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Marty - Chris's answer just about covered the situation. I wonder, specifically, if the severe "off periods" represent a change in your condition, or it the results have always been the same. I'm asking because we've found that there are seemingly outside influences that can alter or reprogram Dick's stimulators. We'd heard that high power electrical lines can do it, or airport security devices, etc. For a period of time, Dick's stimulator(s) would frequently turn off. Sometimes just one of them, sometimes both. That ceased to be a problem, and then we discovered the problem of having the stimulator settings reset by *something* he was exposed to. Our best guess was the scanning device customers have to walk through at a local book/CD/video store. In pallidal stimulation, which is what Dick had, there are five variable settings that are programmed into the stimulator. I imagine STN is similar. At one point, his symptoms suddenly worsened dramatically, but we knew the stimulator was on. When he was checked at the doctor's office, it turned out one of the settings had changed from 80 units to 30. Anyway, I don't know whether you're positive your stimulator is working as programmed, and is definitely "on" when you think it's on. Only the medical people with the right device can tell if it's working as programmed, but you can verify whether your stimulator is "on" when you think it's on by holding a cheap transistor radio up to it/them. The static is much louder when the device is on. That's just our experience, for what it's worth. Margie Swindler << 1. Is the stimulation working i.e. are the stimulators switched on? 2. Was there a recent parameter adjustment? 3. Have you ever had prolonged periods without severe off times? 4. What are the stimulation parameters at this moment. Were they ever changed? 5. Were the electrodes placed in the STN? >>