Neuro Note #3- Parkinson's Disease and Deep Brain Stimulation
Neuro Note #3: PD and DBS
Source Material: Grey's Anatomy; Season 1 Episode 6: If Tomorrow Never Comes
In this episode of Grey's Anatomy a man named Edward Levangie was admitted to the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital for severe dyskinesia as a result of his progressive Parkinson's Disease. He is experiencing back pain, and he wishes to simply receive medication for management and then discharge. Edward currently cannot walk well without assistance and his daughter is wishing he would be able to walk her down the aisle at her upcoming wedding. He is a candidate for DBS, but is afraid of the risks and not interested in brain surgery. However, his daughter and Meredith Grey agree upon the fact that he currently has no quality of life and his symptoms will only progress. Derek and Meredith try and convince Edward to undergo DBS. Derek makes a point of saying that once his Parkinson's gets more progressive to the point of dementia, he will no longer be a candidate for DBS and will lose this opportunity. However, he is still insistent on not having DBS out of fear of the risks that go alongside surgery. Meredith makes the point to him that this is a quality of life issue and he shouldn't have to live his life like this if it's at all avoidable. Edward then agrees reluctantly to undergo the surgery.
DBS requires the recipient to remain awake during the surgery, so Meredith stands to the front of Edward to try and calm him while Derek starts to go inside his brain. Derek begins to try and find the spot to place the probe while Edward is asked to turn his hands over repeatedly until they find the correct place to put the probe. Derek finally finds the spot indicated by Edward's ability to turn his hands over and now lack of tremor. A surprisingly happy ending in a show infamous for its lack of happy endings. At the end of the episode, we see Edward walking with his daughter in the hospital, seemingly practicing how he will walk her down the aisle.
My takeaways:
I really enjoyed this story in Grey's not only because it showed us a happy ending, but because of how it brought awareness to DBS. PD is currently incurable, but with medical revolutions like DBS a cure appears to not be so far away. It gives hope to my generation that modern medicine will support us as we age. I also enjoyed this episode because it tied in a goal that Edward and his daughter would like to achieve: walking her down the aisle. It relates back to functionality, and how without this procedure he will not be able to achieve this goal. I also appreciated the fact that in this particular episode thorough research was done on DBS, even mentioning that it cannot be done once in the later stages of PD. Finally, Meredith's mention of quality of life made my little future OT heart skip a beat and made me excited that they mentioned this fact, that he would not have a quality of life as he progressed through PD.
References:
Rhimes, S. (Writer). (2005, May 1). If Tomorrow Never Comes [Television series episode]. In Grey's Anatomy. Manhattan, New York: ABC.
Image: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-food/201405/the-beneficial-mischief-neurosurgery
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| Derek performing DBS on Edward Levangie |
In this episode of Grey's Anatomy a man named Edward Levangie was admitted to the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital for severe dyskinesia as a result of his progressive Parkinson's Disease. He is experiencing back pain, and he wishes to simply receive medication for management and then discharge. Edward currently cannot walk well without assistance and his daughter is wishing he would be able to walk her down the aisle at her upcoming wedding. He is a candidate for DBS, but is afraid of the risks and not interested in brain surgery. However, his daughter and Meredith Grey agree upon the fact that he currently has no quality of life and his symptoms will only progress. Derek and Meredith try and convince Edward to undergo DBS. Derek makes a point of saying that once his Parkinson's gets more progressive to the point of dementia, he will no longer be a candidate for DBS and will lose this opportunity. However, he is still insistent on not having DBS out of fear of the risks that go alongside surgery. Meredith makes the point to him that this is a quality of life issue and he shouldn't have to live his life like this if it's at all avoidable. Edward then agrees reluctantly to undergo the surgery.
DBS requires the recipient to remain awake during the surgery, so Meredith stands to the front of Edward to try and calm him while Derek starts to go inside his brain. Derek begins to try and find the spot to place the probe while Edward is asked to turn his hands over repeatedly until they find the correct place to put the probe. Derek finally finds the spot indicated by Edward's ability to turn his hands over and now lack of tremor. A surprisingly happy ending in a show infamous for its lack of happy endings. At the end of the episode, we see Edward walking with his daughter in the hospital, seemingly practicing how he will walk her down the aisle.
My takeaways:
I really enjoyed this story in Grey's not only because it showed us a happy ending, but because of how it brought awareness to DBS. PD is currently incurable, but with medical revolutions like DBS a cure appears to not be so far away. It gives hope to my generation that modern medicine will support us as we age. I also enjoyed this episode because it tied in a goal that Edward and his daughter would like to achieve: walking her down the aisle. It relates back to functionality, and how without this procedure he will not be able to achieve this goal. I also appreciated the fact that in this particular episode thorough research was done on DBS, even mentioning that it cannot be done once in the later stages of PD. Finally, Meredith's mention of quality of life made my little future OT heart skip a beat and made me excited that they mentioned this fact, that he would not have a quality of life as he progressed through PD.
References:
Rhimes, S. (Writer). (2005, May 1). If Tomorrow Never Comes [Television series episode]. In Grey's Anatomy. Manhattan, New York: ABC.
Image: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-food/201405/the-beneficial-mischief-neurosurgery
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