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  • #1

    Post Op Depression

    My mom had surgery to replace the battery for her deep brain stimulation device on Monday. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, deep brain stimulation allows Parkinsons patients to function somewhat normally.
    Anyways, Mom has been really depressed since the surgery. Some of it is things hitting way too fast, I'm sure, but I don't recall her reacting this badly when she originally had the device put in. (In the space of eight days, she lost her aunt and uncle and her mother fell and broke her hip. So between visiting her mom in the rehab center she neglected alot of her own health).

    We still need to find someone local who can adjust the device which should help but that's proving to be easier said than done. We had someone in Texas but Mom would rather not have to make that commute if she doesn't have to.

    I was just wondering if there's anything my stepdad and I can do for Mom or if this is pretty much just a wait and see type thing.
    Question authority, but raise your hand first. -Alan M. Bershowitz
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  • #2
    Where did she have it done? Can you phone the ward and ask for advice?

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    • #3
      Quoth Teysa View Post
      We still need to find someone local who can adjust the device which should help but that's proving to be easier said than done. We had someone in Texas but Mom would rather not have to make that commute if she doesn't have to.

      I was just wondering if there's anything my stepdad and I can do for Mom or if this is pretty much just a wait and see type thing.
      Call your provider. If they can refer you to someone close, great. Call and set up the appointment. If not, prepare to make the trip.
      They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

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      • #4
        We're going down to Texas next week. At least Mom knows and trusts this doctor. (I've met her. She's really good.) She's starting to show a lot of improvement too both emotionally and physically. It's hard to believe that tomorrow it will only be a week since her surgery. It feels like a lot longer.
        Question authority, but raise your hand first. -Alan M. Bershowitz

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        • #5
          We've got a family friend with Parkinson's. He's usually a really chilled chap, but reacted really badly mentally when he had to go into surgery a while ago. Long story short, Doc eventually calmed him down by explaining that it was basically a side effect of Parkinson's, and would pass.
          I don't know much about it, and obviously am not a doctor, but maybe there's something in how people with Parkinson's can react to surgery? I agree with the other posters, get your Mum to speak to a nice doctor.

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          • #6
            I'm glad she's improving.

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            • #7
              I, too, am glad your mother is improving.

              Sometimes I find myself having an emotional reaction I don't understand. I can then stress out over that reaction, which of course, does nothing but increase my overall suffering.
              If I can be reassured that the emotional reaction is a normal effect of a situation, or a medication, or my illnesses, I'll calm down and just live through it. Like scruff's friend.


              So ultimately, all I can say is to support Sapphire Silk's 'contact your doctor'.
              But I can back up the experience that even if the doctor can't actually change things, can only reassure your mother (and you!) that it's a normal post-operative reaction, that knowledge alone might reduce the suffering.

              Plus, of course, maybe it's not normal. And maybe there is something that can be done, even if it is.
              Seshat's self-help guide:
              1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
              2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
              3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
              4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

              "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.

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              • #8
                We went to Mom's family doctor today. He reassured her that what she was feeling was perfectly normal especially given all the outside circumstances of late. He also said that he'd work on getting her a referral to a local neurologist who specializes in DBS devices. So,that will help too.
                Question authority, but raise your hand first. -Alan M. Bershowitz

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                • #9
                  As someone who has suffered with sever PTSD for nearly seven years (major complications on surgery, died on the operating table, multiple corrective surgeries afterward. A gigantic mess). I wake up screaming some nights, flash backs, the works), it got better for me, but it took a lot of willpower and support from family to get myself going. The first year, I was so traumatized that I'd freak out if I even set foot near a hospital.

                  At any rate, these things take time. Be prepared to be very patient, and supportive. Let her do her own things, but encourage her to get out and about. Sitting idle is not a suitable way to deal with things, it allows for too much thinking.

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                  • #10
                    Thanks Halo. Mom has been doing a lot better since she got her device adjusted. I'm kind of glad now that we held off on my grandma's funeral until after Mom saw her neurologist. I'm back home now, but she knows I'll be back up there in a heartbeat if she needs me.

                    Best wishes on your continued recovery.
                    Question authority, but raise your hand first. -Alan M. Bershowitz

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                    • #11
                      No worries. I hope everything works out well.

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