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Can you open it for me? We don't have long now. What do we only have a day and half until
the surgery? Part of how I define myself, I am woman, I'm religious, I'm married, I'm
a mother, I'm fun, I'm friendly, I worked and I did insurance sales. That was part of
who I am when you say describe Celeste to me. And now when you ask me who I am, probably
right up there is going to be someone with Parkinson's disease, and that's not how I
want to define myself. You know I have lost a lot of facial expression. You've got the
pain, you've got the cramping, you've got the fatigue, your muscles twist. My toes have
literally now curled all the way under. Walking is tremendous. I freeze where I can't move.
Like I might be doing okay walking straight but then when its time to turn I actually
have to stop and think about it to get started walking again. I mean I'm 53 years old. I
shouldn't have to worry about falling. They're recommending I don't drive anymore. That's
hard for somebody my age. After I lost my job in November the doctor said it was time
to really seriously look into deep brain stimulation, and if I want to get my life back I have to
do something. Deep brain stimulation surgery has typically
been done with the patient being awake in the operating room. So we would place a frame
on the patient's head and for 4, 6, 8 hours the patient would be awake while we did recordings
in the patient's brain, tested them, and for many patients it could be a difficult experience.
It was very terrifying to me just to think about having people working on my brain, me
being awake. I kept thinking this is something I want to try but to be awake is just, I don't
think I can do that. When I heard that there was now an operation where the surgery could
be done with me being under anesthetic, that made all the difference in the world.
Doing MRI guided procedures offers a patient a more comfortable surgical experience we
think. Patients are asleep for the whole surgery, they go to bed, they wake up the surgery is
over with. So there is no anxiety associated with the procedure.
"You'll be asleep for the everything unlike when we do the surgery awake, there's no limitation
on your Parkinson's medicines." "Ok." Doing MRI-guided procedures is really a next
wave in neurosurgery. Being able to confirm what you're doing in the operating room is
the next frontier. I wanted to be asleep and wake up and wake
up like in a whole new world. When she first came out the first thing I
noticed were her toes that had been cramped for years. And they were all stretching out.
It's a blessing I don't have that rigidity anymore. I am productive again. I am happy
again. I am able to enjoy and do things I like to do again. I like to get out in my
yard. I like to visit with my friends. I love to cook. I'm from southwest Louisiana and
I love to cook. You can see she actually holds it and it shakes
less than mine. I mean, its... I can wait on him hand and foot again is what
he likes about it. (Laughing) The surgery has given me back the woman I
married 34 years ago. I don't have to worry about her as much as I did. The only thing
I have to worry about now is keeping her from doing too much. (Chainsaw)
I was afraid of everything before the surgery and now it has given me my independence back.
I feel like there is nothing I can't do. I'm 53, I have a lot left to give. I mean I don't
have any grandchildren yet. It has given me my life back and I would do it again tomorrow.
"Slow up, Celeste."