DBS - here we come!

Well, as those of you who have followed our blog, you know that my dad has been in the process of making a really difficult decision. He has had to decide whether or not to have a procedure, called Deep Brain Stiumulation (DBS), or not. Well the decision has been made to move forward with the DBS. "What does this mean, and what exactly is DBS?", you ask. 

Well, I'm so glad you did :) Let me share with you some information about what this procedure is and does and give you a little background information about Dystonia to help understand this procedure, as well.

Dystonia is the third most common movement disorder after essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease. What Dystonia does is it creates and sends chaotic signals into the nervous system (in the brain) and causes the skeletal muscles to contract or spasm involuntarily, causing twisting, repetitive movements as well as abnormal postures. We refer to it within our family as one big, ongoing muscle cramp and it happens to be in my dad's lower body (from about the waist and down). Although Dystonia is generally not life-threatening, it is a chronic disorder that causes varying degrees of disability and pain from mild to severe. Dystonia affects others in all kinds of places, though. From the eyelids (causing constant blinking/eye twitches) to the neck (forcefully pulling your head to one side, down, or back) to the hands (writer's cramp) and even vocal chords (creating strained speech and a sense of your voice being "choked out"), Dystonia can affect anything, everything, anyone and everyone. 

I couldn't resist and got caught! Picture by Jeremy Ramsey.

Treatment may include oral medications, therapeutic botulinum neurotoxin (Botox) injections, and deep brain stimulation, which dad has chosen. Doctors will implant two electrodes deep into his brain. Wires from the electrodes will be snaked under the skin to a pacemaker-like battery packs in his chest. The hardware is activated and settings adjusted by remote control. Impulses from the electrodes suppress the abnormal brain signals that cause the involuntary muscle spasms and postures. And hopefully, a little easier of a life and a little more independence of my dad's will be gained back. The initial process of implanting the electrodes and battery packs and then turning on the electrodes is approximately a 6-8 week process. Once it is turned on, the adjustment period can last from weeks to months to gain the most benefit. All of this is an amazing show of modern medicine and how the Lord has blessed people and physicians with the wisdom and understanding of this process and this solution!

Do you see the extra hand in there?
Chip is with us in this, too!
Picture by Jeremy Ramsey

Please begin NOW praying for the surgeons, nurses, my dad, my mom, my brother, myself and all of our extended family as we begin this journey! We understand and know that the benefits of DBS are neither guaranteed nor immediate but our prayer is that the Lord holds in His hands the wisdom and ability to do anything in His power! I know some incredible people that this has changed their life and we only begin hoping and praying that this, too, will change the life of my dad! Continual updates will be given as we know them and what we know now is that the process for this all begins in May. We have a lot of things to do and experience between now and then and so on this topic, we stop, pray, make people aware and spread the word about this disorder! Please help us spread awareness of this by subscribing to this blog and sharing it with all those you know! The more that is known about this disorder, the quicker and more accurate a diagnosis can be given to those who suffer. There are many physicians that even don't know about or are unaware of a significant portion of this disorder and so share it with everyone! Also, for more information on Dystonia visit www.dystonia-foundation.org or contact me! I have lots of informational pamphlets that I can share and pass out to those who would like to know more!

God bless, keep us in your prayers, and educate yourself and others on this topic! 

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Rebecca