Step 3
Entering into the room with the Neuropsychologist (No, I didn't know one existed either) she asked, "do you know why you are here?" I jokingly answered ' to make sure I have no plans to kill myself" "Well, kind of" was her response. "Kind of?" I thought "But, I was only joking..." It sobered me up to how serious these evaluations were. The group of specialists the University of Rochester had put together was there to make sure I was a good candidate. I initially thought it was purely to make sure their 'successful surgery' numbers better by weeding out candidates that would not show a strong improvement from the surgery. I was surprised to find out it was much more. They were genuinely concerned about how the surgery would affect me. They wanted to make sure I had the best outcome possible.
By participating in Michael J Fox's PPMI study for the last five years I have been privy to many of the psychological tests I was about to be given. While the tests were familiar I still thought I did worse than the last time I took them. There were more than just memory tests, though. Discussions on growing up, my siblings, parents, and relationships all were fair game. We touched on a lot of subjects. I must have answered most of the questions to her satisfaction because, in the end, she said she would recommend me for the surgery. So, I was off to the next and final step.
Step 4
The meeting with the neurosurgeon was about two weeks later. He was exactly as you would think a brain surgeon would be. Tall, witty, and just a little bit cocky. He exuded confidence which, personally, I think you would want from a guy about to get an up-close look at your brain. He patiently answered every question my wife and I had. We asked about problems he has encountered with previous surgeries, what they do to reduce the possibility of infection and stroke, new emerging techniques and are they worthwhile waiting for, which unit he would be implanting, and an hour-by-hour breakdown of the surgery day. He even commented that as a patient I was required to bring a joke to the operating room. Over the next several days I thought about looking one up on Google. I mean, there must be Neurosurgeon jokes out there somewhere, right? Then one occurred to me. "What is the difference between a Neurosurgeon and a Proctologist", I will ask the Doctor after getting wheeled into position. Hopefully, his answer will be "I don't know" at which time I will shout "hold it, stop the operation!"
He approved the surgery to move forward and now the dreaded wait begins for the scheduling person to call. It's obvious (and I guess good) that these people are in no hurry. If they were in a rush there probably is something majorly wrong with you and they want to get in fast. As excruciating as it is I will wait patiently to find out my drill date.
This whole process, from initial thoughts of having the surgery in March to the actual day of the surgery in August, has taken five months! I'm not sure if that is typical but from what I gather reading others comments it's not far off.
Well, as I finish writing this, its T-4 days until the big event.....
"See you on the other side, Ray"
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