Wanda: Steadier and Less Prone to Falling

This story recounts the experience of one patient who is receiving Medtronic Deep Brain Stimulation Therapy to reduce some of the movement-related symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Please bear in mind that the experiences are specific to this particular person.

Wanda first noticed the shaking in her left hand. For a few months, she ignored it. She ultimately gave in and saw her doctor. A follow-up appointment with a specialist confirmed that, indeed, she had Parkinson's disease. It was 1995 and Wanda was 55 years old.

Looking for Symptom Relief from Medications

For five years Wanda took medications that helped manage her PD symptoms. She tolerated them well. However, as the years passed, the tremor spread from her hand to her limbs and trunk, primarily on her left side.

"It was almost to the point where I could hardly function," Wanda remembers. "I needed help to get in and out of a chair. It affected the way I walked and my balance. I wasn't steady and fell quite a bit. It made me feel short-winded, like I didn't have breath to say what I wanted to say."

Discovering Medtronic DBS Therapy

In 2000, Wanda's husband, Clyde, retired to take care of her. Unfortunately, the following year he experienced a stroke. In 2004, he had a procedure to implant a drug-delivery pump to help control the stiff muscles he was experiencing as a result of the stroke. After his procedure, Clyde's doctors approached Wanda in the waiting room. They gave her an update on his progress and then commented on her tremor.

"They told me they had a treatment that might help my shaking," she recalls. "It was DBS Therapy. I already knew about the treatment because I'd read about it in a Parkinson's newsletter, but I didn't know how to get it."

After learning more about the therapy from brochures her doctors provided and having tests that confirmed she would be a good candidate for the therapy, Wanda decided to have the procedure.

"I felt like DBS Therapy would make me better," she says. "So I didn't think about it for too long. I was getting pretty desperate."

Undergoing the Surgery

In preparation for the surgery for DBS Therapy, Wanda's head was shaved. In an act of marital solidarity, Clyde had his head shaved.

"So there we both were…bald!" Wanda says.

Wanda had her surgery in two parts. During the first surgery, when the leads with electrodes were placed in her brain, she experienced a loud noise. This was the most challenging part of the procedure for her.

"There was a very loud noise in the room – like static," she remembers. "At first it didn't sound like much, but then it was very loud while they got the electrodes into the right spots."

Wanda spent the night in the hospital and returned home the following day. Within two weeks she had the second surgery to place the neurostimulator under the skin near her collarbone.

Clyde, his sister, Wanda's sister, and brother-in-law were in the room when her DBS Therapy was activated for the first time. "The tremors stopped. I had been shaking for about five years, and they just stopped. You couldn't tell there was anything wrong with me. No one could believe I was that still."

It took time for Wanda to become accustomed to the feeling of the wires under her skin in the back of her neck. Even now, sometimes the cord feels tight when she is stiff, like in the morning after waking up.

Risks of the Procedure and Stimulation

DBS Therapy requires brain surgery. Risks of brain surgery may include serious complications such as coma, bleeding inside the brain, seizures and infection. Some of these may be fatal. Once implanted, the system may become infected, parts may wear through your skin, and the lead or lead/extension connector may move. Medtronic DBS Therapy could stop suddenly because of mechanical or electrical problems. Any of these situations may require additional surgery or cause your symptoms to return.

Medtronic DBS Therapy may cause worsening of some motor symptoms associated with your movement disorder, and may cause speech and language impairments. Stimulation parameters may be adjusted to minimize side effects and attain maximum symptom control. In patients receiving Medtronic DBS Therapy, depression, suicidal thoughts and suicide have been reported. Occurence of "fall" has also been reported in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Celebrating Daily Victories

Today, Wanda is steadier and not as prone to falling. Her walking is improved. Before the therapy, her writing had become compressed; today it is more legible. She has noticed that her speech is not as slow as it was before.

"I used to paint quite a bit and then I had to stop. After my surgery, I painted each of my doctors a picture."

In the years since she had her device placed, Wanda has enjoyed spending time with her 12 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. She and Clyde celebrated their 50th anniversary with a party.

On occasion, Wanda watches a videotape of herself from 2004, prior to DBS Therapy.

"I watch that tape and I know DBS Therapy is helping with my speech and walking. It is a pretty good difference. I don't know how bad I'd be without DBS Therapy."

Next: Clare

Medtronic invited this patient to share her story candidly. Not everyone who receives Medtronic DBS Therapy will receive the same results as the individual in this story; some people may experience significant symptom relief from DBS Therapy, and others may experience minimal symptom relief. Talk to your doctor to determine if Medtronic DBS Therapy is right for you.