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GettingBack
theJoys in Life
D E E P B R A I N S T I M U L AT I O N
H E L P S PAT I E N T S O V E R C O M E
N E U R O L O G I C A L D I S E A S E
By Andrea Nagel
Every morning
most of us wake up and start a pot of
coffee to begin our day. We may carry a cup from room to
room as we get ready for work, or to the table or sofa to
eat breakfast or watch the news. This seems like a normal,
mundane ritual that millions of people do every day. For
those who have essential tremor disorder, Parkinson’s, or
another neurological disease, picking up a cup of coffee
may be incredibly difficult, perhaps impossible.
Marj Spangler was diagnosed with essential tremor
disorder years ago, a condition that causes her hands to
shake uncontrollably and prevents her from completing
simple daily tasks.
“It was so bad I couldn’t write my name,” Marj said.
“It was very emotional for me. I was in my 70s and
couldn’t do what a kindergartner could do. I couldn’t
print it, sign it, anything.”
After 15 years of dealing with her tremor, Marj was
surprised to learn of a treatment that could help. Deep
brain stimulation (DBS) is a treatment that uses a probe
inserted deep into the brain that connects to a generator
(a pacemaker-like device) under the skin in the chest.
When the generator is turned on, it sends electrical
pulses to override the brain’s signals, stopping the tremor.
“It’s life-altering for these patients,” Judy Hayton,
neurodiagnostics lab manager, said. “We have so many
patients who have gotten their life back. People who
couldn’t babysit their grandkids but can now, those who
can’t cook or bake because they can’t hold a measuring
cup—this procedure allows patients to live their lives again.”
For Marj, being able to write her name is just one
of the many daily tasks she is thrilled to be able to do
again. Since having her procedure nearly five years
ago, Marj has taken up knitting, an activity she only
dreamed of doing before.
“It keeps my hands busy and my mind working,” she
said. “The fact that I can knit is such a neat thing.”
Last October, Marj was struck by the idea to start
knitting baby hats for the babies in Kootenai’s neona-
tal intensive care unit (NICU).
“I had no idea if this was something that was needed,
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