Mrs. Hong’s Journey with Parkinson's

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“My brain is a smashed watermelon” was not the first thing Mrs. Hong said that twenty years ago, when her left foot began to quiver on its own. What began as a minor, intermittent movement soon became impossible to ignore. She and her husband went to their family doctor searching for a simple explanation. The answer wasn’t simple.

The symptoms pointed toward the nervous system, the brain and spinal cord, and the doctor warned that Parkinson’s disease was a strong possibility.

“What was your first reaction when you heard you had Parkinson’s?” I asked.

Mrs. Hong laughed. “I didn’t know what Parkinson’s was, so I didn’t know what the doctor was talking about. Only my husband knew what was going on since he read a lot of articles.”

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological condition that affects movement. Because the nervous system controls everything from walking to posture and balance, Parkinson’s symptoms often show up physically: tremors, stiffness, slowed movement, balance problems, and fatigue. Many movement symptoms are linked to a loss of dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain. Dopamine helps coordinate smooth, controlled motion, so when dopamine signaling drops, movement can become harder to start, harder to control, and easier to lose.

“How did they confirm you had Parkinson’s?” I asked.

“They had me test my speaking and walking ability. Thankfully that was enough to get a diagnosis.”

Mrs. Hong was officially diagnosed by a neurologist through clinical evaluation. She did not receive a DaTscan, which is a specialized imaging test sometimes used when the diagnosis is unclear. In her case, the neurologist felt confident based on the physical exam.

“Did the neurologist immediately put you on medication or something else?” I asked.

“No. I actually had Chinese medicine for about seven months, but it got significantly worse to the point where I could not walk. That was when I decided to get a DBS implant.”

By the time she was considering surgery, her symptoms had progressed enough to affect her daily life. The next steps were extensive, including appointments, scans, and evaluations to ensure she was a suitable candidate.

“By that time, I had to get a lot of scans and make sure DBS is compatible,” she said.

“What do you mean by compatible?” I asked.

“Even I’m not too sure,” she admitted, “but I know there are certain conditions that DBS will not have any effects on.”

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is a surgically implanted, battery-powered device that sends electrical pulses to specific brain regions to help reduce movement symptoms. It is not a cure, and it is not ideal for every patient, but for some people, it can significantly reduce tremors, improve stability, and make daily movement easier. DBS mainly targets motor symptoms, and results vary depending on the person, the symptom pattern, and how the device is programmed over time.

“Do you think it’s effective?” I asked.

“Yes. I was not falling, and I was less tired,” she said, then paused. “But it only lasted a year…”

“What do you mean, only a year?” I asked. “Was the DBS less effective over time?”

“No, no. In 2022, I had an infection where DBS was implanted.”

“What? Did you get it removed immediately?”

“The doctors gave me medication to help, but it just kept getting worse, and it affected my health and Parkinson’s.”

Ultimately, Mrs. Hong needed surgery to remove the implant. She emphasizes how overwhelming that period was not just physically, but emotionally. After the removal, she spent about a year healing. But Parkinson’s doesn’t pause.

In 2023, after being cleared by her doctors, she underwent surgery again to receive a new DBS implant.

“If the device loses its effectiveness, or if there’s another infection, or if Parkinson’s advances, would you consider another implant?” I asked.

“Heck no,” Mrs. Hong laughed. “My brain is like a smashed, squashed-up watermelon. I am sick of surgeries. No more.”

“Before we end the interview, would you like to say anything else?”

She paused. “I am grateful for all the doctors who helped me through this, and for the advancement of technology in medicine. We must always look on the bright side and be grateful.”†

Written by Editor and Staff Writer Kathleen Cheng (kac071@ucsd.edu)

Works Cited:

Asadi, Atefeh, et al. “The Origin of Abnormal Beta Oscillations in the Parkinsonian Corticobasal Ganglia Circuits.” Parkinson’s Disease, vol. 2022, 25 Feb. 2022, pp. 1–13, https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7524066.

“Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS).” National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2025, www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/deep-brain-stimulation-dbs.

Hussam Tabaja, et al. “Deep Brain Stimulator Device Infection: The Mayo Clinic Rochester Experience.” Open Forum Infectious Diseases, vol. 10, no. 1, 26 Dec. 2022, https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofac631.

Image Credit: Image Credit: American Parkinson Disease Association