Friday, January 23, 2009

Choices

First, I apologize for messing up my 'format'. I didn't realize a lot of the blog was unreadable because I had messed with the colors of the template. Goofy. Oh well.

I've since been back to the "laboratory" for the routine checkups. Fill out the questionnaires; answer Dr.#2's questions; Say Hi to Dr.#1; Wait while Dr.#2 fills out forms for Dr.Programmer; See Dr.Programmer & listen to my implant being 'interrogated'; Answer more questions; Get my parking ticket stamped...

I am pretty sure whether I am on or not, but I'll not share.

My main reason for posting is because I'm still researching all of this and ran across a very interesting website that others may find interesting, especially Herb's friend. It's a list of all sorts of clinical trials. The Weblink below is for the 1400+ depression studies underway. Wowzer!!!

http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=%22Depression%22

I also found a link: St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) announced it has been awarded a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for treating depression using neurostimulation therapy in an area of the brain known as Brodmann Area 25. Cool. You have to wonder if in the future someone infringes on the patent, if the effected patients would have to have their generators removed by court order.... ???

And finally, I've been trying to figure out in layman's terms more about the device and the programming of it. I've found a couple of articles about the devices used in Parkinson's. If I understand the article I'm linking to here, each lead has 4 contacts on it. (I have 2 leads - or at least I have 2 holes in my head where the leads were supposedly placed!!). The little generator device is capable of being programmed to generate current on any or all of the leads and use the case as ground. Then there is the voltage, pulse, amplitude etc. (How much voltage, how long its on (amplitude), as well as how frequently it pulses on). 4,000 combinations for the Parkinson's descriptions. And not all programmers are created alike, so the people on the dbs yahoo group are always comparing which programmers in what areas are the best. I'll have to discuss this with my Dr.Programmer. I don't know if he does Parkinson's patients or if he is just for the study.

I haven't checked on e-bay, but by-golly if the little programming devices ever go on the 'black' market, I'll be buying one. (I'm JOKING folks). But it is fun to imagine all the possibilities for 4,000 different combinations. I'm supposing if the leads were in the right places, one could program any emotion..... Want to be in love with everyone? No problem. Woody Allen's Sleeper movie's Orgasmatron, no problem.

What we don't know about what we don't know!

On a final note - I will actually be getting a hair cut next week. Woo Hoo!!!!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

By the by: YOUR pacemaker IS the pacemaker technology that has been 'patented' by St. Jude's, so they won't be asking you to remove yours for infringement at a later date. You have an ANS, Brodmann area 25 implantation.

A Broad Abroad said...

Hi! Just thought I’d put my two cents worth here. If you’ll check my blog of December 14th, at http://travelinmammy.blogspot.com/ you’ll see what my husband went through having the DBS implanted and then removed because of MRSA (bugs love to cling to foreign objects in the body).
Remembering what he went through for both of those procedures, I have to tell you that he’d rather have been hit by a train.
I see that your problem is depression, and I have to tell you what I’ve learned on that front. Quite a few years ago, doctors in mental hospitals found after that after a patient suffered a gran mal seizure, they were miraculously cured of depression. Now, how long this has been going on in the States, I don’t know, but I watched an incredible show on TV called “Modern Marvels” (History channel) that showed this very thing.

The doctors that do this electric therapy take a patient with a chronic case of depression and literally give them a gran mal seizure by focusing two electrodes over their brain and zapping it. Somewhat like the electric shock therapy that EMTs use to restart the heart.

A friend of mine, whose father had severe depression, had this done for him with wonderful results. His wife died and for a year he could not come out of his depression. She looked into it, and they chose to do it. He has never been better.
What this shock does is cause a gran mal seizure. Why this happens and it ends the depression the docs don’t seem to know, but the miracle is that it works, and it’s a one shot thing. Nothing like the DBS, which I can tell you first-hand (watching my husband go through it) is not for happy campers.

I hope this helps. Please do let me know.
My website is www.dodiecross, and you can reach my blog through there, or go to http://travelinmammy.blogspot.com/

I also wanted to tell you about the "incredible" woman in Bellevue, WA who does the programming for the DBS. I have no idea about the depression, but she could also be programming for that. She did my husband's programming, and there aren't too many people qualified for this job. She has a PhD and is the head of the department at Booth Gardner's Parkinson Center in Bellevue, WA. if you care to look her up, her name is Dr. Sierra Feris, 425-899-3123. Hope this helps.
Dodie Cross
www.dodiecross.com

Dodie Cross

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