I'm with Charlie on this one.
I too Jaye had no tremor pre DBS but when the device is switched off now have tremor (only then)
Vicky you can have an MRI. Like I wrote in a post yesterday as long as your stimulators are switched off with medtronic device that medicos have (not your own ARC)
MJF can have DBS (he had a unilateral pallidotomy which doesn't exclude him from the surgery) but has me and anyone who has benefitted from this procedure stumped as to why he would tolerate such a poor quality of life when help is available.
Janet Reno, no idea who she is but Ali is probably too far gone.
Gayle perhaps another MRI to check position of electrodes? It's 3 yrs today since I had the electrode repositioned on the side that didn't respond well and the results were excellent. Hang in there the good times are just around the corner!
Will check in later I'm off to the gym now.
Lee

addendum
just as long as the MRI power is kept at or below 1.5 Tesla, No full body scans, and your IPG's need to be "Zero'd out"with the physicians controller.

it is not a hard decision to make when you want to have a life.
Everyone is unique though and I realize that. I think early DBS's are a good thing, although I waited 11 years to have mine.
I respect the right of anyone to say "NO!" to DBS. It just bugs me when people make their decision based on inaccurate information. As I said earlier most sub-optimal outcomes are the result of bad programming or poor lead placement, and to a lesser extent hardware issues. These are all correctable and they are avoidable with a good team.

Charlie

I am not brave enough to have brain surgery. I wouldn't be brave enough even if I were very young and the very best doctors recommended it.

I hope DBS helps those of you who are brave enough to have it done. I admire your courage. But DBS is not for everyone, and my reason for opting out is perfectly legitimate. This is a cowardice that doesn't make me ashamed.

Age is no more curable than PD. Age and PD advance together to defeat me sooner or later. Old age and PD are not for the faint-hearted.

Old or young, brain surgery is a huge step. It's a step I'm never going to take.

that PD has taught me "never to say never!!!"
Choosing to have a DBS is up to you, of course.
Some of the reasons I got mine (other than PD) are I wanted to be a father and a husband not an invalid to my family. I wanted to continue to work.
(which I did for 2 more years)
Anyone over 70 needs to factor their age, and I don't know how old you are, into their decision -making process. I do know of a 78 and a 82 yearold that successfully had it. But they were good shape otherwise, and i am not suggesting you are not in good health otherh than your PD.

CHarlie

Lee,

In my case, you are wrong. I spoke to medtronic and they have recently changed some MRI's to no MRI's. I always research my options and never take a doctor's word for it.

Vicky

there are no medical reasons for not having a 1.5 Tesla head MRI. heck Dr. STarr at UCSF uses an MRI to locate the leads during surgery. Sometimes we need an MRI and their are professionals who will sit with you through the MRI and monitor you. Thousands of us have had a post op MRI to verify our lead position.
I guess one has to consider the "Lowest common denominator" in these matters.

Charlie

A couple of things:..

What is the reason behind not having any metal in an MRI machine?..For example, metal dust in your eyes from grinding

On the subject of DBS..Im not crazy about the idea of brain surgery..I dont think anybody is..but if I get to the point where my quality of life is seriously compromised, I would rather get the DBS than go in a nursing home, or assisted living, if I were a good candidate for the proceedure..There are risks that are possible with the surgery, but there are a certain amount of risks in any surgery..I would do it only as a last resort, and the way I figure it, if I live long enough to get real bad, then Ive got nothing to lose at that point

MRI...from yahoo health:

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a test that uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to make pictures of organs and structures inside the body. In many cases, MRI gives information that cannot be seen on an X-ray, ultrasound, or computed tomography (CT) scan.
For an MRI test, the area of the body being studied is placed inside a special machine that is a strong magnet. Information from an MRI can be saved and stored on a computer for more study. Photographs or films of certain views can also be made. In some cases, a contrast material may be used during the MRI to show pictures of organs or structures more clearly.

hope this helps. anything metal in your body can be "pulled". my undertanding from researching standing mri's for another member, is that they can be adjusted at different settings.

that could be how they do mri's on pwp with dbs.

The reason for no metal electrodes in MRI is that along with "being pulled as Curious said", they heat up.

http://www.boston.com/yourlife/healt...s_safe_in_mri/

It makes sense, ferromagnetic material in a space where it can absorb electromagnetic radiation (ER) such as Rf (radiofrequency ER).
They are looking for newer materials that can still conduct electronic currents, but are made of materials that would not absorb ER.
Maybe someday electroconductive plastics, which are already widely used in technology can be fashioned for DBS electrodes. Along with being resistant to heating up, they would be more flexible, and could have their surfaces altered in such a way that would make them resistant to "moving, sliding ,etc.)
The worst thing i dislike about DBS is that it is not a "self contained" unit, but has to remain permanently piercing the dura layers of the brain to be attached to the control units that are implanted under the skin in the thoracic area. I know that i'd scratch it like a mosquito bite, because i am weird that way, i hate anything "on me" that i could feel at anytime. That's just one of my DBS "bugaboos", the others being permanent damage to tissue, infection and other "things". cs