Parkinson's patient to take a road trip to Kathmandu

Hari Prasad, suffering from the Parkinson’s disease (a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement) is all set to embark on a 40-day road trip with his wife. He will cover 2,600 km from Bengaluru to Kathmandu educating people on managing the disease for a better life.

Hari Prasad, 59, was diagnosed with the disease in 2009. He had tremors in his left hand and the movement on the left side of his body had slowed down. In a year, the tremors progressed to his right limbs further worsening his body movement. He could not work properly or sit for a long time. Even for day-to-day activities like shaving or dressing, he needed help. As the disease progressed, his medications were optimised.

Meanwhile, Prasad started experiencing fatigue, obsessive symptoms and hallucinations. His left-hand tremors and stiffness worsened his condition.

At Columbia Asia hospital, Prasad was recommended for deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. He was explained about the benefits it would bring in his condition.

The DBS therapy uses electrical stimulation to treat Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, multiple sclerosis and certain other neurological conditions.

It can be effective in treating movement problems such as tremors, stiffness, difficulty in walking and slowed movement.

“A week after DBS, Prasad responded well to the surgery. His symptoms including tremors, slowness and stiffness stopped. His gait improved significantly,” said Dr Raghuram G, Senior
Consultant, Neurosurgery,at the hospital.

Prasad will commence his journey on January 19. He plans to reach Kathmandu by February 6, driving through 11 cities including Belagavi, Kolad, Nasik, Sardar Sarovar, Indore, Bhopal, Sanchi, Jhansi, Agra, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Lumbini, Pokhara, Kathmandu and back.

Prasad will address seminars on his way to Kathmandu at places like Nasik, Indore, Lucknow, Agra and Pokhara.

Post his surgery in 2016-2017, Prasad has already taken two road trips. The first was from Bengaluru to Bhutan and the second was from Bengaluru to Gujarat and back.