I’m struggling again today. I had a poor night’s sleep, and didn’t want to get out of bed this morning. I have no motivation. No energy. Tremor is bad again. I try changing my device settings after I have had my morning tea and Nutriblast. Group ‘B’ settings offer me better tremor control, but the price I pay is dyskinesia. Dyskinesia returns almost immediately, and I know I can’t tolerate it for very long. I try turning down the voltage on the right hand side to see if that will help. From 2.0v down to 1.5v (I already turned the left side down to 1.0v, which was successful in that the dyskinesia in my neck disappeared. Unfortunately the tremor in my left leg is now much more pronounced). The voltage change on the right does reduce the dyskinesia (a little) in my right arm, but also means that tremor control isn’t what it was. My left arm is significantly weaker today – quite uncomfortably so at times.
We are going to a barbecue at my wife’s youngest son’s house this afternoon, and we have a few things we want to get done around the house before we go. My wife walks the dog and then is busy upstairs trying to clear out the spare room so that my son and daughter can use it when they arrive next weekend. I need to sell a large coffee table that is currently taking up far too much room in the lounge. So, I polish the table and photograph it, and then I put an advert on Gumtree, list it on eBay, and post it to about 6 different “For Sale” groups on Facebook. Within 10 minutes, I have a response from one of the Facebook groups, and 3 hours later the table is gone and I have money in my pocket. Ever think you sold something too cheaply? I spend the rest of the time before we go out cancelling all of the advertising that I spent all morning creating!
While we are at the barbecue I am having trouble trying not to throw my drink over myself, so it’s back to Group ‘A’ settings we go. The dyskinesia doesn’t disappear instantly, but is definitely on the wane. I manage to get my drink down my throat rather than down my t-shirt.
So sorry to hear you’re struggling….could the heat be affecting things Ian? Do you have someone you are able to contact for advice; it would still seem to me that it’s early days after having the op or should it have settled down by now? Xx
Hi Lorraine
It could be the heat, but I really think it’s to do with device settings. Having said that, I had no motivation prior to DBS, but immediately afterwards was really buzzing with enthusiasm and energy. Problem is that my initial settings also caused some impulsive behaviour, so they changed them pretty quickly. I’m sure we will get to some settings that not only calm the tremor, but improve my mood without undesirable side-effects. As you said, it’s early days yet. Hoping to get back to hospital for a tune up first week in August. Cheers, Ian.