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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VIDEO

Emotionality

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

Video Interview

TRANSCRIPT

In this respect, Parkinson's has made me a little less extroverted or even more introverted. And perhaps I seem stiff towards the outside and can't engage as much in conversations. [...] That's the funny thing about Parkinson's, on the one hand you get emotional much more quickly. So, if there is an emotional situation, tears come immediately, even if I don't want them to. Both positively and negatively. The emotionality is actually much greater. But conversely, in feeling happiness and unhappiness, you somehow become more undifferentiated, something even. Everything is always more or less good. It's not extremely good and it's not extremely bad either. For me, there is a flattening of these emotions of happiness-unhappiness or happiness-poverty that actually goes hand in hand with Parkinson's, with this stiffness. So emotionally, this mobility is lost somewhere.

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Lucie L. says that her husband is no longer so tidy.

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Other experiences by Theo I.

Theo I.

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