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Theo I.

Theo I. was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at the age of 42. Together with Salome G.-I., he has two small children at this time. Due to the slow progression of Parkinson's disease, he does not have to change his usual lifestyle from one day to the next and can still fulfil family duties, such as childcare. At the time of the interview, he has been living with the disease for twenty-three years. Theo I. works as an organisational consultant. Sport and exercise play a central role in his life. In 2018, he started deep brain stimulation therapy. Age at the time of diagnosis: 42 Treatment: Deep brain stimulation Occupation: Office worker Treatment: Deep brain stimulation

VIDEO

Change in the division of tasks

Theo I.'s wife has increased her workload, but he now does the housework, which gives him more exercise.

Video Interview

TRANSCRIPT

Theo I.: My wife has increased her workload. She now worked almost 100%. In return, I did the housework and looked after the children during the 50% I didn't work. Well, they are grown up now. So that was the division of tasks. I worked half the time and did the housework the other half. Yes, what did a day like that look like? Well, in the morning it was relatively difficult to get going until you got up again and got moving. But I think in principle the work at home, in the household, where I could move around constantly, was easier than at work. Interviewer: Because you sit there a lot? Theo I.: Because I sat there and became stiffer and stiffer when sitting. Then typing on the computer also became more and more tedious. It was always much slower. Productivity dropped massively. [...] Towards the end it got worse and worse. Even when I was doing the housework, I had to think about what I was going to do and when, because there were always these moments when nothing worked anymore and I couldn't cook properly or I couldn't fold or hang up the laundry properly anymore, because it just became tedious. Maybe after an hour it came back and I had to juggle it permanently. "What am I doing when? When are the holes coming?"

Other experiences by Theo I.

PDI05.jpg

Theo I.

Theo I. was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at the age of 42. Together with Salome G.-I., he has two small children at this time. Due to the slow progression of Parkinson's disease, he does not have to change his usual lifestyle from one day to the next and can still fulfil family duties, such as childcare. At the time of the interview, he has been living with the disease for twenty-three years. Theo I. works as an organisational consultant. Sport and exercise play a central role in his life. In 2018, he started deep brain stimulation therapy. Age at the time of diagnosis: 42 Treatment: Deep brain stimulation Occupation: Office worker Treatment: Deep brain stimulation

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Theo I.

Slow progression

Theo I. is glad that the disease is progressing only slowly and that he can still do sports.

Symptoms and course of disease

Parkinson's disease: deep brain stimulation and duodopa pump

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Theo I.

Change in the division of tasks

Theo I.'s wife has increased her workload, but he now does the housework, which gives him more exercise.

Living with Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease: deep brain stimulation and duodopa pump

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Theo I.

Social contacts

Theo I. increasingly finds social contacts exhausting.

Living with Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease: deep brain stimulation and duodopa pump

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Theo I.

Sitting for long periods

Theo I. can't sit at the computer much longer.

Living with Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease: deep brain stimulation and duodopa pump

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Theo I.

Emotionality

Theo I. has become more emotional on the one hand, but feels strong emotions less intensely.

Living with Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease: deep brain stimulation and duodopa pump

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Theo I.

Decision-making process

Theo I. tells how deep brain stimulation came about.

Treatment with Deep Brain Stimulation

Parkinson's disease: deep brain stimulation and duodopa pump

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Theo I.

Irreversible damage

Theo I. is afraid that something will go wrong during the operation and that he will then be even worse off than before.

Treatment with Deep Brain Stimulation

Parkinson's disease: deep brain stimulation and duodopa pump

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Theo I.

Putting on the steel frame

Theo I. finds the steel frame uncomfortable to sit on.

Treatment with Deep Brain Stimulation

Parkinson's disease: deep brain stimulation and duodopa pump

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Theo I.

New life

Theo I. describes the time immediately after the operation.

Treatment with Deep Brain Stimulation

Parkinson's disease: deep brain stimulation and duodopa pump

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Theo I.

Being able to work again

Theo I. can work again.

Treatment with Deep Brain Stimulation

Parkinson's disease: deep brain stimulation and duodopa pump

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Theo I.

Fatigue

Theo I. feels more tired after deep brain stimulation than before.

Treatment with Deep Brain Stimulation

Parkinson's disease: deep brain stimulation and duodopa pump

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Theo I.

Battery types

Theo I. is glad that he has a non-rechargeable battery that lasts for three years.

Treatment with Deep Brain Stimulation

Parkinson's disease: deep brain stimulation and duodopa pump

View all experiences

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