My neurologist casually mentioned it at the end of my programming but I had no idea what it was or even what it meant.

According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, Dyskinesias are involuntary, erratic, writhing movements of the face, arms, legs or trunk. For days after programming, my neck, head and shoulders would involuntary say back and forth almost to the point of making me sick. Little did I know that reducing the electrical current to my brain would lessen the dyskinesia.

My immediate fear was that I was trading one disease for another. Luckily I had a great resource in the Boston Scientific representative. I was scared because I had no knowledge how the implantable pulse generator (IPG) worked. Allison, my BS representative, had given me her personal cell number before I left the hospital. I never intended on using it but when your body starts moving without your control, you pretty quickly pick up the phone and reach out.

Early one morning, I called her and she walked me through the steps of changing my programming through a remote control to reduce the dyskinesia. I’ve changed the programming on a weekly basis to get my body use to the electrical currents going to my brain. Today, I am virtually dyskinesia free!

READ MORE about Boston Scientific’s Deep Brain Stimulation System.