Coping with Dystonia Radio-Happy Birthday Mark Lacroix!

Happy Birthday Mark LaCroix from San Antonio Texas who turned 48 years old Saturday March 17, 2007! The LaCroix's are our best friends! My wife is really blessed by Mark's wife Alma. Mark is indeed a BRAVE man! Mark has Dystonia, and a few years ago had DBS for his Dystonia. From www.dystonia-foundation.org site here is the info they have about DBS...."Deep brain stimulation (DBS) involves implanting stimulating electrodes into selected targets in the brain in order to mimic the effects of lesioning. Surgeons began using DBS in place of lesioning for Parkinson’s disease patients in the mid-1990s. DBS also has applications to tremor and pain. Whereas DBS has been used to treat thousands of persons with Parkinson’s disease, the procedure began being applied to dystonia less than 10 years ago. It is estimated that just under 1,000 dystonia patients have been treated with DBS.

Bilateral pallidal DBS produces significant benefit in dystonia with average improvements of about 50-60% in the Burke-Fahn-Marsden dystonia rating scale. Some primary generalized patients have been reported to have up to 90% improvement. DBS has also been performed on persons with secondary dystonias, cervical dystonia, segmental dystonia, and myoclonic dystonia with encouraging results.

The complete DBS apparatus includes the DBS electrode, a connecting wire, and a pulse generator (a.k.a. “brain pacemaker” or stimulator) that contains a battery. The initial procedure to implant DBS is identical to that of the pallidotomy and thalamotomy. Once the brain target is mapped and identified, instead of creating a lesion, the surgeon places the DBS electrode into the target. The wire and pulse generator may be implanted at the same time as the electrode or at a later date. The generator is implanted under the collarbone, and the wire is tunneled up the neck, behind the ear, and to the site of the electrode (the patient is under general anesthesia for this part of the procedure). The wire is connected to the electrode, and the incisions are closed. Most DBS procedures involve the implantation of two generators and are done in two surgeries. It is possible to implant both generators in a single surgery, and surgical centers vary in their preferred approach. Immediately after the operation, the patient may temporarily resume medications. The patient may be discharged the next day.

Once the generator is implanted, the patient must wait a week or two before the batteries are activated. This waiting period is necessary to allow the swelling that normally occurs with the surgery to diminish. The DBS electrode conveys electrical pulses into the brain using power produced by the battery in the generator. A series of visits to the hospital are required to adjust the voltage settings to the needs of the individual. It may take several weeks or months to achieve the correct settings. The patient can check the status of the generator using a handheld device that resembles a TV remote control. Using this device, the patient can determine if the generator is on or off, and can turn it back on in the event that it shuts down unexpectedly. (Certain phenomenon such as magnetic fields caused by security devices may cause the battery to temporarily stop working.)

The expected life span of a battery at a typical voltage is about four years. At a very high voltage, the battery may need to be replaced after a year; at a very low voltage, perhaps up to seven years. Replacing a battery can be done under general or local anesthesia as an outpatient procedure.

Dystonia does not respond to DBS in the same as other movement disorders do. For example, persons treated for tremor will generally improve within seconds of turning the generator on. In patients with dystonia, improvement may be delayed for days, and weeks or months may pass before the full extent of the benefit is reached. DBS does not necessarily eliminate the possibility of subsequent drug or botulinum toxin treatments.

Side effects are minimal, but no procedure is without risks. The main risk in DBS is a fatal hemorrhage. However 99-99.5% of patients do not have significant bleeding. Despite vigorous efforts to avoid it, infection is a risk in approximately 2% of patients. Infection can be serious and warrant the removal of the hardware. If this happens, it may be possible to re-implant the hardware once the infection is treated. Hardware failure is also a concern, though this is rare and precautions are in place in the event of situations such as a battery failing. It is estimated that in 5% of DBS procedures for dystonia some complication may arise, most of which can be addressed without removing the hardware.

Although no longer considered “investigational” for dystonia by the United States Food & Drug Administration, DBS is in its relatively early stages as a treatment for this disorder. The preliminary results are quite positive, and the procedure is expected to evolve over time as more patients are treated and more data is collected.



Mark has had some problems with his DBS long range but he will tell you that because of this surgery his life is better!!!

Mark LaCroix and my sweet wife Michelle our MY heroes because they are "Coping With Dystonia"
God Bless you!

Our next "Coping With Cancer" Show

Jimmy Stewart is my best friend on this earth, next to Jesus! You would never know that Jim has been coping with leukemia for about 12 years or so. He was the "best man" at our wedding! Jim will be our special guest on the next "Coping With Cancer" broadcast! His site is http://voicesabookofhope.com
Here's some info about our friend!
Angels talk to Jim and he responds. Otherwise, Jim is an ordinary talented person like many others. Jim knows there are both good and evil angels. His discernment and authenticity help readers accept the truth he shares.



Jim is an award winning poet and songwriter. He has had the ability to communicate with his angels since he was a child. He has also has been blessed his whole life by being surrounded by miracles, great and small. He has taken the teaching of the angels and applied them to his everyday life. Jim, still remains puzzled as to why God chose to use him. Jim believes that he is a very poor example for others to look up to spritually.



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A Word From The Author



By writing this book, I am not trying to make you believe in God, Jesus, angels, or miracles. I am just telling you about a subject that I know best, me. Is God real? Is Jesus real? Are angels Real? Are miracles real? All of these questions can be debated over and over. I am not a debater, so I will leave the debates up to you.



When revealing my stories to people I would meet, they in turn would tell me a story of their own. I have included many of these stories in this book.



I have be ridiculed, ostricized and called a zealot by many people. Some ask me who I think I am? I always answer them by sayin, "Jim." Many people want me to explain why these things happen to me and not them. I always tell them, "They do happen to you, but you wish to ignore them." These days I am a very misunderstood man and I have almost turned into a recluse.



Many times Satan has attacked me while writing this book. There was many a time I wanted to give up but, I knew that if I were to give up, Satan would win. I know that I could have stopped all of his attacks on me and my family, but there was something stronger on my side, God.



I hope you enjoy reading my book. I also hope that by you reading it, the book will give you hope in your own personal struggles.



God Bless



Jim Stewart












Submit a Story



Jim is in the process of collecting stories for his next book. If you have a story that you would like to share, please email us. Voices2006@msn.com

**Here's some short stories Jim has on his website at www.voicesabookofhope.com

Ray of Sunlight




This is story about Ray and Alice Pineda, (actually Alice).



Alice was diagnosed with cancer in it's later stages and was scheduled for major surgery to try and remove the cancer. The doctor told them that the operation would take between 7 and 8 hours. Both Ray and Alice were scared by the unknown outcome of the surgery. They decided to pray. It had been an overcast day outside, but when they started to pray the clouds opened up and a ray of sunlight fell on Alice. After they said amen the clouds closed back up. Alice then tod Ray that the fear had gone away and that she was going to be alright. Alright she was, when she went to surgery the surgeons could not find any signs of cancer




Phone Call of Hope



Over twenty years agao I received a letter from my sister telling me that she did not want me to be a part of her life anymore. She also stated that her daughter felt the same way. I had just been served divorce papers, my mother had just died and now this. All of this occured right before Christmas.



Even though my sister and my niece wanted to disown me, I still kept them in my prayers. My niece developed breast cancer and I knew that it was not going to be easy for her or her family. I prayed for her. She is now 10 years out and cancer free.



One Saturday I was struggling with my spiritual hope. I was talking with a friend of mine, David, when my call waiting chimed in. I normally say, "They will call back if it is important." This time I didn't do that. I took the call. The voice on the other end said, "This is Valerie." I said, "There is no one here by that name." She said, "No this is Valerie." I said, "I'm sorry but I do not know a Valerie. Are you sure you have the right number?" They said, "No this is your great-niece Valerie." I could not believe my ears. All of these years of waiting and not losing hope. I did not know what to say. She said, "Uncle Jimmy, I just called to tell you I loved you." I told her that I loved her too. That was all that was said. I started crying like a baby. The last time I saw her she was a baby.



God gave me a message that day. All is not lost.



She had to know that she might get in trouble for calling me on her grandmother's (my sister's) home phone.








Prayer Works Miss Jeanne



Two times that I know of prayer worked for Miss Jeanne.



The first time was when I received a phone call telling me that Jeanne's son was in intinsive care in Nashville with meningitis. Jeanne was feeling pretty depressed because she was in San Antonio and he was in Nashville. She started losing her faith in prayer. I called her up and told her that I would have a mutual friend of ours, Roy Butler, pray for her son on the radio. Shortly after he offered the prayer, her son called her from Nashville telling her that everything was alright and he was in a private room.



The second time was when Miss Jeanne, Miss Donna and myself were asked to go on a radio show, "Coping With Cancer." Miss Jeanne being a colon cancer survivor an I being a leukenia survivor and Miss Donna (my wife) was there for support. When we arrived on that Saturday night, Miss Jeanne told me that the doctors had discovered some spots on her liver and that they thought that they were cancerous. She said that she was to go in for testing in a couple of days. Well Brother Roy asked for prayers for Jeanne on the show. Later that week Miss Jeanne received her report and the doctors could not find the spots. They had gone away.-God Bless you Miss Jeanne


Hear Coping With Cancer Live Sunday evenings 11:30pm-11:54pm cst on www.kslr.com

Whenever I have the audio I will post it on our website for you to hear, we will actually pre-record this show tomorrow evening!
God Bless You!
***Next week I hope to do a "Coping With Dystonia" show!

Prayer Request for a 11 year old child!

I rec'd the following email from a friend of ours today. If you would like for me to forward you the original email we can do that for you! Email us at copingwithcancer@msn.com Your email will be keep confidental
Here's the email:
From Tammy Boley:

Special Prayer Request. I am starting a signing for my son's best friend who
Has cancer (Hodgkin's Lymphoma). He is 11 years old and is not doing well at
All. He was diagnosed with this cancer 2 weeks ago and the tumor is next to
His juggler vein and entwined in it...it has moved his wind pipe over an
Inch making it hard for him to breathe. The tumor is the size of a large
Eggplant and is sitting right above his heart. This little boy needs all the
Prayer he can get. I would like you to sign this and pass it on to as many
People as you can. Once we get to a thousand people can you please send this
Back to me at: 1volsgirl@bellsouth.net

I am going to print this up for my sons best friend and show him how many
People care and how many people are praying for him to get better. If you
Have a heart at all you will all do this for me. I love this child as though
He is my own and we really need all the prayers! Thank you.



Hit forward - then clean up all the names at the top section by highlighting
Them and deleting them...then add your name to the bottom of this list and
Send it out to as many people as you can and pray for him!

Let's storm the throne with prayer!!

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