New-age procedure helps Jack battle Parkinson’s Disease
August 26, 2011BY VINNIE RODI
‘EERIE’ – that’s the word Mildura’s Jack Dalton, 57, has used to describe the procedure that helped him regain a semblance of normalcy two years after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.
BOWLING ALONG NICELY: Jack Dalton, 57, has been given a new lease on life, thanks to radical Deep Brain Stimulation surgery to help combat his debilitating Parkinson’s Disease.
Called Deep Brain Stimulation, the procedure works by targeting parts of the brain affected the most by the disease, with the results – if successful – helping the patient regain a certain amount of muscle control and movement, while also reducing Parkinson’s ‘tremors.’
What makes the procedure unusual is that the patient is awake for a large majority of the time, talking to doctors, and performing a number of exercises to demonstrate if the right parts of the brain are being stimulated.
“It was without doubt one of the most disturbing and surreal experiences of my life,” Jack said.
“At first the doctors put you to sleep so they can drill four holes into your skull, making their way down to the areas of the brain that are affected.
“They then strap a metal frame to your head – to help keep you still – which is what I found the most disturbing of the entire experience.
“Once awake the doctors then insert these small wires into your brain, and then ask you to move your fingers and talk to them – mainly to show that the right areas are being stimulated.”
The wires are actually tiny electrodes, which doctors move with extreme precision into the right areas of the brain. Once in place, the wires allow a small amount of electrical current to be introduced into affected areas, essentially helping to relieve tremors, improve speech, and help the patient regain movement.
These wires are then attached to a battery pack – which operates continuously for up to five years – with that pack then implanted under the skin near the chest.
Jack said the initial “jolt” he received while undergoing the six hour operation was like a breath of fresh air.
“I could feel the procedure working straight away,” he said. “At that point my condition had grown to the stage where I was struggling to do the every day simple tasks that most people take for granted.
“This included tying shoelaces, doing up a tie, buttoning a shirt.
“My condition had also left me with little to no movement on the right side of my body, and the more the procedure went on, the more I noticed that I was regaining control.
“To say the least it was an extremely liberating experience, to go from no movement and extreme tremors to a higher quality of muscle control was simply amazing.”
Jack said doctors had used a trial and error system to make necessary ‘adjustments,’ saying each individual patient was different.
“Parkinson’s is the type of disease that affects people differently,” he said. “Unfortunately not everyone qualifies for this type of treatment, and even those that do are treated based on their individual symptoms.
“The electrodes can be modified to suit the patient, which means I can change my own settings.
“It’s a fine balance, and while not a cure, has certainly helped improve my quality of life.
“I’m now able to do my own gardening, butter a piece of toast, and do a number of other tasks that I was unable to perform before.
“I’ve even taken up bowls to help stay active, and it’s a procedure that I’m extremely thankful for.”
First diagnosed five years ago, Jack – who was only 52 at the time – said his symptoms had started slowly.
“The first thing I noticed was that my handwriting was diminishing,” he said. “It’s actually a common symptom.
“From there I noticed I was struggling to control my muscles, and soon decided to visit my doctor.
“He put me on to a specialist, and over the course of six months my symptoms had grown to include tremors, and I was eventually diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.”
For those unfamiliar with the condition, those diagnosed with Parkinson’s experience problems with controlling muscles, mainly due to a breakdown of communication between the brain and the rest of the body.
While little is known about what causes the disease, people with Parkinson’s produce low levels of dopamine.
A chemical that helps the brain control muscles and move smoothly and easily, people with Parkinson’s produce less dopamine over time, making movement more difficult, and increasing the on-set of ‘tremors.’
Jack said those initial months after being diagnosed had proved a frightening time in his life, especially considering his own father had suffered from the same disease.
“I’d seen dad go through the same symptoms, and knew exactly what was going to happen to me over time,” he said. “It certainly made it harder to cope, but it was something that I eventually managed to overcome.”
Placed on medication to help alleviate the symptoms, Jack said he had continued to work as firstly a banker, and then for Medicare Private here in Mildura for close to two years.
In that time his condition continued to deteriorate, and it wasn’t long before he was seeking alternative treatments.
“I had a friend in Ballarat who had seen a newspaper story about a 60-year-old Parkinson’s patient who had undergone DBS – with terrific results,” he said.
“He sent me the article, and I immediately began researching the procedure.”
A treatment Jack had seen featured on 60 Minutes some 15 years prior, it came as a huge relief to learn that he qualified for the procedure.
“You have to undergo a number of physiological tests, and the doctors are pretty good at making sure you’re ready to handle the surgery,” he said.
“You have to be a certain age, and at a certain stage of the condition for it to have any impact, and it’s a big procedure – one that like any major surgery does carry a small percentage of risk.”
Jack said the treatment had given him a further two full years of working life, with the 57-year-old entering retirement last year.
“Unfortunately this procedure isn’t a cure, and has to be continually monitored,” he said.
“I’m still on medication, and still have to regularly visit my neurologist to update and check the battery pack.”
And while considered minor drawbacks to the treatment, it’s still one that Jack says has improved his quality of life immensely.
“Parkinson’s can be an embarrassing and depressing condition if you let it,” he said. “I’m thankful everyday for what this procedure has done for me.
“It’s given me a better quality of life, and is allowing me to live with more freedom.”
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