Life has gotten a little easier since my husband had Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery. He is now able to do more things for himself and helps more with tasks around the house, it is really nice. However, there are times when the stiffness and tremors return as if to remind us that the disease is still there.

And yes, while some of his symptoms have improved, we continue on the Parkinson’s pathway. I now have to try to watch to see that he doesn’t push things too far and get hurt. As excited as I am to see some of his abilities return, I am sure he is even more excited to feel himself again. It would be easy for me to back off completely and let things go, yet I know that while he is greatly improved it is unrealistic to expect him to be where he was pre-PD. After all, while DBS can positively impact his movement and mobility, there are other issues that the past 10 years have brought that cannot be ignored.

So, my new challenge moving forward will be to keep an eye on what is happening to him as he tries to relearn skills that he hasn’t used in a while. There will be a certain amount of trial and error as his body and brain learn to communicate again and muscles that have been dormant for a while are woken up and asked to respond. It will be my job to support his safe recovery and encourage thoughtfulness as we figure out together what this portion of our journey will look like.