Local man pursues Parkinson's therapy

A high-tech surgical treatment used rarely in this area to treat movement disorders has brought hope to Parkinsons disease patients, including one Arkansas City man.

In 2012, Carroll Shoup underwent two surgeries, including an initial six-hour surgery, to implant medical devices in his brain and chest for a therapy called deep brain stimulation, or DBS.

Shoup, 68, was diagnosed with Parkinsons more than 15 years ago.

He decided to undergo DBS, which was introduced in this country between five to 10 years ago, after the medication he was taking for the disease lost its effectiveness.

I didnt have bad tremors, he said in a recent interview with the Traveler. My medications started wearing off in shorter periods of time. Theyd wear off after an hour and a half.

Shoup started considering DBS therapy about two years ago after attending a neurologists presentation on the subject.

At that time, he was having some problems with involuntary movements, he said. DBS involved a complex surgical procedure that would require great stamina on the part of the patient, he realized.

But the results of a successful surgery were worth the cost brain stimulation to alleviate the tremors and fatigue that he was experiencing.

A building contractor by trade who also had a private pilots license, Shoup was determined to remain active after doctors told him that he no longer should be climbing ladders or flying planes.

As a contractor, Shoup built many houses and businesses in the Arkansas City area, according to he and his wife, Evelyn, who accompanied him on the interview.

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Local man pursues Parkinson's therapy