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VANCOUVER – At age 36, Gina Lupino felt her right arm and foot stiffen and tremors trigger as she played the snare drum in a percussion group. She will consult four neurologists for a year and a half before she learns she has Parkinson's disease.
Her most recent specialist recommended deep brain stimulation surgery last fall because she experienced extreme fluctuations in how her body reacted to medication, which sometimes collapses too early and does not absorb at all.
On Tuesday, Lupino said she was delighted to hear that British Columbia was planning to double the number of DBS surgeries from 36 to 72 as part of an expanded program at the DBS. UBC hospital.
However, she was concerned about the long waiting lists compared to other provinces such as Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario.
"One of the things I considered was to move to another province just to get this procedure, hence the need to establish a residence and live a life. But you can imagine how it disrupts my work, my professional life, and my family, "said Lupino, an intellectual property rights lawyer specializing in patent, trademark, and copyright lawsuits. United States.
Dr. Christopher Honey is the only neurosurgeon in British Columbia. who performs the invasive eight-hour procedure that is performed while the patient is awake to target a specific area of the brain.
Health Minister Adrian Dix said the expanded program would mean that another doctor would help replace patients' worn-out batteries, each implanted in a patient's chest, in the same way as a patient. a pacemaker, while the province is looking to recruit another neurosurgeon.
Ten said that 70 patients are currently on the waiting list for deep brain stimulation surgery.
Lupino said that figure does not tell the whole story, because many people like her – "a patient at the poster for the SCP" – could wait up to four years to get a consultation with a neurosurgeon before to wait another year for the operation.
"The backlog of surgery is one thing, but the backlog is in the process of being consulted," she said.
"We are concerned that because CPA is such an intensive procedure, you are not in the hospital for a day," she said, adding that patients had to come back several times, which is why is particularly expensive for those who do not live in Vancouver.
"For people with disabilities, who are on a fixed income and dependent on family members for basic lifestyle and personal care, from a country far away from British Columbia. at UBC is really tedious. "
Lupino considers herself lucky because she has her own law firm and can adapt to her constraints by working from home or by using speech detection software to write when her right hand does not cooperate.
"It's hard to walk, it's hard to move. You have the impression of being immersed in molbades or in a water pool and trying to run, get dressed, shower or do elementary tasks. "
Alicia Wrobel, spokesperson for the Parkinson Society of British Columbia, said patients in some provinces had little time to wait for deep brain stimulation surgery.
Saskatchewan has virtually no waiting list with three qualified neurosurgeons, "she said, adding that Alberta had a waiting list of six months and employed two neurosurgeons .
Christine Sorensen, vice president of the BC Nurses Union, said she fully supports reducing wait times and improving access to surgeries for all patients, but there are not enough nurses to care for them.
In a contract ratified last month, the union negotiated a so-called labor shortage premium, forcing employers to pay an additional $ 5 per hour to all nurses in the unit, when the workforce is not enough.
"It's unique in British Columbia. and it's a very innovative idea, "said Sorensen. "Our goal is for employers to hire more nurses so that this penalty is not paid. Nurses do not want extra money, they want the presence of nurses to provide safe care for patients. "
– Follow @ CamilleBains1 on Twitter.
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