This browser does not support the Video element.
Deep brain stimulation helps Hartland musician with Parkinson's
When a Hartland man was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, he thought his music career was over. Turns out a solution to his tremors was the one thing he initially feared – brain surgery.
HARTLAND, Wis. - When a Hartland man was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, he thought his music career was over. Turns out a solution to his tremors was the one thing he initially feared – brain surgery.
Tim Nett's life and music career
The backstory:
Music has always been a huge part of Tim Nett’s life. He has played the saxophone since he was in elementary school. "We’ll start with this first one here, it’s a song by David Koz," Nett said when getting ready for a gig at Nixon Park in August. But in 2018, he started to notice his jazz music was no longer smooth. "These fingers – specifically on my right hand were clicking my mouse – it was like they were dragging," Nett said.
Tim Nett
Doctors at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center diagnosed him with Parkinson’s disease. Nett was 48 years old at the time. "I had tremors, then my legs started shaking and my handwriting – it was like there’s this unknown feeling of where is it going to stop and how bad is it going to get," Nett said.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
Deep brain stimulation surgery
What To Know:
Medication helped, but the tremors got worse. In 2023, after consulting with his doctors, Nett decided to do something he initially thought was scary – deep brain stimulation surgery, or D.B.S. for short.
"It’s a procedure that’s been around for a while but continues to evolve and become much easier for patients to undergo," Dr. Kyle Swanson said. Swanson, a neurosurgeon at Aurora, explained how his team put tiny electrodes in an area of Nett’s brain that controls motor function.
Dr. Kyle Swanson
"There’s like a pacemaker-type device right here and a little wire that goes up," Nett said. Electrical currents are controlled by a remote, and the result is jaw-dropping.
"If you turn it off – we’re just sitting here having a conversation – the stimulation is turned off –" Nett said. "That’s just from touching that button? Wow," FOX6’s Waukesha County Reporter Bret Lemoine asked.
Nett says the device significantly reduces the number of pills he was previously taking.
"Medication is always the first line for Parkinson’s, and usually it’s effective on its own for a couple of years," Swanson said. "But over time, as Parkinson’s progresses – and it is a progressive disease – you will see things are no longer controlled well."
Swanson has done several hundred of these surgeries. He says most patients are back home recovering the next day. Patients no longer have to be awake during the surgery, which Swanson says has eased some fears from people like Nett.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
A steady hand means Nett can get back to doing what he loves. And now he is taking to a different kind of stage – he frequently meets with potential D.B.S. patients at Aurora. Nett lets them know Parkinson’s doesn’t have to mean a life with tremors.
"For me, it was like, ‘I don’t want to get brain surgery. Maybe as a last resort.’ It’s not a last resort like it used to be," Nett said.
Tim Nett
Treating Parkinson's
Dig deeper:
Dr. Swanson reminds us there is no cure for Parkinson’s. He says this type of brain surgery is typically offered to patients who have been diagnosed with the disease for at least four years. Swanson says some patients still opt to be awake during the surgery, so doctors can do stimulation tests in real time.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Bret Lemoine and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from Tim Nett, Dr. Kyle Swanson and Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center.