Neuroscience
Please note: This is part three of a four-part series.
For years, Steve had enjoyed an active and fulfilling life, traveling extensively, enjoying his career and family, and always doing something outdoors. After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, though, that all quickly changed.
Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, has no known cause in most cases. Symptoms are usually characterized by movement-related issues, including shaking, rigidity and slowness of walk or gait. In time, cognitive impairment and behavioral difficulties may occur, sometimes followed by sensory and emotional problems.
When medications became ineffective, Steve realized there were few options remaining. A surgical treatment, Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), was his last hope of returning to the life he loved.
In preparation for his procedure at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Steve was medication-free for the first time in years. Suddenly, he realized just how much his Parkinson’s had progressed.
“I was on the gurney in pre-op for a very short period prior to the operation, horribly uncomfortable due to the complete lack of medication in my system. Seconds felt like hours. I couldn't move with any authority; I couldn't speak above a whisper.”
“First they knocked me out so that I would be comfortable and immobile while they drilled two small holes in my head in exactly the right places.” As Steve describes the experience, his eyes grow wide. “Then they brought me back out of the anesthesia just long enough so that I could give them feedback and help them locate the precisely perfect points in my brain, so they could place the wire leads for maximum benefit.”
He raises his hand and waves it over his head like a magic wand.
“So, incredibly, I’m having a conversation about baseball with these guys even as I’m laying there completely immobilized with two holes opened up in my head while they position and re-position these electronic leads. Then, almost instantly, as the lead is positioned in the best spot, I feel a rush of energy flow through my system for the first time in years. Then they put me back under again, so they can close the two holes up and implant two tiny neuro-stimulators just under the skin of my chest.
“And never, not even for a second, did I feel even the slightest pain.”
- Penn Neurosurgeon Leading The Way To Improve Memory
Gordon Baltuch, MDSteve Zabielski, who is battling Parkinson’s Disease, was having a difficult time managing his disease until Penn neurosurgeon, Gordon Baltuch, MD, a member of the research team, implanted a stimulator and electrodes in his brain to...
- Deep Brain Stimulation: The Immediate Benefits
Please note: This is part four of a four-part series. After suffering with Parkinson’s for five years, Steve Zabielski was fighting the symptoms that characterize the advanced stages of the disease. Medications no longer provided relief. He felt...
- Deep Brain Stimulation: A Life-changing Trip To The Gallery
Please note: This is part two of a four-part series. One summer day, while strolling through an art gallery in Cape May, NJ, Steve Zabielski’s mother asked a friend for advice. She knew her friend understood how debilitating Parkinson’s disease...
- Dbs Patient To Appear On Woman’s Media Center Live
In recognition of Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Robin Morgan from Woman’s Media Center Live, will be interviewing Lori Katz, a patient of Gordon Baltuch, MD, Director of the Center for Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery. The interview will be...
- Awareness Month: Parkinson’s Disease
April is National Parkinson's Awareness Month. Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, has no known cause in most cases. Medically, Parkinson’s has been traced to the death of dopamine-generating cells in the...
Neuroscience
Deep Brain Stimulation: The Journey Back to Normalcy
Please note: This is part three of a four-part series.
For years, Steve had enjoyed an active and fulfilling life, traveling extensively, enjoying his career and family, and always doing something outdoors. After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, though, that all quickly changed.
Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, has no known cause in most cases. Symptoms are usually characterized by movement-related issues, including shaking, rigidity and slowness of walk or gait. In time, cognitive impairment and behavioral difficulties may occur, sometimes followed by sensory and emotional problems.
In preparation for his procedure at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Steve was medication-free for the first time in years. Suddenly, he realized just how much his Parkinson’s had progressed.
“I was on the gurney in pre-op for a very short period prior to the operation, horribly uncomfortable due to the complete lack of medication in my system. Seconds felt like hours. I couldn't move with any authority; I couldn't speak above a whisper.”
“First they knocked me out so that I would be comfortable and immobile while they drilled two small holes in my head in exactly the right places.” As Steve describes the experience, his eyes grow wide. “Then they brought me back out of the anesthesia just long enough so that I could give them feedback and help them locate the precisely perfect points in my brain, so they could place the wire leads for maximum benefit.”
He raises his hand and waves it over his head like a magic wand.
“So, incredibly, I’m having a conversation about baseball with these guys even as I’m laying there completely immobilized with two holes opened up in my head while they position and re-position these electronic leads. Then, almost instantly, as the lead is positioned in the best spot, I feel a rush of energy flow through my system for the first time in years. Then they put me back under again, so they can close the two holes up and implant two tiny neuro-stimulators just under the skin of my chest.
“And never, not even for a second, did I feel even the slightest pain.”
Read Steve’s full story of his journey back.
- Penn Neurosurgeon Leading The Way To Improve Memory
Gordon Baltuch, MDSteve Zabielski, who is battling Parkinson’s Disease, was having a difficult time managing his disease until Penn neurosurgeon, Gordon Baltuch, MD, a member of the research team, implanted a stimulator and electrodes in his brain to...
- Deep Brain Stimulation: The Immediate Benefits
Please note: This is part four of a four-part series. After suffering with Parkinson’s for five years, Steve Zabielski was fighting the symptoms that characterize the advanced stages of the disease. Medications no longer provided relief. He felt...
- Deep Brain Stimulation: A Life-changing Trip To The Gallery
Please note: This is part two of a four-part series. One summer day, while strolling through an art gallery in Cape May, NJ, Steve Zabielski’s mother asked a friend for advice. She knew her friend understood how debilitating Parkinson’s disease...
- Dbs Patient To Appear On Woman’s Media Center Live
In recognition of Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Robin Morgan from Woman’s Media Center Live, will be interviewing Lori Katz, a patient of Gordon Baltuch, MD, Director of the Center for Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery. The interview will be...
- Awareness Month: Parkinson’s Disease
April is National Parkinson's Awareness Month. Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, has no known cause in most cases. Medically, Parkinson’s has been traced to the death of dopamine-generating cells in the...