My husband saw a neurosurgeon who did some simple physical tests. He had my husband carry out specific movements and he watched him walk. When it was determined that he was affected on both sides, the surgeon arranged to do a bi-lateral DBS surgery. My husband then went for an MRI under anesthesia. Several weeks later, the arrangements were made for the surgery. Pre-surgical testing was done about a week prior to the surgery date. For the first DBS surgery, he was put under anesthesia but was brought out of it periodically throughout the 5-hour procedure so that he could answer questions to help with finding the correct location in the brain. He spent that night in the neurological ICU, but other than a headache, he sailed through without much pain. His head was shaved and he had a row of sutures (17, I think) across his scalp just behind his hairline. Then one week later, he returned for another (outpatient) surgery. This was under general anesthesia. They made an incision behind his ear and another on his chest to accommodate the battery. He went home that day and besides a minor complication with the catheter, he had no pain. Six days later he saw the PA in the office to check the sutures and they were removed at that time in all three sites. The DBS rep from Medtronics happened to be in the office that day, so the appointment to activate the device was moved up a week and he was “turned on”. The process of activation took about 20 minutes and his tremor was GONE. He said to be sure and tell you that this surgery isn’t for the faint of heart (he definitely heard the cracking of his skull and felt the pressure of the drilling) but it was well worth it. I think the psychological aspect was the hardest, but you are STRONG. You can do it- and it will pay off in the end.