Gods of Mount O “limp” Us
On August 8, I had DBS surgery and then in a separate operation on the August 11 the battery went in. August 22 was the first programming session. For some, DBS surgery is an overnight miracle. For others, it can take up to 6 months to get the programming down. Unfortunately, I fall into the latter category. Four programming sessions later, I can happily attest to the fact that that we are making progress. I am walking better, have more energy and have cut my medication by 75%!
Yesterday, I got through the day until 10pm without an issue. I came in from walking the dog last night with my right foot turning out (dystonia). I announced that. The fickle gods from Mount O”limp” us had ignored me all day because Dionysus, who was supposed to watch me, was drunk and forgot. Ares said, “Hey what about Andrejack? Who is making certain he suffers?” Dionysus said, “Shit I forgot about him!” Ares declared war and Zeus smite me and brought back my limp.
My wife declared that the opposite was true. The gods had carried me throughout the day and by 10pm, they got tired and fell asleep on the job! I admitted that her view was much more positive but insisted that mine was funnier. Not bad for 2 atheists!
Tips from the Trenches
Prior DBS surgery there one day in which you cannot take medication. The team needs observe you without medication to give you an estimated of how much progress you can make. This can be brutal. I had to turn off the pump the night before. My wife, being a smart woman, reserved a hotel room near my doctor’s office. This was a good thing because I had to get from the hotel room to the car and from the car to the doctor’s office in wheelchair! We made the same arrangement for the day prior to surgery. Waking up 15 minutes from the hospital was far better than taking a 1-hour trip to long Island with no Parkinson’s medication in my system. If you can afford this little luxury, I highly recommend it.
The Worst Part
When they told me that I would spend the night in the hospital, I assumed that I would wake up in a hospital room. I obviously knew nothing about the cost-saving approaches to modern medicine. I woke up in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), also known as a the recovery room. In the “PACK YOU” you are packed in with dozens of other patients. Your only privacy is a curtain wall. During the time I spent in the PACU there was a full staff meeting and a birthday party! As you can, probably guess, I did not get much rest. Except for one nurse who seemed to have the goal of making my life miserable, the rest of the staff was wonderful.
You are probably thinking that if that if was the worst part of DSB surgery, it was not too bad. If you are thinking of this, you would be correct. I was in zero pain and did not even use aspirin or Tylenol during my recovery. I found that recovering from back surgery was far worse.
I am looking forward to my November 7 programming appointment.
Shaken, Not Deterred: A Young Onset Parkinson's Disease Gathering
I will be speaking on a panel for work life balance at this event this Sunday, October 6 at The Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan 334 Amsterdam Avenue at W 76th Street New York, NY 10023. It is a free event, and lunch will be served. You may also attend virtually. For more information and to register click here. Please come up and say hello if you do attend.
Thank you for reading.
I am John Andrejack.
This is a message of hope.
