Friday, August 28, 2009

Insurance Approved!

Great news! I just heard from the scheduling lady at Vanderbilt that the insurance company has approved David's surgery! The approval happened in a pretty timely manner! From what I've heard from the Dystonia Group, it could have taken a lot longer! Thank you to all who have asked about this and who have been praying! We really appreciate it. Although we have talked to David about the surgery, I'm sure he does not fully understand what all will go on. According to the times they emailed to us, it does look like we will need to spend more nights than expected in Nashville since some of his appointments are early in the morning. Thankfully Aaron is living at home for a little while and will help John hold down the fort while we are gone. So please rejoice with us as we are seeing the Lord work these details out for this important event in David's life!
Dayna

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Hello Friends,
We have some tentative dates now for David's DBS surgery. If the insurance goes through, here is the schedule:
  1. Around Oct. 13 - Pre-Op- This appointment will be to draw blood and test him to make sure he is in top shape for sugery.
  2. Oct 27th - Stage One - They will measure his head for the "star" that will be made to fit David's head exactly. Then they will put 4 tiny screws in his head. This is an outpatient procedure.
  3. Nov. 4th - Stage Two - The actually surgery to implant the leads into his brain. He will stay over night or possibly 2 nights.
  4. Nov. 16 - Stage three - This is when they will implant the battery pack in his chest.
A month later we will return to Vanderbilt for the dr. to "turn David on". This will be his first setting and he will truly be able to say that he is "battery operated"!

Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts! So many of you have asked about David and his surgery. It means so much to us. Please be in prayer that the insurance will go through in a timely way without any glitches.
Thanks again!
Dayna and family

Thursday, August 13, 2009

David's Dystonia In Action

This is a short video I took of David while he was watching something exciting on the computer. The purpose of the video was to show his doctors at Vanderbilt Medical Center how his dystonia acts when he gets excited. They used it in their meeting to determine whether or not to recommend DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation) for him. They recommended it.

Back from Nashville!

Hello friends!

We just returned from Vanderbilt where we met with Dr. Neumat, the surgeon, and Dr. Phibbs, the neurologist. They took their time with us and answered all our questions. They said that there were about 10 different doctors and specialists in the meeting when they reviewed David's case and all felt that the surgery could benefit him. We're feeling more comfortable and confident that this is the way to go for David. After signing several forms, we got the scheduling process started. We should hear from the scheduler on Mon. or Tues. If we don't run into any snags with the insurance, David will probably start the surgery process in Sept. or Oct. He seems ok with it. We've talked to him several times about it and even went to some youtube videos with him. Thanks for following the process with us! We covet your prayers!
Dayna

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Who is David Camp?


David Camp is a 19 year old child of God and a cool dude. He was born developmentally delayed on April 8th, 1990. His parents didn't realize his delay until he was almost 3 years old because he was just a really laid back kind of guy and his sibblings did everything for him and doted on him.
Somewhere around age 10 his teacher and parents started noticing that he was getting kind of wobbly when he walked, swaying back and forth down the hall. This progressed. In middle school they noticed him holding his arm up tight to his chest and turning his right foot in. Some wondered if maybe he had Cerebral Palsey all this time and it was somehow undiagnosed. The more his parents learned about CP , the more they felt like it couldn't be, since he was getting worse, there was no apparent brain damage on MRIs, and it wasn't detected when he was younger. By the time David entered high school he had to be physically guided by the elbow, arm or belt so he wouldn't fall. By the next year the teacher's were using the school wheelchair to take him longer distances in the large school. Still, all this time, no one knew what was going on. He began to get more twisted and tense in his movement and to do anything with his hands was a huge effort. Somewhere around this time, when helping him walk was becoming a huge task, a highly recommended movement specialist entered the scene. It was this doctor and his partners who diagnosed David with "Dystonia". Dys - what? Never heard of it! According to Wikipedia,

Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder in which sustained muscle contractions cause twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures.[1] The disorder may be inherited or caused by other factors such as birth-related or other physical trauma, infection, poisoning (e.g. lead poisoning) or reaction to drugs, particularly neuroleptics.[1]

By the time David turned 17 he was in a wheelchair all day. An assortment of medicines have helped him with his spasms, twisting, and pain. An AlphaSmart writer, gifted to him by dear church friends, has helped him communicate (he's a great speller!) as his speech has become more affected. Throughout all these changes he has remained his happy, smiling self! About a year ago his movement specialist suggested to his parents that they consider Deep Brain Stimulation in the future. Brain Surgery! After much thought, googling, prayers, discussion on the DBS for Dystonia board, and meeting some of these amazing people who did it, they are now at the threshold of DBS for David Camp. This blog has been set up to keep friends and family informed about David's Dystonia and DBS journey. Please bookmark or RSS David's blog and feel free to leave messages and comments to David and his family. They will love it! And most of all, please be in prayer that God will be glorified and that He would do His amazing miracles in David's life.