I become a Cyborg!

After several MRI scans, blood tests, and a psychological exam I finally was approved for the Deep Brain Surgery. I remember I wasn't afraid because I was getting pretty locked up and the pain in my right shoulder was relentless. I got the call in February of 2024 that the doctor had a cancellation, and I could get in in late March, I said yes, and started to get a little nervous.

The night before my family came with me to Stanford and we got a hotel close to the hospital. We went out to a nice dinner and then bed since I had had to be there early in the morning.

The day of the surgery finally was here. I remember walking into the hospital, getting checked in, and finally getting called back. They went over all the usual surgery questions and got me all hooked up to the I.V.'s. I think the Betadine that was used to disinfect up my nose as one of the worst parts amazingly....

I remember being wheeled into the operating room, getting onto the table and being amazed at how "techy" it looked inside. Then poof! I was out and waking up in recovery. I know it doesn't sound like much, however; I was in surgery for about 5-6 hours. During that time they screwed a steel "halo" into my skull to hold my head still, drilled two nickel sized holes into the front of my head, inserted four wire lead in from the top where they had made the holes down into the base of my brain, and closed me up. In the picture below, you can see the Leads going down into my brain, the coil of wires where the holes are (yes, they put caps on, so it feels like I have two little "horns") and to the back you can see the connectors. As a side note, if you look at the bottom of my spine, how can also see the plate fusing my C6-C7 vertebrae together from the wreck I had while on duty.

The whole point of the DBS surgery is to kinda jump-circuit the misfiring parts of the brain with small bursts of electricity. The leads (about the thickness of a guitar string) are capable of delivering small pulses of electricity in a specific direction at a specific amperage at a specific height. The wires are then later hooked up to a "Pule Generator" which was put in my chest during the second surgery. Think of it as a pacemaker, except for the brain.

They had shaved two strips of hair when they bored the holes, so I had a haircut worse then the guy from Prodigy hahaha!

Doh!

Grody!!!

So in April I had the Pulse generator put in, and let me tell you! That hurt worse then the brain surgery! It felt like I had been shot in the chest! Once it all healed up its not to noticeable unless I move just the right way to make it pop out. It's kinda creepy because you can feel the wires coming out, going over my color-bone and up my neck.

All I had to do was wait until late April until I healed enough to turn it on.