Is there a den mother in the house?
A den mother specialized in DBS, preferably with extensive experience in chorus-line music-hall dancing.
I can only think of one, just off-hand. Kate Kolorado; Denver that is.

kate,

Lots of PwP think about the "crossroads" when they have to choose between staying on medication only, but the drugs work less and less, OR having DBS, which we are afraid of because it is a brain operation and we don't like to think about that; OR waiting for the ever-promised, never delivered Duodopa from AbbVie.

Now comes this bombshell, that we find out about 3 months late: the FDA has sent out a Class 1 recall (class 1 is danger of death; the worst level of urgency,) for some, not all, DBS wiring.

I get the impression the problem is under control, as the stock market is not running away from Medtronics. And the stock market analysts usually have the best inside information. They are not in a panic or dumping Medtronic stocks, so it can't be terribly serious. Or not?

But we get no information from the medical world - those of us who are considering DBS. And so in May we found out about the URGENT recall sent in February.

From where you stand, Kate, as den mother to us all, with your years and years of DBS experience, guiding many patients through what you yourself went through, have the doctors been calling the DBS patients in? Does it require a new operation? Is everybody freaking out, or is that just me?

Any commentary or stories from you and your extensive gang would be much appreciated, especially reactions to this scarey warning.

All we have so far is this URGENT letter from Medtronics three months ago, and the notice from the FDA saying "DEFCON ONE ALERT..... danger of immediate death... drop, roll, cover, NOW!"

Kate, is this the time to panic or should I still wait a bit?
Bob Dawson
solving the world's problems, one at a time