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Deep Brain Stimulation and Parkinson ’ s
Living His Life Again
At 43 , seven years after being diagnosed with Parkinson ’ s disease , Richie Rothenberg , an emeritus member of The Michael J . Fox Foundation ’ s Patient Council , felt encumbered by his body . He often found himself freezing without warning while powerful dyskinesias took over his body . “ It was a very difficult time ,” he remembers . On his doctor ’ s recommendation , Richie decided to undergo DBS in December 2010 .
Unfortunately , after surgery he contracted a staph infection — a complication experienced by a small percentage of people who undergo any surgery — and spent New Year ’ s Eve that year getting the whole apparatus taken out . “ I had to wait another six weeks before I could be ready to do it again ,” he recounts . The good news ? He had done so well in the first surgery that doctors were able to perform the operation a second time and implant the battery in a single procedure .
The results were dramatic . Like many people , Richie experienced an immediate benefit , even before doctors had programmed his device . Overnight , he went from being unable to walk or drive or sit still , to walking into a room with no apparent symptoms of PD . While it took two years of fine-tuning the programming to achieve optimal settings , Richie was able to ski and go bowling soon after surgery . “ The body settles down , the brain , the excitement settles down ,” he explains . “ For a couple of years I went in every month or so for a different tweaking of the DBS settings .” He now sees his doctor for regular visits to maintain the pacemaker-like DBS device . The advances in technology over the past 14 years have been important , Richie says . “ The batteries last longer , three to five years , and recharging them is easier .”
A year and a half after his DBS operation , Richie married his high school sweetheart , Julie , and they had twin girls . They became a family of six , including Richie ’ s two children from a
More than a decade after he had DBS , Richie Rothenberg and his wife Julie are enjoying the ongoing benefits of the procedure .
previous marriage . He is open with them about his Parkinson ’ s , and the twins “ are curious about the science of the DBS ,” Richie says . “ They ’ re great helps . Parkinson ’ s gives them a different outlook on helping people .”
Now , more than a decade later , Julie and Richie enjoy the ongoing benefits of his DBS decision . “ It ’ s like a miracle , living my life again , playing with my kids , going out to eat , taking vacation — to do what I want to do ,” Richie says . He also recognizes that if he doesn ’ t eat a healthy diet or exercise daily — “ take personal responsibility ” — he loses that miracle effect . Julie helps focus him on what he needs to do . “ Rigorous exercise reduces symptoms and slows the advance of the disease ,” she adds . “ It ’ s as important as the medications and should be part of the prescription for DBS .”
Richie ’ s gratitude has only grown over the years since his DBS . “ Parkinson ’ s is the best thing that ever happened to me ,” he says . “ It changed my life in a profound way that made it much more meaningful , much more appreciative and filled with love .”