It's Time to Celebrate This Family's Inspiring Fight Against Parkinson's
Mike and Gail started to discuss the possibility of deep brain stimulation.
Doctors discussed Mike’s condition to see if he was a viable candidate for Deep Brain Stimulation, or DBS.
“With DBS, doctors place two electrodes in the Parkinson’s patient’s brain that are attached to a wire, which connects to batteries in the upper chest,” Gail said. “If this doesn’t sound amazing enough, think about the fact that this operation is performed while the patient is awake!”
Gail and Mike went to the medical facility where Mike underwent cognitive testing, a comprehensive MRI, and motor skills testing while he was both on and off his medication. He passed these tests beautifully, and both Mike and Gail became hopeful that DBS might be the answer. For the first time in a few years, things began to look a bit brighter for the Achins.