#112

In this episode, Steve and I interview Ellen Walter. She's a Nurse Practitioner at the Cleveland Clinic and has been working with Steve on his medications and DBS needs for the past 4 years. She provides an inside look into the type of care nurse practitioners provide their Parkinson's patients. I wish every office had an Ellen!

[@earlaloomis4949]

Thank You for the great topic

[@newworld6474]

occasional B COMPLEX 100 helps me feel more relaxed

[@Anthony99355]

Does DBS help with cramps on calf’s, glutes, and stiffness in leg? My right calf gets so stiff in the morning, it’s hard to walk.

[@williamallen7836]

If I remember correctly there's a couple of different methods of DBS. One mainly handles the tremors, and one can help with rigidity / diskaniesia.

[@brianbaker4648]

It helps me with those issues

[@Anthony99355]

@@brianbaker4648 how many years did you have PD before having the procedure?

[@salemalogaili1339]

The DBS is the hope of patients who have Parkinson's disease I have 4 people who have Parkinson's and they get better after the surgery of DBS

[@williamallen7836]

@@salemalogaili1339 I can understand how some feel this way, but before I was diagnosed with Parkinson's I have had a few back surgeries. They didn't all go well. 3 of them were for a SCS implant & repalcments. Pretty much the same as DBS, but for your spinal nerves. Due to some of the complications of some of the surgeries, I'm not sure I want to risk brain surgery. Ware a complications can be far more dangerous with serious permanet disability, or death. The SCS unit is the same device with different programming. From my experience with the SCS they are not perfect, or permanent. I don't mean that battery/generator needs to be replaced every so many years. I mean that over time the body develops a tolerance to the stimulation over time. Just like the body develops a tolerance to meds over time. Plus every person responds to the stimulation differently.

[@newworld6474]

emails ... doctors don't do that in Ontario ... once every 6 months or less... for check up

[@williamallen7836]

@@newworld6474 every 6 months is my current followup schedule with my movement disorder doc here in NY. I currently prefer this as it's an 85 mile drive one way. I was told that as I advanced I will have to in more often.