A Stitch in Time

It's been eight days since my Parkinson's DBS battery replacement surgery, and I have a follow-up appointment in Tucson. We overslept, so we quickly got ready and left Yuma at 7:15am. We had an easy drive with very little traffic. We had a very short visit with Mr. Brooks in the VA Hospital, then drove to Dr. Norton's office. 

I usually take my half a carbi/levodopa tablet AFTER I have my cereal with milk, but today, because we slept late, I took it on an empty stomach and I was now having noticeable dyskinesias in both feet. 

When I checked in, I was told I had no co-pay. That was a pleasant surprise. 

The Center had an Alzheimer's Awareness Month display with purple balloons, purple ribbons and purple frosted cupcakes. Another surprise.

We hadn't had any breakfast and we were hungry, so Wonderful Hubby and I each grabbed a cupcake. I ended up with purple frosting on my hands and face. No surprise there.

I was in the restroom trying to wash it off, when I heard Dr. Norton call my name. Yes, he comes out to the waiting area to get his own patients!

I hurried out and Wonderful and I walked back to his exam room with Dr. Norton. 

"Did you get your device?" Dr. Norton asked.

Device? I'm thinking to myself, what is he talking about? Then it dawned on me, he was asking about my old IPG. Yes, I said, I got it that same day.

"I see you are having some dyskinesias" Dr. Norton said.

"I told you he'd notice" Wonderful said.

As I sat in the exam room, I asked Dr. Norton if all his DBS surgeries are as humorous as mine. 

"Only yours" Dr. Norton says, chuckling, "only yours." 

Wonderful says,"I was stuck out there in the waiting area worrying, and you guys are having fun, it's not fair."

Before Dr Norton removes suture

Dr. Norton snips the knot off one end of the suture and grabs the other end with tweezers and gives a gentle pull. It comes right out. He holds up the 3-inch long piece of blue suture and says, "looks like fishing line, doesn't it?"

He grabs his Medtronic DBS programmer, checks everything and asks me if I want him to lower the settings to calm my dyskinesias. 

After suture is out

I say, no, I'll be fine after I eat. 

I tell Dr. Norton to check out the blog stories, he says he will, and we are done. 

YumaBev & Dr. Thomas Norton

As we are walking out, he says "I'm here if you need me, if not, I will see you in 15 years." 

That's a deal, I say. 

On our way home, I manage to pull off the highway and snap a picture of a saguaro cactus that looks like it's waiting for a hug. A very nice surprise.

The Hugger Saguaro

We got back home at 6:15pm: a 475 mile, eleven-hour day for a 10-minute appointment. Was it worth it? YES. No surprises there. 

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It's a Boy, It's a Girl, NO it's ......

We get back to our hotel and I call the hospital and ask for the Pathology department. A woman answers and I ask about getting the IPG they removed from me earlier. She says this is the lab and I don't know what you are talking about. I thought about saying 'Chocolate or Yellow Lab', but I just ask if she can transfer me to Pathology. She says yes.

"Pathology, this in Ingrid." 

Hi, Ingrid. I'm Beverly Ribaudo, I just had surgery and I'd like to have the IPG they removed from me. I have my medical record number, if you need it.

"Okay?? You want what?"

It's a small chunk of metal, similar to a pacemaker. The surgeon, Dr. Norton said it's okay if I take it home with me.

"Okay, let me see if we have it. What's your date of birth? I found it. When are you leaving the hospital?"

It was outpatient surgery, I'm already back at the hotel. We go back to Yuma tomorrow.

"Let me see how quickly we can process it. It might be tomorrow morning before I can get one of our Pathology Doctors to sign off on it. May I have your phone number?"

Thank you Ingrid.

I am hungry. There's a McDonald's across the street from the hotel, so Wonderful Hubby walks over and gets us burgers and fries. After we eat, we decide to take a nap. I have no pain, but take a Tylenol tablet just in case. I am just dozing off when...

The phone rings, it's Ingrid. My 'specimen' is ready to be picked up. She says I'm to go to the Maternity, Labor & Delivery entrance and then call her. She says she's there until 5:30pm. I tell her I will be there in an hour or so (I really NEED that nap.)

After my nap, we drive back to the hospital and find the Maternity entrance. We are the only people who aren't carrying balloons, gifts or flowers. Once inside, I call Ingrid and she comes to meet us. We follow her down hallways and through an unmarked door and she goes and gets a form for me to sign and hands me a brown paper bag.

My IPG baby 

I asked how she managed to get it done so quickly. She said she just asked the Doctor if he could rush it and he said yes. Then she says she was almost born in Yuma. Her Dad was military and he was stationed in Yuma, but her Mom decided to drive to San Diego to have her baby.  

Ingrid asked me what I was going to do with it?

With as serious a face as I could manage, I said 
"Sell it on eBay, of course." Then I started giggling.

I took a peek inside my paper bag and she walked us back out to Maternity. I felt silly carrying a paper bag when everyone else was holding babies. 

YumaBev's specimen in sealed container

It's a boy, it's a girl, no it's.............an IPG! 

Yes, this is the actual IPG that has been inside me since October 25, 2012. That's a LONG gestation period. I think I will refer to "it" as a she. Why? Because a he would have quit working years ago!

Activa PC "Pretty Cute"

Oh my, these Parkinson's Humor blog stories are almost writing themselves.

We stopped at Subway and picked up some sandwiches on the way back to the hotel. 

I'm still in no pain. Tonight we watched Grumpier Old Men on TV and laughed some more. 

June 13th, Surgery Day

Warning: Graphic surgical photo included. 

We arrive at the Tucson Medical Center at 8:30am and get in the Valet Parking line. The attendant arrives and we head inside. We go up to the outpatient surgery floor, I get checked in and pay my co-pay. The hospital wants their money before surgery. I no sooner get done and my name is being called, so we head back to pre-op.

Nurse Esther gives me the designer one-size-fits-absolutely-no-one gown and says take off everything and put it in the bag, EVERYTHING. She pulls the privacy curtain and I comply.

YumaBev ready for surgery

A few minutes later, a fellow comes in and says "I'm the lab guy."

Without missing a beat, Wonderful Hubby says "Chocolate or Yellow Lab?" 

The labs guy starts laughing, says he's never heard that one before.


A few minutes later, Joey the Medtronic Rep comes in. He checks my current settings and will make sure the new IPG is set the exact same way. He says he'll see me in the OR (operating room) and leaves.


Dr. Norton pokes his head around the curtain. He's wearing multiple surgical masks and gives Hubby a fist bump and me a thumbs up. I ask how he's feeling. He says the cold came on quickly, but he took some Nyquil last night and is feeling well enough to do my battery change but cancelled the brain drill and generator placement surgeries scheduled prior to me. I thanked him. He said it's okay, I can't see you having to drive all the way over here again. He marked an X on my right shoulder (hospital rules, he mumbled) and listened to my heart and lungs. 

I asked him if I can have the old IPG that they are removing? He said he'd ask, but he didn't see why not, after all, you paid for it. 

He said Dr. Robin Kloth, the anesthesiologist who did my original surgeries will be in to see me soon. I'm glad. I like Dr. Kloth, she's nice and wears colorful shoes. Dr. Norton leaves. 


A few minutes later, a man comes in. "I'm Dr. Offerdahl, anesthesiologist. Dr. Kloth is in another surgery, so I will be filling in. Is that okay?" 

Do you have colorful shoes?

He looks down and says just boring brown.

How about colorful socks?

Looks down again and says no, but at least they match today. I've been known to wear one white and one dark. 

I like this guy's sense of humor but I find it funny that he had to look to see what color shoes he had on. 

I tell Dr. Offerdahl about my adhesive allergies and ask him to get the EKG pads off me as soon as possible. I also tell him that I want to be as wide awake as possible so I can blog about it. He says how about I give you just a bit of Propofol when Norton is doing the painful numbing shots? Then I will wake you right up again. I say okay.


I kiss Wonderful Hubby goodbye and Nurse Esther takes him out to the waiting area. 

YumaBev ready to go

Dr. Offerdahl says "I'll give you a shot of whiskey when we get in the OR." 

I say I prefer tequila. 

"Tequila?" he says.

Jose Cuervo Light Peach Tequila, please.

"Wow, you're exact aren't you!" 

And off we go. As he is wheeling me down hallways and around corners, he keeps bumping the gurney into the walls.

Turkey or Jack? I say.

"What?"

Wild Turkey or Jack Daniels? I say. Which did you have for breakfast, because you're driving like you are drunk! 

He laughs. "This surgery should be interesting."

We get to the OR, they slide me over on the surgical table, tuck my arms in, give me a warm blanket and an oxygen mask.

Dr. Norton says "Dr. Kloth, your voice is much lower and you've gained weight." I pipe in and say "and you have boring shoes." We are all laughing. 

Poor Dr. Offerdahl, he must think we're all nuts.

As Dr. Norton is doing his thing, he tells the OR nurse to figure out how to get me the IPG he removes. He's telling them about my blog and how I kept the drill bit he used on me during my DBS brain surgery six years ago. I say "I wish we could Live Stream this on Facebook. I want to see what you are doing." 

YumaBev's actual surgical site

I ask Dr. Norton if he ever plans to retire? (he's 79) His reply:

"No, I will just keel over during surgery.
Dr. Offerdahl will try to revive me.
He will be unsuccessful.
My estate will then sue him.
And he will end up living in his car."

Dr. Offerdahl says, "I'm not filling in for Dr. Kloth anymore."

I'm laughing so hard that it's difficult to stay still. 

I can feel the sensation of Dr. Norton suturing me. There's no pain at all. He says he's done and going to find my hubby. I ask Joey to take a picture of Dr. Norton and me. Two other male voices chime in and say "We want to be in the picture, too!"

(L-R) OR nurse Chris, YumaBev, Dr Offerdahl, Dr Norton

And we were done. They slid me back on the gurney, wheeled me to recovery, Dr. Offerdahl said this was the silliest surgery he had done and he disappeared. Wonderful Hubby came in. A nurse went over the post-op care sheet with us. Another person said I should call pathology later because they have the IPG in their possession.

Joey came in to make sure my new device was working properly. A nurse sent Hubby down to get the car from Valet and another nurse helped me get dressed. They wheeled me down to the car and Hubby drove us back to the hotel. It wasn't even Noon. 

Looks like the 13th wasn't a bad day for surgery after all.

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I Could Have Waited...

I could have waited to schedule my DBS for Parkinson's Medtronic IPG replacement surgery. My battery was still at 2.57V and it might be months before it dropped to 2.20V and stopped working. Then again, it might drop really fast. It's the unpredictability that bothered me. 

Back in January of 2019, when I realized it would need to be replaced soon, I would have been thrilled if "soon" was in June or July. Why? The days are longer. You see, Wonderful Hubby would have to drive me back to our hotel room after surgery, and he can't see to drive in the dark. If I could just hold out until mid-June, we'd be okay. 

I was getting tired of putting off any kind of travel or vacation plans and tired of checking my voltage level daily. So, I got ahold of Vanessa, Dr. Norton's assistant and asked if anything was available mid-June or later. She said how about Thursday, June 13th? I could have the Noon time slot and should be out of there by late afternoon. June 13th?? Well, at least it wasn't Friday the 13th. I said okay. 

It's now June 12th, we'd driven over from Yuma earlier (240 miles,) visited our friend Mr Brooks in the Tucson VA hospital, filled up the gas tank in our car, had a early dinner and now we were relaxing in our room at the Varsity Club Resort in Tucson. Believe it or not, we got a one-bedroom suite at a better rate than the other not-as-nice hotels near Tucson Medical Center. 

Wonderful Hubby relaxing.

We were watching the movie Grumpy Old Men on TV. I'd forgotten how humorous this movie was. I was laughing so hard, I almost wet my pants. 

We went to bed early, and had the alarm set for 8am, since I had to be at the hospital at 10am for replacement surgery at Noon. I was sleeping really well, until...my cell phone started playing music very early in the morning. 

I have different ringtones for my various groups of contacts: Kodachrome for Camera Club, Friends in Low Places for neighbors, Little Red Corvette for Corvette Club, Lime In The Coconut for Medical and Shake, Shake, Shake Your Booty for Parkies.

My phone on the nightstand next to me was playing Shake, Shake, Shake. I groggily answered hello.

"Hi, this is Stephanie, have you left yet?"

What? I mumbled.

"This is Stephanie, from Tucson Medical Center, have you left Yuma yet?"

What?? Huh?

Slower and more clearly "This is Stephanie, from Tucson Medical Center, Dr. Norton is sick, he's canceling all of todays surgeries. Have you already left Yuma to come to Tucson? He wanted me to catch you before you drove all the way over here. That's why I'm calling you so early. Have you left Yuma yet?"

Dr. Norton sick!? Now, I'm wide awake. Hi Stephanie, we are already in Tucson, at the hotel just down the street from the hospital. We came yesterday. What's wrong with Dr. Norton, is he okay?

"You are already here? Can I call you back in a few minutes?" 

Sure, no problem.

Phone rings five minutes later. "Hi Bev, I just talked to Dr. Norton, since you are already here and it's just a battery change, he's going to go ahead and do your surgery. He cancelled the others. He came down with a bad cold yesterday evening. He said he'd double mask, so you won't get sick. Can you be at the hospital at 9am, he'll do you at 10am?"

Sure, I said, by the way Stephanie, what time is it?

"5:45 she said."

I was beginning to wonder if I made a mistake choosing the 13th? And I was worried about Dr. Norton. But we got up and I got ready. I had planned on putting my hair in a single braid. I figured it would keep it out of the way, but my fingers wouldn't cooperate. I went downstairs to the front desk, hoping maybe there'd be a lady on duty, but there was a man. I checked the fitness room, just men. I went back to the room and asked Wonderful Hubby if he could braid my hair. 

He said he'd give it a try.

Who knew Hubby could braid hair?

The phone rings at 8am, it's a Tucson number. It's the hospital calling, they want me there as soon as possible, so Hubby eats a quick breakfast, and I drive us there. 

Maybe I should have waited......

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The Energeezer Parkie Will Need a New Battery...Soon

Several years ago, I wrote a story where I used rechargeable batteries as a way to describe what life is like with Parkinson's disease. Using my warped sense of humor, I changed the famous Energizer Bunny to the Energeezer Parkie. It thought it was a pretty good analogy. Once I had DBS surgery, my 'Parkie' battery was pretty close to 100% every day. 

I knew my Medtronic Activa-PC DBS generator battery would need to be replaced some day. The average lifespan is 3 to 5 years. Mine was six years old in October 2018. 

At the beginning of 2016, my battery level was 2.97v. At the beginning of 2017, my battery level was at 2.91v. At the beginning of 2018 it was 2.85v. It was averaging a drop of .06v a year, so I figured I'd have several more years until it reached the ERI (Elective Replacement Indicated) warning you get when it drops to 2.61v, I was wrong.

I had been in the habit of checking my battery level using my patient programmer about every three months. April was 2.83v and July was 2.81v, right on target. So you can imagine my surprise when I checked it at the end of October 2018 and saw that it was down to 2.76v.  

I started checking it monthly, then weekly and now daily and I wasn't liking what I was seeing. The amount of time between voltage drops was decreasing. 

As of today, January 21, 2019, it's now at 2.69v. That's a drop of .07v in less than three months. If the voltage drop continues to accelerate, I will get the ERI warning in a few months!!!

Jan 2019, battery at 2.69v

My neurosurgeon, Dr. Norton is in the same office as Dr. Bradley, my Movement Disorder Specialist and I have an appointment with her in mid-March. I have already contacted Norton's assistant because I didn't want to wait until March and then find out that he's going to be on vacation or something else that would make him unavailable. Norton's assistant said they could get me on his surgery schedule within two weeks, but I should call if I get the ERI warning before my March appointment. 

Looks like the Energeezer Parkie will soon be getting  a brand new generator. 

The generator won't stop working when the ERI warning appears. There's a built in cushion of time, it doesn't stop working until it gets to 2.20v.

If you have a Medtronic Activa DBS generator and don't know how to check it, click on the link above. You don't want it to suddenly stop working.

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A Parkinson's Symposium in Yuma

The APDA Power over Parkinson's symposium in my hometown of Yuma, Arizona, had been in the planning stages for months. A suitable venue had been booked. Email invitations had been sent out. Flyers were printed and handed out at our support group meeting. Members took extra flyers and posted them in their Doctors offices and in the clubhouses where they lived. The Yuma Sun newspaper ran a detailed story about it on the top of page A2 and continued to run a smaller notice in the "What's Going On" section every day. Public radio station KAWC ran a PSA about it. RSVP's were rolling in like crazy.

Everything was going great, until the day of the event. Two Parkinson's Specialists from Tucson would share their expertise with the Yuma medical community at a "professional lunch" event prior to the public event. I had provided a long list of area physician groups, neurologists, clinics, rehab places and even the Professors of the Nursing and EMT programs at the college to the APDA. Space had been reserved at a restaurant near the hospital. Lunch would be provided free. Everyone on the list was contacted and invited to attend. Guess what? Only FIVE responded! An endocrinologist and 4 non-medical staff from the rehab hospital. 

I live in this town. I know these medical offices close for lunch. The restaurant was near to their offices and yet, none of them wanted to learn anything NEW about Parkinson's. I felt bad for the visiting Parkinson's specialists, but we had a nice visit over lunch. Doctors are normal people when not at work, they tease, laugh and tell jokes! And then it was on to the public event.        

By the time we got to the venue, the parking lot was full and we had to park half a block away. All 150 seats were taken and the staff scrounged up some more chairs and squeezed them in around the perimeter of the room. 

Dr. Kathryn Bradley spoke first. She went to the University of Arizona Medical School in Tucson and did her Movement Disorder Residency at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, before returning to Tucson to work at the Center for Neurosciences. She gave an easy to understand presentation and answered lots of questions. 

Dr. Bradley

After a short break, Dr. Thomas Norton spoke. Dr. Norton is the neurosurgeon who did my DBS surgery and has worked at the Center for Neurosciences in Tucson since 1973. His presentation was a bit more technical, but after all, you can't make talking about drilling holes into peoples skulls humorous, can you? Well, I probably could!

He answered questions and then he got asked the one question that comes up at every Parkinson's seminar I've attended: What about medical marijuana?  

His answer was the same as all the others who've been asked. He's heard anecdotal stories, from patients, that it helps them with tremor, rigidity, pain and sleep issues, but that there hasn't been much clinical research done on it.

I spoke last. I told the people about our support group and that I had some of my Parkinson's Humor books for sale and it was over. The Docs headed back to Tucson and I came home and wrote this story. 

PS: Why isn't more research done on marijuana?
Even though use of it, either for medicinal or recreational purposes is legal in some US States, it is still illegal FEDERALLY. 

Why is this? Back in 1970, the US Government decided that marijuana (cannabis) should be declared a Schedule I substance. This classification means that it has a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. Because of this classification, the researchers don't want their grant monies rescinded, or face federal fines, so not much research is done. Getting the classification changed is unlikely any time soon, though researchers have been trying since 1972.

FYI: Here in Arizona, medical marijuana is legal with a State issued ID card, however, if you drive through a US Customs & Border Patrol check-point (they are on all the roads near the southern border) and they find your medical marijuana, they will confiscate it, because they are a Federal agency. 

YumaBev and Dr. Thomas Norton

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