HELLO MATE,
RE DBS ETC. JUST HANG ON IN THERE MATE, I'M WITH YOU.
I'LL SEND A DETAILED MESSAGE BEFORE THIS DAY IS OUT. IN THE MEAN TIME CAN YOU CHAT.

Not sure if my dial-up can allow me to chat, will try.

Aliveo, you'll need to send message, as chat won't work at all.

im still confused about on time and off time.. my neuro didnt predict this .. but i think i experience it..im great about an 1 to 1 1/2 hours after i take a dose of miaprex then i get this aggitated feeling before i take another dose.. im trying to time them with working.. i have only been on about two weeks..i balance out how i can function at work with it.. but by 6 pm when i leave to make an hour drive how i avoid this falling usleep unpredictably... and i really do not want to mention it to a dr.. cause i can either not take the meds a few hours before i drive home .. or im scrd he will say take it and do nnot drive (not an option need the job for the insurance )... i feel ya .. e mail me anytime .. take care !

Good evening. I to was diagnosed in 2004 and my neuro put me in as a candidate for DBS in 2006. The process is actually fairly long and detailed.I live in norhern colorado about an hour away from Denver where the testing took place. First was a psychological test that took about 5-6 hours.Very involved. A lot of short term memory testing,visual acuity testing and phyical ability with memory testing. After this I was required to get an MRI brain scan that lasted about 45 minutes for the actual scan it self. Next was a visit to a rehabilitation specialist for a phyical evaluation.This lasted about an hour. Finally you meet with the doctor who is a senior neurologist who gives you a very detailed exam and discusses what is involved with a DBS operation. Now she told me bottom line at that time that I was not a good candidate for DBS because I did not have a visible tremor. Supposedly it works well or better in affecting the PD patients who have a bad tremor. Since then I have met a couple of people who fit this criteria and in one case saw the before and after. It worked amazingly well for this person. In my research since then it appears that it is true for almost every body. She said that I might benefit down the road from it but not at that time.Two years later I still do not have a noticeable tremor,however my PD has manifested itself in my ability to walk which is becoming much more difficult............Anyway I hope this helped a little bit. Please feel free to ask me anything. I am sure I overlooked something. My short term memory is not what it used to be :)Good luck and God Bless and remember what doesen't kill you makes you stronger.

AEIfsdotier, I sympathize with your predicament. I am a big advocte of finding Doctors who specialize in PD and motion disorders. You should keep a written log of zymtoms, meds, timing, off time, uptake time next dose, stress, sleep, fatigue, diet, memory issues etc. Your better neurologist should be able to adjust your meds dose timing or add additional drugs. Learn what you can and find a local support group. My group meets once a month a a local rehab hospital. 3 of the group have had DBS surgery and they each have had major positive success. Good luck and good health Alex

I think you should all keep in contact with "Aliveo" he has experienced DBS., personally im very scared of this, but at the same time wanting relief/

WTF (yep swearing)

After being dx 6 years with PD, my neuro suggested DBS because my tremor was getting worse and I was having fluctuations between my on and off times (more off than on times). I scheduled visits with a movement disorder specialists, and the neurosurgeon who would be performing the surgery. After talking with me and reviewing my medical charts, they determined I would be a good candidate for DBS. Their indication to me was that, because of my age, (late 40's), because I responded well to sinnemet, and what symptoms were most problematic to me (tremors), I would probably respond well to DBS. Before the surgery could be performed, I needed to undergo cognative testing. Sometimes, if you are already having cognative difficulting or are depressed, DBS surgery can make these symptoms worse. I also had to have a MRI so that the surgeons could determine what part of my brain was affected by my Parkinson's. They refer to this as mapping and use this to determine placement of the probes. My 1st surgery (inserting the probes) lasted 11 hours and in a couple of weeks I went back for my second surgery (inserting the transmitters) which lasted about 3 hrs. My surgeon had told me that, between the two surgeries, I would probably like him less after the 2nd one, and he was right. The discomfort and pain I felt was like nothing I have ever felt but after a couple of weeks, I found myself feeling stronger. I still deal with the affects of PD everyday, but I no longer have a tremor and my on/off times are better controlled. If you have any other questions, I would be more than happy to try to answer them.

Well well,they have put you on what they like to call the gold standard ,, I say no more on that subject other wise this subject I get a bit sacrastic. I would hope .that you would follow you heart and you will do well. The heart directs. . living on a diffrent coast there are 'DRUGS OF CHOICE ., MY 1ST MD was the educator and the inspiration to search.. .i watched my mum in lawtruggle with the same drug as you have .The drugs all have side effects. i spent 8 years looking for some thing to help with tremmors and finally was put on aretain do your home work and make informed decissions....peace to you