First week with DBS

Luz loved having the Khoury-Sergi and Joaquin-Chun families visiting us this past week.

Last Friday we spoke with Wendy Cole, the assistant to Neurologist Helen Bronte-Stewart, about Luz's first week experience with the DBS system turned on as initially calibrated. Luz has not significantly reduced her medications yet and has occasional walking problems and is impatient to feel herself normal again. To us she has vastly improved-steady, better walking speed, clearer and louder speech and wanting to do a lot even though she gets fatigued (she did have brain surgery after all). Wendy Cole said that her system settings are set low deliberately so that her body can gradually adjust. Her next appointment for review and recalibration is scheduled for May 5th and Wendy said that over time Luz be able to reduce her medications. Most people who have written about this stage of the process say it takes up to six months to experience the full potential of the DBS system.

Luz felt relieved (though patience did not increase substantially) after speaking with Wendy and we so appreciate the accessibility and responsiveness of everyone at Stanford who provides Luz with love and care.

Aloha everybody,
John