In 1984 when Luitgard was 40 she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. She
began to experience akinesia of her left arm and rigidity of her neck
and could not write correctly. She became rapidly dependent on the
assistance of her husband Friedrich for daily activities such as
standing and dressing. The increasing difficulty with walking and daily
freezing periods led her to retire as a music teacher.
Luitgard and Friedrich had always been an active couple, but over
time they had to give up many social opportunities and travel became
impossible. “I stopped going to the supermarket as I was unable to take
the money out of my purse. But the worst thing was that I had to
abandon my favourite activities such as playing the piano and going to
concerts”. She particularly remembers the looks she received from
people in the street. Life with medication was not easy. As her disease
progressed to an advanced stage, she suffered from levodopa related
dyskinesias. “I couldn’t control the movement of my right leg; it would
jerk completely out of control”.
When her relatives told her
about TV programs that showed the results of deep brain stimulation
(DBS) on Parkinson's patients, Luitgard decided to visit several
specialist centres. Her research led her to a movement disorder
specialist who told her that she was a good candidate for DBS.
Friedrich recalls, “We did not know what the outcome would be, but we
were feeling optimistic that this would work”.
“I had great
confidence in the surgical team”, she remembers. “I did not have any
pain, and I did not feel that the procedure was lengthy. The assistance
of the physiotherapist in the OR was very helpful.” The only
uncomfortable moment was on the previous day when her antiparkinsonian
medication was withdrawn. When the DBS system was turned on, Luitgard
saw the symptom relief almost immediately and the improvement became
maximal four weeks after the surgery. As happens for many patients, she
went back twice during the first few months for fine adjustments of the
neurostimulator to get the best benefit with minimal side effects.
“I
have so much to catch up with. Friedrich and I now enjoy playing music,
going to concerts and long cycling tours. I really appreciate being
able to do simple thing such as cracking a nut,” says Luitgard. “And
deep brain stimulation is perfectly compatible with a normal life and I
visit my doctor once a year to check the neurostimulator which takes
about one hour.” Although she continues to take her antiparkinsonian
medications, the dosage has been reduced by half.
Luitgard
and Friedrich still recall the time when their life was difficult. “The
benefits of deep brain stimulation are amazing”, she says. ”And more
importantly, I have recovered my dignity”.
