I don't know how on earth companies like Abbott can get by with pricing dopamine replacement intestinal gel so high! It's recurring income they are after, and the consumer (the patient) will pay through the nose! GRRRR!

Insurance should pick up some of the cost of this without batting an eye. The US. Not only needs health care reform; it needs a new system of approval! And there should be a system of checks and balances included.

And patients should be more vocal!!

Peggy

[QUOTE=GregD;923921]
Oh, gosh. That was not DBS bashing; I pass no judgment on anyone. It's not like we have a lot of options, but for every one DBS success story I hear three epic fails. I think that there is tremendous potential for benefit but that is if you fit the patient profile. You better have all confidence in your doctor during that screening period.

Duodopa is no walk in the park either, and I do not relish the ideal of being hooked up to a tube with medicine that I schlep along with me everywhere I go. The only thing that makes me even consider brain surgery is that it is for the most part hidden.

[QUOTE=Bob Dawson;923917][QUOTE=Conductor71

I honestly see DBS as the Beavis N' Butthead guide to managing PD...

Hahahaha!!! That is a great line and I will plagiarize it.[/QUOTE]
12% of heart transplant patients do not survive the first year. But, people still are on the waiting list for it. Why because it is the best treatment for a serious condition.
Parkinson's is a serious disease and DBS is the best treatment by far!
So- "What are the risks?
As with any surgical procedure, there are risks. There is a 2% to 3% risk of a serious and permanent complication such as brain hemorrhage causing, death, paralysis, changes in thinking, memory and personality
, 4% risk of infection, and 1% risk of hardware breakdown. Talk to your doctor to see if these risks apply to you."
As the screening process becomes better and better, these percentages will go down. All surgeries carry a risk the more complex, the greater the risk. It is each individuals right to decide.
Do you have a caregiver? Are you letting your own irrational fears make it so you depend on them and making there life tougher then it need be.
By the way when your Beavis N' Butthead comes on a TV I can easily getup walk over and turn it off, watching it will cause serious brain damage.