An article appeared in my local newspaper this weekend written by Judith Graham of the Chicago Tribune entitled "Deep brain stimulation offers hope to people with treatment-resistant illnesses". I was intrigued.
Basically, it said that deep brain stimulation is a technique in which doctors drill two dime-sized holes in the skull and guide small electrodes into two brain sites the size of tic tacs or small green olives. A battery pack is then implanted at the base of the skull in the back of the neck, and the electrode locations become the targets of pinpointed electricity. The current from the batteries tamps down brain circuits that are firing abnormally or revs up circuits that are underactive, experts hypothesize.
It is already in use to treat Parkinson's disease, but is in trials for other uses, such as treatment-resistant depression, OCD, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's disease, and chronic pain. In some cases, the results are little short of miraculous. One patient had been suicidally depressed for four years before the surgery and now enjoys a depression-free life, but it didn't happen overnight. For the first six months he felt nothing and was devastated. The doctors had to tinker with his implants until they got just the right settings. Then he woke up and realized "the pain, the fear and the anxiety were gone".
I know I could live with that. Deep brain stimulation is still considered a treatment of last resort for those for whom conventional treatments have failed, but in the U.S. that includes approximately 2 million depressed patients per year. It is expensive, costing approximately $150,000 per patient. There are potential side effects, as well, including problems related to medical hardware, brain bleeds or hemorrhages, infections, post-surgery seizures and headaches, pain and severe mood fluctuations, reports suggest. Not something to enter into lightly. But after twenty or more years of suffering, if I had the possibility in front of me of being WELL?
I know I have virtually no shot at being included in a trial because of my other medical conditions ... but I sure would take my chances.
Have a nice day.
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