Today marks the tenth anniversary of being released from the Neuro ICU after my life-altering Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery the day before. The four-hour procedure, during which the patient must stay awake, was conducted on November 5th, 2014.
Although not the most terrifying or dangerous situation encountered in my 62 years, brain surgery is right up there in the top three for intensity, mostly due to its length. Of particular discomfort was the drilling of two holes in my skull.
By halfway through the procedure, I was barely able to keep it together due to an unnerving claustrophobia caused by a cage that pinned down my head, making it immobile.
Part of this was because two surgeons were performing the procedure: the first, a student who had never done the surgery before, took three hours, while the seasoned surgeon completed his half in a single hour.
As a point of reference, I have never considered myself claustrophobic. MRIs don’t bother me a bit. At one point in my early 20s, I had been lost in the silted-out First-Class dining room on the Andrea Doria, known as the Mount Everest of wreck diving at the time. Alone with zero visibility, at 210 feet deep breathing air, I managed to keep my shit together just fine until I found my way out.
But DBS surgery was different. Despite being pumped full of Xanax or a similar sedative, I was barely able to hang on. Still, DBS was a worthwhile experience that gave me probably six years of excellent symptom mitigation. Unfortunately, DBS does nothing to alleviate Parkinson’s disease; it merely masks the symptoms.
Today, my PD is the worst it has ever been, but I am also more content, joyful, and grateful than at any other time in my life. DBS brought me the time to appreciate life by doing things the hard way, often well outside my comfort zone. Some simple advice for a complex problem, but it works, at least for me.
One last thing. Please be kind to everybody, especially those who you might disagree with – we are all in this grand mystery together.
I love you all, thank you.
Peter