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Hi all,



My mom's tremor has gotten progressively worse. We read up on a new "ish" procedure that is less invasive than deep brain stimulation tho it only helps one side. It has shown good results and is starting to be covered under insurance. Focused ultrasound. She wants to look into it so we are going to set up a consult. Was curious if anyone here had experience with it either themselves or for a loved one. Thank you.



I tagged this under Parkinson's as it was the closest topic. She had not had a Parkinson's diagnoses.

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OP reporting back on this. Had a consult at Brigham in Boston. They have done 400 of these procedures. Showed a video of a patient who had a terrible tremor, and right after the treatment his hand was almost perfectly still (they can only do one side). It was miraculous. They keep in touch with all their patients and are gathering an amazing body of research on outcomes which are positive and life changing for many, some previously unable to feed themselves.

However, a side effect is a loss of balance, sometimes, temporary sometimes longer lasting. My mom's balance is really bad and she can't risk doing something that will make it worse.

In any case, the PA and surgeon were so informative, transparent and professional. They both said my mom's tremor wasn't really bad enough to warrant the treatment. That plus the balance implications led her to decide against it and try the inderal again instead.

It amazes me that there can be such a dramatic improvement with what used to be done by cutting into someone's skull, and is now done with ultrasound!!

Hope this helps someone down the road!
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NeedHelpWithMom Sep 2023
Thanks for the update and info. It’s wonderful to hear about any type of research and feedback on an issue.

My mother had awful tremors due to her Parkinson’s disease.

I can understand your mother’s discomfort and concern regarding her tremors.

As my mother’s Parkinson’s disease progressed she lost the ability to do many things.

When she was in the earlier stages, she had tremors but when she attempted to thread a needle she was able to do so.

I found it fascinating how the brain could distinguish between certain things such as holding a coffee cup and threading a needle.

She would tremble when she drank her morning cup of coffee but was steady enough to thread a needle.

My mom was an excellent seamstress. She also crocheted, knitted and did embroidery. It broke my heart when she couldn’t do those things anymore.
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I have a neighbor who has PArkinson's and he had this done about 15 years ago--IDK how much or where or anything more than that it 'bought him' 15 better years.

It just began to quit helping about a year ago. Both he and his wife were thrilled with the outcome. Now he's on meds and extremely well loved by his wonderful wife. He can't do the procedure again, but they are grateful for the 15 years of better life!
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cwillie Aug 2023
Are you sure your friend didn't have deep brain stimulation rather than focused ultrasound? My web search says it has only very recently been approved as a treatment for Parkinson's.
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casole: You may be able to garner answers here - https://www.fusfoundation.org/diseases-and-conditions/essential-tremor/
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Hi all,

OP here. Thanks for the responses. She was prescribed inderal but did not tolerate it well, her doc has prescribed something else that she will try. I don't know exactly what but she can take it at night. She said it's similar to Xanax.

She will probably at least have a consult for the FUS, her pcp put in the referral for her, and I'll update if she decides to move forward. Maybe the new medication will help.

Care and rest to all...
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Focused ultrasound is a valid, legitimate treatment for essential tremor, Parkinson's and some other movement disorders. It has been around for years but is still not widely known. If considering it as a treatment find a facility that has a lot of experience in performing it. There are YouTube videos by medical facilities that show how this is done and the remarkable results. It's an outpatient treatment and you could walk out so much better than when you went in. By the way, they shave all the hair on your head off in order to prep you for the procedure. Depending on symptoms it is definitely worth considering vs deep brain stimulation (DBS).
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I have never heard of this but since some essential tremors are hereditary I too am interested in your results. My mom had a slight tremor for decades, when her new doctor decided she should switch from the beta blocker propranolol to a more modern drug we discovered it was doing double duty and controlling her tremor.... In her last decade of life the docs assigned her a Parkinson's diagnosis partially based on that tremor (I've always been skeptical).
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Way2tired Jul 2023
Interesting cwillie,

The NP at assisted living where my FIL is assumed he has Parkinson’s , but he does not . He’s had essential tremors pretty bad since his 60’s. My husband has it slightly at times . So does his aunt .
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Research carefully, so your mom’s not potentially used as a guinea pig.
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Never heard of that , but would like to read any updates you may have on how it works out .
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I cared for my mom who had Parkinson’s disease. She took meds to control her tremors.

I am not familiar with the treatment that you are describing. If you try it. I hope it will be successful in reducing the tremors.
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Did your mom see a geriatric doctor for the tremors? If not a geriatric doctor may simply prescribe a medication that can reduce or eliminate the tremors.
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