Sheila Moriarty

Ten years ago, Sheila Moriarty, who was working at a state agency analyzing legislation, couldn’t move her fingers. “All of a sudden, my fingers cramped up and I couldn’t type,” recalls Moriarty, now 74. “I panicked.”

Moriarty saw several doctors, and each diagnosed her condition differently. “I finally ended up at Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital Struthers Parkinson’s Center, where I met Dr. Martha Nance. She diagnosed my condition as Parkinson’s disease and put me on a very effective medication regimen.”

Moriarty remembers what great relief it was to have her symptoms controlled. “I was recently married, and had a wonderful new reason to do things and go places,” she says. “I appreciated their holistic approach, which helped my speech, my writing and my thinking. They helped me stay ahead of the game.”

More recently, however, her Parkinson’s stole the lead. Not only did Moriarty’s tremor return, she also wasn’t on an even keel emotionally. “My medication reached its limit. I would have relief for only about two hours, and then I’d have to wait about two hours before I could take more,” she recalls. “It was like I had this unruly teenager move in with me, trying to control me. It got so bad, I avoided going out.”

To help with this problem, Dr. Nance encouraged Moriarty to consider a new therapy known as deep brain stimulation (DBS). “As luck would have it, they were having an information session the following week, and I decided to attend,” Moriarty remembers. “Shortly thereafter, I had the procedure, and I’m so glad I did.”

Before the procedure, Moriarty would sleep for only about two hours before her tremors would wake her. “I felt like I was walking around in a fog. Now, not only do I sleep and dream well, I greet each day with enthusiasm.”

DBS does not cure Parkinson’s, but helps control the symptoms. DBS uses a surgically implanted, battery-operated device that’s similar to a heart pacemaker. It delivers electrical stimulation to targeted areas in the brain, blocking the abnormal nerve signals that cause tremor and other symptoms. 

DBS worked for Moriarty. She now visits Struthers Parkinson’s Center on a regular basis for checkups and rehabilitation. “People with Parkinson’s disease are apt to fall. To help me stay on my own two feet, I go to physical therapy regularly and take tai chi classes, which help with my balance. I’ve also had occupational therapists come to my house, who have helped make it safer."

Moriarty has resumed watercolor painting. “I gave it up after college. When I found out I had Parkinson’s disease, I decided to get back into it, simply for the love of it,” she explains. These days, she paints with a group once a week. And, she recently displayed her work in a couple of exhibits. “Painting helps me stay focused on finding beauty and looking at things differently,” she says.

To learn more about treating Parkinson’s disease, call 952-993-5495 or visit Struthers Parkinson's Center.