Surgery treats Burlington man’s Parkinson’s disease

BURLINGTON, W.Va. Dale Sines is the first person at the Winchester (Va.) Medical Center to undergo deep brain stimulation surgery to treat Parkinsons disease, and the surgery has been life-altering for the 70-year-old Burlington resident.

Im able to hunt and fish all day now, which for me is a big thing. I love the woods, said Sines. I have fewer tremors, my speech and walk have improved and most importantly, my sleep schedule has gotten 100 precent better. Before the surgeries I didnt fall asleep until 3 or 4 in the morning and wake up early. Now I wake up later and stay asleep longer. The surgeries have also gotten rid of my stiffness (in the limbs and trunk), I can talk faster and louder and I can walk up and down the steps faster. Before the surgery I could only take one step at a time.

Not only is Sines the first to have the surgery in Winchester he is the only person to have undergone the operation at the medical center thus far. Several patients there are in the process of being evaluated but havent yet had the surgery, according to Dr. Mariecken Fowler, a neurologist with Winchester Neurological Consultants.

We hope to have quite a few more in the future, said Fowler.

The evaluation process takes about six weeks, according to Fowler.

There is no cure for Parkinsons disease but the surgery provided a better quality of life for Dale and helped relieve his symptoms, said Sines wife, Rose. Before the surgeries Dale was getting pretty bad and could have ended up not being able to walk and been in a wheelchair if he didnt have the surgery.

It (surgery) was well worth it, added Sines.

Although the DBSdidnt cure him, it helped significantly decrease the amount of medication needed to control his symptoms.

DBS can decrease the amount of medication required by a patient by approximately 50 percent and these medications often have significant side effects," Fowler said in a news release. Medication treatment can result in significant fluctuations of symptoms throughout the day and night. DBS helps to keep a much more even level of functioning through the day, therefore helping quality of life significantly.

Sines was diagnosed with Parkinsons in 2005, and underwent a two-part DBS surgical process that began on Sept. 18. During the first surgery, Dr. Lee Selznick, a neurosurgeon with the Virginia Brain and Spine Center, inserted two electrodes in the area of the brain that helps to control movement known as the globus pallidus, according to a news release from WMC. Wires connected to the electrodes are brought through the skull and placed beneath the scalp. Sines indicated that he was awake for this surgery, couldnt feel anything and that he could see Fowler and Selznick.

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Surgery treats Burlington man’s Parkinson’s disease