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Deep Brain Stimulation and Parkinson ’ s
Turning Back the Clock on Parkinson ’ s
Nearly 20 years after his Parkinson ’ s diagnosis at age 31 , Jim McNasby , JD , general counsel at The Michael J . Fox Foundation , reached a turning point . He was taking 15 prescription pills and 12 supplements a day to manage the tremors , stiffness and slowness of Parkinson ’ s disease . He had trouble performing simple tasks — he couldn ’ t button his shirt without help . At the time , Jim was working at an insurance brokerage firm with international travel demands . “ I was traveling two weeks at a time , and I ’ d need an extra bathroom kit just for my medication ,” he recalls .
Jim ’ s husband , Donny Moss , suggested they investigate DBS . The couple had previously discussed the therapy , but the idea of brain surgery seemed too scary . Donny says , “ I was at a care partner focus group where other people were really surprised that Jim hadn ’ t gotten DBS after hearing about his experiences .”
That triggered Jim to call his doctors and ask about DBS . He says , “ My symptoms were getting worse . Some were embarrassing . And I couldn ’ t keep up with Donny when we ’ d walk at night .” He goes on , “ I took any negative energy I had about DBS , unplugged it , and plugged it into the courage socket in my brain .”
While Jim and Donny were , understandably , worried about the DBS procedures , Jim decided to undergo the surgery in early 2019 — actually , three different procedures : one for the first brain lead ; another for the second lead ; and a third for the two batteries implanted on either side of his chest . Jim laughs remembering his doctor saying he got a “ free haircut with each surgery ” when they shaved his head for the procedure . He experienced just one minor complication : a small bleed in the brain around one lead . Luckily , this did not cause any symptoms and resolved on its own .
Shortly after the last surgery , Jim ’ s devices were activated . Immediately he felt a difference . “ Right when the DBS was turned on , my posture improved , my tremor diminished and I felt 70 percent better . After five minutes , I was running up and down the hallway .” Since the surgery , Jim has had regular programming sessions with his doctor to adjust his settings . He reminds others , “ It ’ s a process . You can ’ t expect that you ’ re going to start off perfectly programmed and you may have to adjust your settings over time .”
For the first few years , Jim rarely thought about