MISERABLE
>side-effects???
Ivan,
One member of our support group had an attempted pallidotomy [not ot Johns
Hopkins] and it was a disaster. The anesthesiologist was all for totally
knocking him out. The resident neurosuurgeon sent in to allay fears about
the anesthesiologist turned out to be a first year resident in famly
practice just filling in. She told him he did not have PD because he didn't
shake and asked what he was doing in the hospital. The preop blood work-up
got lost. The surgeon was not American, and there was a communication
problem. On the operating table he went into cardiac arrest before the
surgeon got past the cerebellum. THERE WAS NO PRACTICE SESSION BEFORE THE
ATEMPTED PALLIDOTOMY. THERRRE WAS NO TEAM IN PLACE! The patient survived
the craniotomy but wanted no more of it. He is in a nursing home now & in
very bad shape.
Another support group member (from Delaware) went in for the pallidotomy. He
hemorraged and the operation was stopped. They tried again in 6 weeks,
stopped because previous bleeding not healed. Third time was the trick. He
is better but not 100%.
And here's to long "ons" and short "offs"
WILL JOHNSTON 4049 OAKLAND SCHOOL ROAD
SALISBURY, MD 21804-2716
410-543-0110
Pres A.P.D.A. DelMarVa Chapter
