Susan

I was finally diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in June of 2000 after 18 months of GP’s and Neurologists telling me I had MS or a Stroke or it was all in my head. Or when I complained about my small writing I was told to use a fatter pen. It took two GP’s and two Neurologists till I finally got the answer. We’ve all been through this. We rarely get a diagnosis the first time out.

Twelve years into the disease my neurologist, told me that he couldn’t help me anymore, that it was time to go to the next level.

Thankfully, through my volunteering at APDA, I found the next level. It was through my Movement Disorder specialist, Dr. Salgado who had a surgeon, Dr. Kaplett from Weill Cornell come and speak to us about DBS. After the surgeon spoke and answered everyone’s questions, something possessed me to ask if I called his office in the morning would I be able to go on vacation in three months time. I called the surgeon’s office the next morning. They were waiting for my call. Within three weeks time I was operated on and turned on.

The rest is history and the DBS has worked as advertised. My quality of life has improved one hundred fold thanks to the neurologist who had the guts to tell me he couldn’t help me anymore.

Now isn’t that “Living with Optimism”?