Steven, I am so happy to have learned of your "Miracle DBS" experience. I have had recent experiences related to the procedure that I have decided to share with the forum.

(Steven and I met in person in February, 1906 at the First International Parkinson's Congress in Washington DC after first getting acquainted on this, or a related on-line forum a couple of years earlier. I am just delighted to hear about his astonishing DBS experience!)

About two years ago the Neurosurgery Department in the LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport initiated a program in deep brain stimulation. This is my "home" where I served as a faculty member for most of my career while teaching and conducting research in Biochemistry,

The program has already established an excellent reputation in this region, having brought in outstanding young talent for their team. This team has not had the time to accumulate more than 30 or so DBS surgeries, but I know personally three of the patients, all of whom have had excellent results in treating their PD symptoms.

Last summer I initiated the process of becoming a candidate for DBS surgery by this team. I completed the full process in late November, anticipating that my procedure would be done while asleep with the GPI as the target. At the final extended consultation with the neurosurgeon, recognizing that the minimal threat to my remaining cognitive ability constituted more risk than I was willing to allow, we both agreed that I should not undergo the operation at that time, with the possibility of a decision to yet have the operation before the end of June, when I will be 78 years old.

The decision reached to not proceed with DBS is still the best, in my estimation.

Robert