No Good Options

After a 20-year Air Force career,serving both as enlisted and as an officer flying the KC-135. I was ecstatic to be a new hire first officer at American Airlines. I had done some training at the American Flight academy, so I felt right at home training on the F-100. I spent my probation flying out of Chicago before going down to Dallas on the F-100, loving flying modern equipment. Several years passed before I noticed things happening to my body during long bike rides. I had a weakness in my left leg, tremors on my left hand, and a loss in dexterity. After many tests and several doctors, I was given the bad news of Parkinson’s Disease at the ripe old age of 42. My life was about to change forever. My flying career that I worked so hard for was gone. God had another plan for me. I became a stay-at-home dad, while my wife went to graduate school to start a new career as a teacher. It was an adjustment, but my wonderful, supportive family made the sacrifices. The positive side was that my girls had a father in their lives constantly, and I enjoyed being there watching them grow up. My paycheck wasn't as good as when I was flying, but I was rich in other ways. When I wasn't being a father, I was working out, riding my bike, doing yoga, anything to fight the Parkinson's Disease. I thought I was doing a good job. At each checkup, my doctors would tell me that I looked great. I even talked myself into believing that I could exercise for the rest of my life and keep one step ahead of the Parkinson's. I could ride a bicycle for 100 miles on any given day. I rode with the Air Force cycling team across Iowa.(RAGBRAI) climbed mountains and pushed through the hard parts. For the first 10 years, the disease was an inconvenience. Taking pills is no big deal, right? As the years passed, I ended up taking about every medication there is to offer a Parkinson's patient, but it always came back to sinemet, the gold standard. Years 11 and 12 brought additional symptoms and a small bike accident that started my slide downhill in my battle with Parkinson's. My right knee was injured, and by the time I had surgery eight months had passed without many days of intense exercise, which was my key to fighting Parkinson’s. As luck would have it, (Bad) I was also informed that my right shoulder required replacement surgery. The seemingly small setbacks began adding up, and my

health suffered. I was taking sinemet every two hours. I thought I might have a fighting chance left with the new drug Rytary. I was wrong in a big way. I couldn't tolerate it at all. That brings me about to where I stand today. The non-contact boxing program Rock Steady restored some exercise intensity, and I'm back on the bike. The progression of the Parkinson’s is quite evident though. My left leg is shaking before I can get out of bed in the morning and get the meds flowing. Then I wait and see if I get any “on time” from the first round of meds.(On Time is when the medication is working and symptoms are controlled) Some days, I wait until 11:00 or 12:00 P.M. to be “on” enough to be productive. Throughout the day, I struggle with my medication fluctuating or wearing off altogether, turning the simplest of tasks into a struggle. Nothing like freezing in the middle of grocery shopping. By 9:00 P.M., I am again rendered nearly immobile, incapacitated by rigidity and dyskinesia. In my 15-year battle, I'm sure I've had all the motor and non-motor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s. I'm fully aware that DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) will not help all symptoms and that it's not a cure, but I feel it would restore me to a point that I could better resume the fight while I wait for the elusive cure of this terrible affliction.

I’ve given you this background to help you understand my current position. DBS surgery is my last feasible treatment option. I do not take my decision to have doctors drill holes in my scull and probe my brain, lightly. I have utmost confidence in my surgeon and team of doctors. Vanderbilt Medical Center has completed over 1,000 DBS procedures, and as a research facility, they are leaders in this field. That being said, I know that there are always risks involved. Infection, bleeding in the brain, stroke, swelling, and seizures are all possible. I need this operation, I've weighed the options!My quality-of-life will be dependent on the outcome.