Jo Dixon’s Parkinson surgery ahead of fourth book release

The inside story on how popular Tasmanian author Jo Dixon is managing her Parkinsons’ symptoms ahead of the release of her fourth book later this year.

Author Jo Dixon. Picture: Chris Kidd

Popular Tasmanian author Jo Dixon says the improvement after brain surgery for the debilitating symptoms from Parkinson’s disease has been “instantaneous”.

Ms Dixon, who will release her fourth book in October, was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s 10 years and recently had deep brain stimulation surgery in Melbourne.

“My symptoms were well managed but deteriorating and my neurologist said “let’s do it, let’s do it early and let’s get you back to full fitness’ because the only thing that slows down Parkinson’s is high intensity exercise,” she said.

Author Jo Dixon. Picture: HarperCollins

“I have what’s called right side effect, and so I’m only effected on one side of my body at the moment.

“I had a tremor in the hand, rigidity and stiffness, slowness of movement, fine motor skills going in that hand, leg, gait compromise, and my leg was dragging, my foot was dragging a little bit, and it was just all getting a little worse.

“My ability to type fast has gone out the window.

“So my left hand flies like the wind and my right one is, tap tap tap.”

Being right-handed, Ms Dixon said it had been “a bit frustrating” dealing with her condition and was pleased she was able to have the surgery.

“There’s quite a long process with getting set up for it with psychologists, a neuropsychologist, neuropsychiatrist and you have to be physically capable of taking it on.

“The technology’s been around for a long time, but they’ve refined it and I’ve been very lucky.”

Author Jo Dixon recovering from brain surgery for parkinsons disease. Picture: supplied

She has two little holes at the top of her skull, where electric wires are connected across her scalp which run down under her collarbone with a battery pack in her chest that sends electrical impulses to the brain.

“That can be tweaked, which is quite phenomenal,” Ms Dixon said.

“I give access to my neurologist in Melbourne and he sits there on a Zoom call and tweaks my device.

“It’s incredible, and it was immediate, the changes.

“It was just incredibly, instantaneous.”

She is still not allowed to drive after the surgery on May 17.

While she wants to write another book the timing of the surgery ahead of the release of her next book, A Disappearing Act, could not have worked out better.

“It all fitted in perfectly.

“I’d finished copy edits just before I went into surgery actually and then I’ll get my proof reads probably in the next few weeks.”

Ms Dixon was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s when she was 46 and said there was “not a lot of awareness” around the condition.

“Everyone thinks it’s an old person’s disease.

“There is early onset, or young onset, it’s called, people are very young and in their late 20s, 30s can be diagnosed with the illness.

“It is a debilitating condition, but my recommendation would be to anyone else to get the surgery done.”

Originally published as Jo Dixon’s Parkinson surgery ahead of fourth book release