Brain Surgery

[Ashop]

No bullshit here, I am actually going in for brain surgery on Wednesday. The procedure is called a bilateral grid study and it is the first of two procedures that will hopefully reduce the frequency of and possibly eliminate my epileptic seizures altogether. I have not had a seizure since august of 2006 due to the right levels and types of medication, but I'm not content with that. The side effects still limit my independence and manifest themselves physically (I get tremors in my jaw and hands, and my short term memory is severely limited) The potential benefits are enormous and I am excited/anxious to get this done. Make no mistake, I am beyond scared but this is the best chance I will ever have at getting my confidence, independence, and families future welfare back on track. It's soul crushing that I have been a burden to my family and that has to end. My children need to start seeing there dad as their hero and my wife deserves to get back the strong, confident man she married 10 years ago.
Peace brothers and sisters.

You and your family are in our prayers. BEST of luck my friend. PLEASE keep us updated.

 

[Jello]

Best of luck on Wednesday, hope all goes well for you.

 

[Phidias]

Best of luck on Wednesday, hope all goes well for you.

This decision to accept surgery musn't have been easy to make... now that you did, you'll be rewarded with the best outcome possible and your life should definitely change for the better as you want it to... :headbang: I'll be thinking of you on wednesday, M2M!

 

[luckyone]

Keeping you in my prayers Bro!

your brother in Christ,

Lucky

 

[Samuel]

Prayer for you. Everything will be Okay.

 

[cheloz28]

Keeping you in my prayers friend, you are already a hero to your family and wife.


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[Phidias]

Any update? Hope the surgery went well and that M2M is now quietly recovering...

 

[method2madness]

I wish you the best! Keep us updated! Just out of curiousity in the past have you ever experimented with the ketogenic diet for your seizures? If so did it help any?

I have tried ketogenic dieting in the past several times but unfortunately it didn't help. The problem is that epilepsy can originate from anywhere in the brain so one persons' treatment does not necessarily work as well or at all for others. I was enrolled in my states med. marijuana program using high cbd based weed and that didn't work either.

 

[method2madness]

Any update? Hope the surgery went well and that M2M is now quietly recovering...

I got the first stage of the procedure done 5 days ago. They implanted electrodes in a grid map on my brain and reduced my anti-seizure meds. Throughout this process Dr.'s are attempting to induce a seizure through sleep depravation(SUCKS), light stimulation, benadryl, and tramadol. Right now no major seizure has occurred for them to track but each night they are seeing expanding and longer lasting partial seizure activity exactly where they were suspecting it would be, so it's progress. Just a long process. Any of you on here who have spent time at a hospital know how it can make an active person feel and that is STRESSFULL!
Second stage is scheduled for this Wednesday.

For all the support and encouragement, thank you so much! This board and all of you guys rock :headbang: I'll updated on thursday or as soon as i am out of recovery

M@M

 

[maldorf]

I got the first stage of the procedure done 5 days ago. They implanted electrodes in a grid map on my brain and reduced my anti-seizure meds. Throughout this process Dr.'s are attempting to induce a seizure through sleep depravation(SUCKS), light stimulation, benadryl, and tramadol. Right now no major seizure has occurred for them to track but each night they are seeing expanding and longer lasting partial seizure activity exactly where they were suspecting it would be, so it's progress. Just a long process. Any of you on here who have spent time at a hospital know how it can make an active person feel and that is STRESSFULL!
Second stage is scheduled for this Wednesday.

For all the support and encouragement, thank you so much! This board and all of you guys rock :headbang: I'll updated on thursday or as soon as i am out of recovery

M@M

I hope they isolate the area. What happens once they figure out where it is? This reminds me a bit of my heart failure. I could go in for ablation where they burn part of my heart where the arrhythmias are coming from but the surgeon said with my trouble being ventricular fibrillation and not just tachycardia would make it very difficult to pinpoint and area so he didn't want to risk the surgery.

I hope yours works out. I think you did the right thing having it done and you will benefit soon from it.

 

[method2madness]

Update

I hope they isolate the area. What happens once they figure out where it is? This reminds me a bit of my heart failure. I could go in for ablation where they burn part of my heart where the arrhythmias are coming from but the surgeon said with my trouble being ventricular fibrillation and not just tachycardia would make it very difficult to pinpoint and area so he didn't want to risk the surgery.

I hope yours works out. I think you did the right thing having it done and you will benefit soon from it.

So the doctors isolated and removed the damaged area of my frontal lobe in a procedure called a frontal lobectomy. The area was involved in my visual senses and my seizures and auras were visual so I have some resulting vision side effects that will improve over time during what looks like a6 month recovery period, meaning that wherever I am at in six month is likely where I will be ultimately. focusing takes a couple seconds but I already feel that starting to improve. lateral vision on my right side is good and on the left is restricted but will improve slowly. All three doctors working with me tell me that I now have a 50-70% chance of living seizure free for the rest of my life on reduced levels of medication and different meds that I was using that were causing cognitive issues. so those meds are gone, they got everything out they knew was damaged and the possibility of life with no more seizures fills my heart with joy! The fear of "what if" is at least reduced if not gone and that is such a relief for my family
I am home now recovering and back with my family and the headaches are fading soI look forward to my first solid night sleep in three weeks, of course the boys will probably invade the room cuz they're excited for daddy being home!
Oh, I've got 40 staples in my skull starting behind my right ear going to the base of the skull/back of my head, pretty kick ass

I also just want to say how much the outpouring of support and prayers from all of the PM family here means to me; it made a huge difference in keeping my spirits up and my energy positive throughout this whole experience, THANK YOU ALL!!

 

[Beat2Death]

Awesome update
Will keep praying for complete and total healing!
Gods best to ya


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[method2madness]

It'll be a long process but thank you for your prayers and support brother!

 

[gungalunga]

Glad to hear things are going well for you. I hope your recovery stays on track, and that you will remain seizure free!

 

[maldorf]

So the doctors isolated and removed the damaged area of my frontal lobe in a procedure called a frontal lobectomy. The area was involved in my visual senses and my seizures and auras were visual so I have some resulting vision side effects that will improve over time during what looks like a6 month recovery period, meaning that wherever I am at in six month is likely where I will be ultimately. focusing takes a couple seconds but I already feel that starting to improve. lateral vision on my right side is good and on the left is restricted but will improve slowly. All three doctors working with me tell me that I now have a 50-70% chance of living seizure free for the rest of my life on reduced levels of medication and different meds that I was using that were causing cognitive issues. so those meds are gone, they got everything out they knew was damaged and the possibility of life with no more seizures fills my heart with joy! The fear of "what if" is at least reduced if not gone and that is such a relief for my family
I am home now recovering and back with my family and the headaches are fading soI look forward to my first solid night sleep in three weeks, of course the boys will probably invade the room cuz they're excited for daddy being home!
Oh, I've got 40 staples in my skull starting behind my right ear going to the base of the skull/back of my head, pretty kick ass

I also just want to say how much the outpouring of support and prayers from all of the PM family here means to me; it made a huge difference in keeping my spirits up and my energy positive throughout this whole experience, THANK YOU ALL!!

Do they know how that part of your brain got damaged? Were you born with it or did it happen sometime in your life?

I bet you are glad to get off those meds! The new med I take now makes it really hard for me to get a good night's sleep. I feel like shit in the morning when I wake up, but its better than the alternative!

I hope the new meds are kind to you.

 

[Phidias]

So the doctors isolated and removed the damaged area of my frontal lobe in a procedure called a frontal lobectomy. The area was involved in my visual senses and my seizures and auras were visual so I have some resulting vision side effects that will improve over time

Are they sure that part of your brain was ONLY involved in vision? I'd be scared to not completely be myself anymore should I undergo lobectomy, even partial...

But I guess that was necessary and they of course know what they're doing... keep us updated on how the recovery is going!!

 

[bigNsmall]

Good luck brother, everything will turn out ok. I will keep you in my prayers.

 

[rcorchid]

Praying for you.

 

[method2madness]

Do they know how that part of your brain got damaged? Were you born with it or did it happen sometime in your life?

I bet you are glad to get off those meds! The new med I take now makes it really hard for me to get a good night's sleep. I feel like shit in the morning when I wake up, but its better than the alternative!

I hope the new meds are kind to you.

It was part of he frontal lobe and was/is basically involved in the visual processes. It's something I was born with and took many years to manifest itself. First seizure happened when I was 21 while working as a pool cleaner for a summer job. The doctors explained it to me basically like there were neurons and nerve endings that were supposed to grow outward along with the rest of my brain as it developed, but they failed to grow correctly and got embedded in that sensitive area and grew to become vey susceptible to what they called hypersensitivity and electrical storms that had probably been happening for years with no indication until the day of the first episode.
I am definitely glad to be off Depakote, it's a bitch of a drug and the doses I needed cause memory issues and tremors in my hands, arms and jaw. So good riddance for sure!!
What meds are you on that are causing you sleep issues? But hey, any day you wake up is a good one right?

 

[method2madness]

Are they sure that part of your brain was ONLY involved in vision? I'd be scared to not completely be myself anymore should I undergo lobectomy, even partial...

But I guess that was necessary and they of course know what they're doing... keep us updated on how the recovery is going!!

I was scared beyond belief, by far the hardest decision I've ever made in my whole life, but you know when it's time when you just have to face the reality that my life was never going to get back to a positive place for me and my family until this was done. And I found through years of working with and researching epilepsy doctors that the ones I chose are the best in the country and are world renound for their research and practices for decades. Basically I wasn't going in to this thing blind. I was damn sure to do my due diligence!
Thanks for your support and positive thought brother, it means a lot!!