I had DBS surgery on one side, in October 2022. The surgery went well and I am doing great! My movements have improved, sleep is better, my tremor is gone and I feel the best I’ve felt in 5 years.

Carol, I don't have any negatives regarding DBS, other than it's scary to have holes drilled in your scull and electrodes implanted in your brain. For me, it was worth the minimal chance of having something go wrong for the potential and realized benefits. For me, it's been very effective. The DBS is still working well after adjustments to the programming were made. I did have to go back in after a couple of years, as my battery gave out and had to be replaced. I had them replace it with a rechargeable unit. Occasionally, I turn the machine off, mostly to see where I would be without it...it isn't pretty. Getting this done was one of the best decisions I've ever made. It's not something, though, that I would recommend lightly, as it is brain surgery and is very invasive, What made the decision palatable for me was that my quality of life was declining to an extent that I was more afraid of not having it done than I was of having it done. Now, I function fairly normally and am able to exercise, which is huge.

I don't know how to private message on this site.

Roger

Hi Carol, my symptoms are only on my right side, so DBS surgery was done only on my left side.

I didn’t realize you can do the BS only on one side. Why didn’t you do the other side?

Thanks, Roger