Can You Hear Me Now?

In 2006 Jamey had DBS brain surgery to keep his Parkinson's symptoms at bay, at least temporarily. There have been benefits as well as drawbacks. Before surgery, the nurse practitioner, along with a group of doctors who specialize in this surgery, sat us down and educated us about the possible side effects of this serious procedure. While most of these issues had a very low percentage of occurrence, we still needed to be informed of all possible outcomes of the surgery. Something every doctor should do.

We both listened intently about the possibility of language problems, brain infection, programming shut-offs when going through airports, difficulty walking later on, and more. Most of these things were considered very unlikely (.5 to 1% range). All of the issues were a concern to us, but not a worry so intense we couldn't overcome them with faith. So we went ahead with the surgery, and over all, it's been helpful. We were told the benefits would only last about 5 years, but here we are in year 14 and he is still getting some advantages with programming the electrodes.

But, apparently, the unwanted results the original team listed, were not exhaustive. All these years later, Jamey has been presented with a  side effect that neither of us remember them mentioning; RFI (Radio Frequency Interference). Yes. His brain electrodes have actually become conductors for the internet!

Last week, he had all of his devices going; three computer monitors, a tablet, and a laptop. Now don't ask me why on earth he would need all of those devices on at the same time--I have never figured out the male mind where technology is concerned--but apparently it was the perfect storm for reception in his brain. He immediately heard a very high pitched hum inside his head. He likened the sound to the shriek you might get if you struggle with tinnitus, but more like a continual static hum. This unusual sound was coming from inside his brain! And it was reacting to the images on his computer screen. When an image on his screen changed, so did the tone in his brain. This happened several more times in perfect choreography with whatever was happening on his monitor; evidence it was not coincidental.

So, I'm thinking if we figure out the right sequence, add drums and bass, he can have a little jam session in his skull. Well, I thought it was pretty cool, but admittedly, I'm not the one with the annoying sound playing inside my head. I do wish he could have intercepted a full-on conversation from a space station or something, but I guess that's asking a lot.

I don't know if this new experience is a pro or a con. But I'm thankful that when the end of the world hits, we won't need to take along a hand-crank radio to keep up on what's happening. We'll simply put Jamey under a power line and listen to his brain for updates!