Veteran teacher fights Pa for 10 years, DBS surgery helps her “come back to life”

  Auntie Li, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease for 10 years, said happily after the first start of DBS surgery, the original shaking and stiffness disappeared instantly and became relaxed and flexible: “I didn’t expect DBS surgery to be so amazing either, I didn’t think I could resume normal life again ….”  The initial body stiffness, tremors need to be vigilant, beware of Parkinson’s disease attack Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, 70-year-old Aunt Li is a retired senior teacher, a lifetime of teaching, nurturing talent for society, in leaving the love of education, ready to enjoy a happy old age, but was entangled in Parkinson’s disease, open up up to 10 years “anti-Pa He left his love for education and was ready to enjoy a happy life in his old age, but he was haunted by Parkinson’s disease and started a 10-year “anti-Parkinson’s” journey.  In 2010 Parkinson’s disease quietly found the door, the onset of the initial right leg shaking, to the hospital and did not get a clear diagnosis, but also just pay more attention in daily life. After a while, the right hand started to shake, and she was unable to do even the simplest things in daily life such as holding chopsticks and eating independently, affecting her normal state of life. In order to clarify the cause, she went to the hospital again and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Initially, she relied on medication to improve her symptoms, and as her condition progressed, the medication dose was adjusted from 1/4 each time, three times a day, to 1/2 each time, three times a day, and she would set an alarm clock every day to administer the medication on time, and repeatedly ran to the hospital to adjust the medication in order to better relieve the shaking symptoms. Due to the progressive nature of Parkinson’s disease, as her condition progressed, she gradually also developed left-sided limb stiffness from the onset of tremor symptoms, abnormal gait such as small broken steps and muscle twitches that others could not feel, all of which caused her great distress.  Parkinson’s disease medication also has a “honeymoon” period For Parkinson’s disease patients, the honeymoon period of medication is 3-5 years, but after the honeymoon period, the validity of medication will become shorter and shorter. Therefore, we often remind Parkinson’s patients that they should not increase the dose of medication in order to pursue the best treatment effect, resulting in premature side effects such as end-of-dose phenomenon and anisocoria, and that medication can no longer guarantee her quality of life, so she urgently needs to seek new treatment options.  Auntie Li has been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for many years, making her physically and mentally tortured, but the companionship and care, support and encouragement of her partner and family have strengthened her belief in treatment.  In order to be able to restore basic living ability, she came to the outpatient clinic of Director Ma Jiuhong, the expert group of functional brain diseases in the Department of Neurosurgery of Shanxi Provincial People’s Hospital. After precise evaluation, the patient was recommended to consider DBS (Deep Brain Electrical Stimulation) surgery, after which the symptoms would be significantly improved and help the patient to restore basic living.  DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) surgery, a blessing for Parkinson’s disease patients After careful consideration, the family and the patient chose DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) surgery treatment, and after a rigorous preoperative evaluation, based on the results of the preoperative Medobar shock test improvement rate of 79%, the equivalent dose of Medobar (150) mg and other systematic evaluation, it is recommended that the treatment model of full rehabilitation + DBS surgery achieve the best treatment purpose of Parkinson’s disease.  On December 10, 2020, Director Ma Jiuhong of the Functional Brain Disease Specialist Group of the Department of Neurosurgery of Shanxi Provincial People’s Hospital successfully performed DBS (deep brain electrical stimulation) surgery. At that time, although the machine had not been turned on after surgery, Auntie Li felt unprecedented physical comfort and no longer had hand tremors due to the start of the micro-destructive effect.  The first time the machine was turned on in the 4th week after the operation, Auntie Li’s original shaking symptoms disappeared instantly and her stiff limbs became relaxed and flexible. At present, more than 40 days after the surgery, Auntie Li is getting better and better and has resumed her normal life.  Pre-surgical evaluation of Parkinson’s disease patients with DBS (Deep Brain Electrical Stimulation) Parkinson’s disease treatment generally begins 3-5 years after diagnosis with medication, patients will be on 2-3 types of medication and experience varying degrees of reduced efficacy or side effects of medication. When anomalies, end-of-quarter phenomena, switching phenomena, etc. occur, the patient’s quality of life is subsequently affected to a greater extent. At this time, doctors often recommend that patients be evaluated for surgery and receive surgical treatment at the appropriate time. It is important to note that although DBS (deep brain electrical stimulation) surgery is the second honeymoon period for Parkinson’s disease medication, not all patients have access to surgical treatment and require a rigorous preoperative evaluation.  Evaluation target: Patients with Parkinson’s disease symptoms, declining drug effects, and significant symptom fluctuations Evaluation content: i. Determine the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease through the diagnostic criteria established by the International Movement Disorders Disease Association; ii. Assess motor symptoms, and the response to drugs (good effect to dopamine drugs, while suggesting a better effect of surgery); iii. Assess non-motor symptoms, including cognition, mood, sleep The assessment of functional status, including swallowing function, balance function, etc.  Solutions: Parkinson’s disease medication adjustment, targeted Parkinson’s disease rehabilitation training, DBS surgery and postoperative program control.  Indications for Parkinson’s disease surgery: Parkinson’s disease with unsatisfactory adequate drug therapy; severe end-dose phenomenon and symptom fluctuations; presence of on-off phenomenon (unpredictable motor fluctuations); allodynia (peak-dose allodynia and biphasic allodynia); painful dystonia; severe tremor.