General Fights Parkinson’s Tremors with Deep Brain Stimulation

John Corley is no stranger to facing his fears. While training as an Air Force fighter pilot, his plane was struck by lightning as he flew through battering hailstones. Another time, he landed safely as flames engulfed the engine. And serving at the Pentagon on 9-11, he’ll never forget the smell of burning jet fuel.

Now 73 and retired from active duty, John faces a different foe — Parkinson’s disease. But deep brain stimulation has helped him fight back.

Having deep brain stimulation surgery, John says, “Was an excellent decision for me. I can attribute a lot of that benefit to the care I received from the staff, doctors, surgeons, and everybody at UVA Health.”

Deep Brain Stimulation Success Rate

Available for more than 2 decades now, deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery has a long track record of success in treating Parkinson’s symptoms. John is among thousands who’ve benefited from it.

“With the right patient, deep brain stimulation can be effective in helping to reduce the tremor, the slowness, and stiffness that we see in this movement disorder,” says UVA Health neurologist Alex Dalrymple, MD.

For John, DBS helped relieve some of his tremors and alleviate the dyskinesia (or extreme movement problems) caused by Parkinson’s medication.

DBS not only helps with Parkinson’s. It can help reduce symptoms in people who have:

• Essential tremor
• Dystonia
• Tourette syndrome tics

The Symptoms Start

Even before he retired from the Air Force in 2009, John noticed the first signs of Parkinson’s: trouble swallowing and a left arm tremor. 

“Before I retired from active duty, I had difficulty buttoning shirts and putting on ties to go to work,” he shares.

He got the diagnosis a year after he retired.

Life After Deep Brain Stimulation

After 2 DBS surgeries, John significantly reduced his medication — from 6 to 1 or 2 doses a day. And less medication meant less dyskinesia. Fewer uncontrollable movements  that disrupted his daily life.

Deep brain stimulation can’t cure Parkinson’s disease. But it can bring years of relief from Parkinson’s symptoms.

John says, “I’m at the 14-year point from being diagnosed with Parkinson’s. And I don’t have some of the major symptoms that I see other people with Parkinson’s have.”

He credits deep brain stimulation for giving him the chance to continue to enjoy hosting his 5 grandchildren at his Smith Mountain Lake home. But knowing that Parkinson’s disease will continue to progress, he and his wife, Alice, also have a home in a continuous care retirement community in Lynchburg. His gait changed, so he no longer travels. At times, “My feet stick to the floor when I walk,” John says.

Best Hospital for DBS Surgery

UVA Health was the first center in Virginia to offer deep brain stimulation. People travel far for our team’s expertise.

The expert DBS team John found at UVA Health include:

• Alex Dalrymple, MD, and Bridget Moss, NP, from neurology
• Jeff Elias, MD, Shayan Moosa, MD, and Shelly Rush-Evans, NP, from the functional neurosurgery team

John was referred to UVA Health’s Elias by a neurologist near his Lynchburg, Virginia home. Elias has extensive experience with deep brain stimulation. He also helped pioneer focused ultrasound, a less invasive treatment for movement disorders.

Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery: What’s It Like?

John’s military training helps explain why he didn’t hesitate to pursue deep brain stimulation as a treatment option in 2016, and again in 2019.

“I credit the success of my deep brain stimulation surgery to the magnificent medical staff at UVA Health. And my surgeon, Jeff Elias, who walked me through every step.”

John Corley

DBS requires drilling holes in the skull so that a small implant device can bring electrical currents to exact spots in the brain. See how DBS works.

Patients must stay awake for the procedure. Some people might find this difficult. Not John. He explains:

“Number one, I had the benefit of the magnificent medical staff at UVA Health. And number two, my surgeon, Jeff Elias, walked me through the process prior to every step taken during the surgery. He would say, ‘You’re going to feel a slight tingling. You’re going to hear the sound of your skull having a drill put through it.’

“And so, Dr. Elias really helped me with that. He’s very calm in terms of personality and he reassures you through every step.”

John’s Advice to Those Considering DBS

If you’re thinking about DBS, John understands if you’re nervous. Even he felt his heart beat faster just before surgery.

So how did he steel himself to get through it? During the procedure, John channeled his fighter pilot instincts but also his mother’s advice.

“My mother was always humorous,” he says. “She would say, ‘Anything you put a timeline on, you can stand.’ I knew that I would have a certain amount of time in surgery. So I knew I’d be able to walk out the other side.”

He also credits his Air Force military training. “It really allows you to focus always on the highest priority. For example, you’re flying the airplane. The highest priority is to continue to fly the airplane, even though you’ve got master caution lights flashing in the cockpit, the plane’s engine is on fire, and the plane is coming apart.”

Still, you don’t have to have a military background or a tough exterior to get through DBS surgery. The key for John was mental encouragement and controlling his breath.

During the DBS procedure, John told himself: “John, you had difficult moments before. So just take a deep, cleansing breath. Go ahead, you’ll get through this.”

Managing His Deep Brain Stimulation Devices

John stayed 1 night in the hospital after each surgery. Afterward, managing the implanted device requires the same kind of attention you might apply to any household item that uses batteries.

And managing his DBS device is fairly simple, John says.

“You basically have to do a battery check on a reasonably faithful basis, about every month.”

He adds, “With my two DBS devices, I just connect them through a Bluetooth on my cell phone. I get a rating that tells me how many more years the battery will last.”

When it’s time, he has his batteries changed with another small surgery.

John travels to UVA Health every 6 months for an implant adjustment. Dalrymple is an expert at programming the right electrical frequency needed to stimulate the brain.

Taking his doctor’s advice, he tries to stay active as much as possible.

“The best thing John can do for himself now is exercise,” Dalrymple says. “It is the one treatment that we know actually fights Parkinson’s disease itself.”

Fighting Back Against Parkinson’s Disease

John says life with Parkinson’s is challenging. But he’s thankful to have UVA Health on his side.

“My dad, my wife, and 3 of our children served in the military. So our family has 100-plus years’ worth of service before self. That’s the kind of service that stands out for me in terms of UVA Health and the healthcare that I received there. They are just magnificent people who have always done well by us.”