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Shaken: Journey Into the Mind of a Parkinson's Patient, the award-winning film by Deborah Fryer, is airing on public television stations throughout the country. The documentary film follows Paul Schroder's journey before, during and after deep brain stimulation (DBS)-a radical brain surgery to control the debilitating symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD).
Paul was diagnosed with PD when he was in his early 30s, after noticing difficulty moving his left arm. First misdiagnosed with undetected Cerebral Palsy, Paul received the definitive diagnosis after responding positively to Sinemet, the most commonly prescribed medication used for treating the symptoms of PD. For the first few years, Paul's life went along fairly normally. Then he began noticing signs of PD's progression-his left shoe started wearing out because he wasn't lifting his foot up; he found himself freezing in doorways. By the time he was 45, Paul was taking between 24 and 28 pills a day. He had to quit working and started receiving social security disability.
In 2003, Paul was identified as a good candidate for DBS-a relatively new procedure that involves placing electrodes into targeted areas of the brain to help control the tremor, rigidity, stiffness, slowed movement and walking problems associated with PD. Due to the risks of bleeding in the brain, stroke and infection, DBS is considered a last resort for people whose symptoms cannot be controlled by medication alone. During the surgery, doctors first found the ideal placement of the electrodes in the subthalamic nucleus. They then carefully wove thin wire electrodes through the skull and connected them to a wire that runs under the scalp and over the clavicle to connect with a small battery-operated neurostimulator placed in the chest-similar to a pacemaker. Paul uses a hand-controlled device to fine-tune the amount of stimulation as needed.
Paul's journey experience with DBS is bittersweet. Following the surgery, he was able to reduce the amount of meditations he took, many of which caused some of the symptoms such as involuntary trembling. His symptoms diminished to the point that he was able to return to some of his normal life activities, including fly-fishing. Less than two years following the surgery, however, the DBS had to be removed because of an infection near the site of the wires in his neck. His body again became a prison. A second surgery in 2007 helped his symptoms, but not as dramatically as the first time. After two years of experimenting with the programming of the neurostim device, Paul finally feels he has his life back.
Paul considers DBS a success and says he would rather die than have his electrodes removed again. His journey with PD and DBS, including close-up footage of the surgery, is documented in Shaken: Journey into the Mind of a Parkinson's Patient, directed and produced by Deborah Fryer to increase public awareness about PD.
Please visit www.lilafilms.com/shaken_screenings.htm to learn when the film will air in your city. Shaken can also be purchased through www.lilafilms.com/shakendvd.htm for non-commercial public use by libraries, hospitals, universities, colleges, neurosurgeons, neurology clinics, DBS programmers, Parkinson's associations and support groups, foundations and other educational, medical and corporate institutions.
Lori Batcheller, MA, MPT, CYT, is a freelance writer specializing in disabilities, yoga, seniors, health, and wellness. She can be reached at www.lbcreative.com
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