Life With a Battery-Operated Brain - A Patient's Guide to Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery for Parkinson's Disease [Paperback]

Jackie Hunt Christensen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2009

Why would anyone say ''Let's stick wires into someone's brain, run voltage through it, and see what happens!'' So asks Jackie Hunt Christensen in Life With a Battery-Operated Brain: A Patient's Guide to Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery for Parkinson s Disease. Author Christensen answers this question -- and more -- in her unique and comprehensive book, as she has first-hand knowledge of the procedure commonly referred to as DBS. She herself lived with Parkinson's disease for more than seven years before electing to be evaluated for DBS surgery.

It was not a fast and easy choice. For Christensen, a fear of DBS surgery -- which involves placing one or two electrical wires inside the brain -- and its potential complications had to be weighed against quality of life without the surgery, a life of increasing parkinsonian symptoms and a growing pharmacopeia of medications, which might help control her symptoms but which could have devastating long-term effects on her body. Ultimately, she was deemed a good candidate for the surgery, and DBS seemed like her only logical option -- a choice that has been validated post-surgery, as Christensen now enjoys life with most of her motor symptoms well controlled.

Parkinson's disease, the author is quick to point out, does not end, but DBS is meant to be a long-term treatment. Jackie Hunt Christensen offers a step-by-step look at her own journey, as well as offering information on a typical evaluation process, medical statistics, questions to ask neurosurgeons, opinions from other DBS patients, the programming process for DBS, and much more. Life With a Battery-Operated Brain is a must-read for those who are considering deep brain stimulation and for those who love them.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jackie Hunt Christensen is also the author of The First Year: Parkinson's Disease, An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed and has published numerous articles and editorials regarding both Parkinson's and environmental issues. In 2006, she won the Milly Kondracke Award for Outstanding Advocacy from the Parkinson's Action Network in Washington, DC.

Jackie, her husband, and two sons, reside in Minneapolis, MN.

Product Details

• Paperback: 162 pages
• Publisher: Langdon Street Press (a division of Hillcrest Publishing Group, Inc.); 1 edition (April 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934938262
• ISBN-13: 978-1934938263
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #397,084 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jackie Hunt Christensen was born and raised in the rural southwestern Minnesota town of Jackson. She earned degrees in political science and Russian Studies from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN.

Inspired after hearing pediatrician Helen Caldicott speak during her freshman year in college, Jackie has been an environmental health activist for more than 20 years. Since her diagnosis with Parkinson's disease (PD) in July 1998, at the age of 34, she has focused her activist efforts more narrowly, concentrating on Parkinson's disease and the environment.

She has been involved with public education and organizing on environmental and health issues during her work with Greenpeace, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Health Care Without Harm: The Campaign for Environmentally Responsible Healthcare, and the Collaborative on Health and the Environment.

She has published letters and articles in a diverse array of publications, including the Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Minneapolis Star Tribune, San Francisco Medicine, Minnesota Healthcare News and Mothering.

As time and her health allow, Jackie volunteers with several Parkinson's organizations, including the Parkinson Association of Minnesota, the National Parkinson Foundation, the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, and the Parkinson's Action Network. She is a founding member of the Alliance of Parkinson's Health Activists (ALPHA).

She lives in Minneapolis with Paul, her husband of nearly twenty years, and her sons, Alex and Bennett. In addition to writing (when the Muse visits), Jackie enjoys reading, painting with watercolors, cooking and watching soccer.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book written BY patient and FOR patients, August 19, 2009

By 

Kate Kelsall (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life With a Battery-Operated Brain - A Patient's Guide to Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery for Parkinson's Disease (Paperback)

Being a Parkinson's patient myself who has also had Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery, I appreciated this book for the following reasons:

· It is written BY a DBS patient and FOR patients and their families considering DBS.

· It provides an easy-to-understand, step-by step guide through the entire DBS process (DBS is not an event, but a process, says the author).

· The book provides checklists of questions to ask the neurosurgeon, programmer, and others involved in the DBS process.

· The book has illustrations, photos, appendices with links to other valuable information, with excerpts from the author's personal journals and opinions from other DBS patients.

· The book includes topics such as the DBS evaluation process, making the decision, the logical tasks required in preparing for surgery including psychological preparedness, the impact on the family, a detailed description of what actually happens in surgery, the programming process, care and maintenance of DBS, side effects of DBS and alternatives to DBS.

· It gives power back to DBS patients, arming them with information and questions that they might not have considered.

· It's the kind of book that I wish had existed when I was going through DBS.

I highly recommend this practical guide to DBS. In fact, I liked the book so much that I wish I had written it myself.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars DBS book, April 26, 2010

By 

S. Johnson (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Life With a Battery-Operated Brain - A Patient's Guide to Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery for Parkinson's Disease (Paperback)

A good book on the surgery. I had it done. I could not relate to some of it because my procedure was done diffeently and some of the no-no's in the book were opposite of what was told to me by my physicians. I appreciated hearing about Jackie's experiences. She is a trooper and is of great encoragement!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FIRST CLASS REFERENCE BOOK, February 1, 2010

By 

J. Masterson (Punta Gorda, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Life With a Battery-Operated Brain - A Patient's Guide to Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery for Parkinson's Disease (Paperback)

Since having this book, I have reread it many times and feel I have an excellent understanding of what I will face when I have the surgery. Jackie Christensen explains all aspects of her experience in a clear concise manner. She is honest in presenting the positive and negative of her experience and what she might have done differently. She emphasized the importance of loyal family and friends that made her comfortable taking on this surgery. Having young children is a concern that she didn't lose site of. This is a must book for anyone considering this surgery.