"STEREOTACTIC IMAGE GUIDED IMPLANTATION OF BILATERAL GPi DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION ELECTRODES WITH VOLUMETRIC ANALYSIS USING MAZOR ROBOT AND IMPLANTATION OF RIGHT INFRACLAVICULAR PULSE GENERATOR"
was on all the forms I had to sign, describing what was done to me...
"Stereotactic image" (the 3D result of an MRI scan on Tuesday and a CT scan Friday morning)
"... guided" (the team looked at the 3D image to plan the route of the wires into my brain)
"Implantation" (skewering)
"of bilateral" (both sides)
"GPi" (globus pallidus interna -- the part of my brain they were targeting)
"deep brain" (well, it was pretty deep in there, and hard to get to)
"stimulation electrodes" (two thin cables with 8 strands each leading to 8 points within the GPi)
"with volumetric analysis" (checking the path so they don't skewer something important)
"using Mazor robot" (a device they attached to a 'platform' that was screwed into my skull first thing Friday morning after first making me a numb-skull, then drilling pilot holes and screwing in; the Mazor robot then guides the surgery exactly)
"and implantation" (this one goes in a little pocket they cut in my chest)
"of right" (only one)
"infraclavicular" (under my collar bone, the electrode leads pushed under scalp, neck skin, down chest)
"pulse generator" (the thing that will send pulses to the electrodes)
Right now my brain is recovering from the trauma of this disturbance... my Parkinson's symptoms are mainly worse than usual -- both hands shaking, having trouble standing, using a walker to scoot around the house, speech soft and distorted enough that Alexa doesn't understand me, mild headache, among other indignities.
Today I get to shower! Yay!
My appointment for having the whole thing turned on and to start tuning the pulses to my body is February 16th. Happy Birthday!
The process of fine tuning can take 6 months of appointments every two weeks. Each of 8 leads on each side, with their own pulse intensity, frequency and width ... I'm assuming there's some method to it, will let you know.
Medley Interlisp Project, by Larry Masinter et al.
I haven't been blogging -- most of my focus has been on Medley Interlisp. Tell me what you think!
