motorbill66
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I should have responded "never". I now have two half dollar lumps on the top of my head that I will take with me to the furnace. They are the result of Deep Brain Stimulation surgery for the implantation of electrodes at the base of my brain where all movement control is accomplished by the Thalamus.
the reason for the procedure was to treat the symptoms of an awful hand and arm tremor brought on by Depekote. The tremors continued and worsened after withdrawal from the stuff for years, and they continue. Neurostimulators have been implanted in my chest and cables run up to the electrodes. There's so much hardware between my scalp and skull that I joke that if you run your hand over my head you'll think you're petting a Klingon. Just call me Worf. Hey, I could do a LOT worse, as he was about the most logical and admirable crew member on the Enterprise, not Spock. I even have a pager sized 'patient programmer' with which I can turn them on and off and adjust the frequency, pulse width, and amplitude. Once in a while I have to go in literally for a tune-up. With Essential Tremor, not Parkinson's, they are not needed when inactive. It's only a problem when I have to do something with my hands; like shave or drink or eat. It is especially frustrating for me because I'm an artist and miniaturist. But they work beautifully. after ten years of this crap it seems like a genuine miracle to be able to switch it on and watch my hands suddenly steady up rock solid! I got my life back.
My seizures began when a lousy doctor prescribed two meds for me that are well documented to cause convulsions and seizures without even asking a damn thing about my family history. I have two uncles with Epilepsy. Thanks a lot, jerk.
So: The medical pros "gave" me Epilepsy, then they helped me overcome it to some degree, then they "gave" me another disease, and now (2 yr. ago) they've "given" me symptom relief. I always have to wonder what's next...
Then again, I guess we all do. I always say, "Everybody got sumthin. This is just mine" We all have challenges to meet. We all have mountains to climb. Some have far worse disabilities than I, and many of them don't even show. Imagine being absolutely consumed with greed. Imagine being incapable of giving or receiving love. Imagine constant anger. How about overwhelming jealousy? I'll take my Grand Mals and shaky hands, thank you.
the reason for the procedure was to treat the symptoms of an awful hand and arm tremor brought on by Depekote. The tremors continued and worsened after withdrawal from the stuff for years, and they continue. Neurostimulators have been implanted in my chest and cables run up to the electrodes. There's so much hardware between my scalp and skull that I joke that if you run your hand over my head you'll think you're petting a Klingon. Just call me Worf. Hey, I could do a LOT worse, as he was about the most logical and admirable crew member on the Enterprise, not Spock. I even have a pager sized 'patient programmer' with which I can turn them on and off and adjust the frequency, pulse width, and amplitude. Once in a while I have to go in literally for a tune-up. With Essential Tremor, not Parkinson's, they are not needed when inactive. It's only a problem when I have to do something with my hands; like shave or drink or eat. It is especially frustrating for me because I'm an artist and miniaturist. But they work beautifully. after ten years of this crap it seems like a genuine miracle to be able to switch it on and watch my hands suddenly steady up rock solid! I got my life back.
My seizures began when a lousy doctor prescribed two meds for me that are well documented to cause convulsions and seizures without even asking a damn thing about my family history. I have two uncles with Epilepsy. Thanks a lot, jerk.
So: The medical pros "gave" me Epilepsy, then they helped me overcome it to some degree, then they "gave" me another disease, and now (2 yr. ago) they've "given" me symptom relief. I always have to wonder what's next...
Then again, I guess we all do. I always say, "Everybody got sumthin. This is just mine" We all have challenges to meet. We all have mountains to climb. Some have far worse disabilities than I, and many of them don't even show. Imagine being absolutely consumed with greed. Imagine being incapable of giving or receiving love. Imagine constant anger. How about overwhelming jealousy? I'll take my Grand Mals and shaky hands, thank you.