Daily Living

Guidelines for Living with DBS Therapy

Be careful when participating in activities that may result in accidents or falls. Sudden jerky movements may cause the lead(s) in your brain to move. Falls may damage parts of the implanted Medtronic DBS System. Surgery may be needed to replace any damaged DBS system parts.

When to Call Your Doctor

Call your doctor if any of the following situations occur:

You experience pain, redness, or swelling along the scalp, neck, or chest where the stimulation system is implanted
You are not getting relief from your symptoms even though the neurostimulator is turned on
You feel uncomfortable or painful sensations during stimulation (turn off the neurostimulator before calling your doctor)
You cannot turn the neurostimulator off (or on)
You experience unexpected changes in your symptoms
You experience any unusual symptoms that you think may be caused by electromagnetic interference (for example, from theft detectors or airport security)
You lose your patient programmer

Helpful Tips

Be sure to let all medical personnel know that you have an implanted DBS System, and tell them where it is located. If they have any questions, they should contact Medtronic at (800) 510-6735.
If you experience any unusual symptoms that you think may be related to your neurostimulator, contact your doctor
Attend all follow-up appointments
When the neurostimulator is turned off, your symptoms will return. Some symptoms return quickly. Other symptoms may take longer to return.

Changes in Symptom Control

There may be changes in the level of your symptom control over time.

These changes may include:

Reduced symptom relief
No symptom relief
Loss of effective stimulation

In many cases, your clinician can correct these changes by reprogramming your DBS System. However, surgery may be required to reposition or replace the lead, replace the system, or remove the system.

Because your disease changes with time, your condition may improve, may worsen, or may remain unchanged with stimulation.

Next: Recharging

Information on this site should not be used as a substitute for talking with your doctor. Always talk with your doctor about diagnosis and treatment information.

Last updated: 7 Dec 2011