After Surgery, Rochester Woman Delays Effects of Parkinson’s Disease

Diane Hutchins began noticing strange symptoms a year after moving to Rochester. 

From a lack of smell to an unsteady sense of balance, she knew something was wrong, but it would take several years until she figured out exactly what it was.

Hutchins, now 65, was later diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after a number of doctor visits. The diagnosis, while dire, came as a relief, she said.

“They said it could be a brain aneurysm, a tumor, some deadly inflammatory disease of the brain that women my age get or MS (multiple sclerosis),” she said. 

After more tests, it was determined she did indeed have Parkinson’s disease, a neurological ailment known for causing tremors to resting muscles, impaired balance and slowness of movement.

“The problem with Parkinson’s is until at least fairly recently, there is no diagnostic test other than an autopsy, and we weren’t going to do that,” she said. “It’s very frustrating going through all these tests. I was ready to give up on doctors.” 

Hutchins, however, did not give up. She was eventually referred to Oregon Health and Science University in Portland for a form of treatment called deep-brain stimulation. 

The procedure involves implanting electrodes directly in the brain to relieve symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

OHSU is the first group to do the surgery on patients while they are asleep. The trend, according to Nerosurgeon Kim Burchiel, who pioneered the approach, is slowly catching on. Studies show it’s as effective, if not more effective, to do the operation while the patient is not awake.

The method will likely become the standard for the procedure, as the majority of centers switch to doing the procedure while the patient is asleep over the next five years, Burchiel said. 

“Since January 2011, we haven’t done any on patients who are awake,” Burchiel said. “We’re pretty confident we’re the first place in the country to adopt that approach.”

After a two-day intensive intake session, Hutchins was determined to be an excellent candidate for the procedure. The first phase of surgery took place two years ago in November. The electrodes were implanted into her brain. Ten days later, she was admitted for the second phase where a neurostimulator, or a device that provides electrical stimulation to nerves, was implanted into Hutchins’ chest and hooked up with a cord to the electrodes in her brain. 

The deep-brain stimulation helped reduce Hutchins’ tremors, and her dystonia, a condition that caused painful involuntary twisting of her ankle and stiffening of her leg.

The dystonia was Hutchins’ biggest problem, sometimes making it impossible for her to walk.

“I could see at some point not being able to walk anymore,” she said. “You lose that, and that’s a big loss. That was my big concern and the tremor was secondary.”

After some troubleshooting, the procedure proved to be successful for Hutchins, who said it enabled her to keep working for two more years.

Burchiel said it in no way cures Parkinson’s disease, but instead helps keep symptoms of the disease in check.

“There’s no doubt that the long-term outcome with simulation is still holding true. It still is making people better a decade later,” he said. “We recognize it does get worse at the baseline over time, but without this therapy, they probably wouldn’t have lived that long and certainly wouldn’t have the quality of life they had during that decade.”

Hutchins went on to become the employee of the year for the Washington State Library before retiring in August. She was also heavily involved in a nationwide initiative focused on the benefits of story sessions at libraries. 

“The work I was able to do in the past two years would not have happened without the procedure,” she said. “My input would have not been there and I don’t think I would have been able to keep working and to keep doing the things I was at work.”

Deep-brain stimulation has been around for quite some time, according to Erik Robinson, senior media relations specialist at OHSU. It was started in the United States 25 years ago by Burchiel, who brought it over from France. 

“The surgery essentially turns the clock back. It’s hard to say how many years … but it gives them this window,” Burchiel said. “It’s a quality of life issue because once the drugs stop working, it is a very quick downhill slide and patients become very disabled. This gives them more time.”

Now, two years after the procedure, Hutchins credits it for her much improved quality of life. She said while at the World Parkinson’s Congress, several people told her they would have never known she has Parkinson’s disease by just looking at her. 

Hutchins now does her part to educate others about the procedure, and gives back when she can. 

“I would do it again,” she said of the procedure. “All in all, the recovery wasn’t all that bad. I feel so good that sometimes I have to remind myself it’s not a cure for Parkinson’s. They haven’t figured it out yet, but boy, wouldn’t it be nice if this could just be sustained for the decades I still have in my life.”