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Surgery
Wed, 04/12/2006 - 00:27I am epileptic and suffer of complex partial seizure (left side). I started to have seizures at the age of 19. I'm 48, and in 2000 I overwent the operation. Unfortunately the operation didn't work and I do take Keppra, Rivotril and Lamictal.
I have spent a long time of search about epilepsy, the percentage of people who are epileptic, the operation, the seizure-free idea, the everyday life of someone who is suffering epilepsy. I found out that treatments, medications, and surgery do not work to the majority of people who suffer epilepsy. So why experts here in Australia and in other states say that there are various treatments (one of the other) which are successful to a large amount of people who are epileptic?
This lack of control over one's body, this unpredictability, is an aspect of having epilepsy which can be difficult to live with. Conventional medical treatment of epilepsy has traditionlly focused on seizure control by drugs. However, many people suffer the side-effects of medication, and life is difficult. Some people, too, just don't respond to the best drug treatment or to the surgery or other therapie or complementary treatments.
I'm sorry, but I don't believe to those 'experts'. Why don't they say the truth? Even those who undergo the operation, may be seizure-free for sometime (often years) and then they start to have seizures again. So, why saying that the operation will work to the majority of patients?
I'm not angry, but it seems to me that many believe that this brain disorder can easily be curable . . . and it is not such a problem!
Am I right or wrong? I would like to hear from somebody and also from an expert to hear their opinion and to learn more about epilepsy --the pros and cons.
Edy
edy_buzz@hotmail.com
Comments
Re: Re: Surgery
Submitted by edy_telephone on Fri, 2006-04-14 - 22:40
Hi forstams,
I don't know your name but I thank-you for your comment about surgery. I overwent the temporal lobectomy (left side) on 2000. I am not angry with the neurosurgeon or my epileptologist because the surgery didn't work. At that time they were 'sure' that the surgery would have worked and they were very positive and confinced that it would have worked for me. But it didn't and as I have said before, I'm not angry with them. On the contrary, I'm glad that at least they tried to help me to overcome the seizures and my epileptologist is still helping me.
I disagree with the fact that most epileptologists, neurologists, and neurosurgeons say that there is only a small amount of patient who still suffer epilepsy after the surgery. However, a large amount of people suffering seazures don't find a solution to the problem with the surgery. That's why I am a bit frustrated . . . and angry at the thought that 'surgery is the positive solution to those who suffer epilepsy and medication don't help at all'. And I am saying 'but operation may not work either' and after the operation one has to overcome the conseguence, the side-effect, and often more speach problems, and more memory problems. This is my idea and if someone is against it, well, it will difficult to convince me otherwise.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Edy
Re: Re: Re: Surgery
Submitted by kimshiraz on Sat, 2006-04-15 - 06:27
Hey Edy i can empathise i've had a very similar problem.
I had a brain tumor removed in 1998 which was causing epileptic fits (having upto 24 a week). Mind you it took them 5 yrs to find brain tumor my neurologist prior said i was hormonal because of age i started having seizures.\
Since surgery becuase of area of brain tumor was in (memory region) my memory both short & long is pretty shitt & can't concentrate for very long.
Also i was told that once had surgery my seizures should cease.
But i'm now having seizures caused by scar tissue on the brain from the surgery & meds don't control it at all. Its really frustrating
If you'd like to email me we could talk more.
my email is kimshiraz@gmail.com
Re: Surgery
Submitted by forestams on Fri, 2006-04-14 - 08:02
What type of surgery did you have? They want my anterior temporal lobe but even though they say they can "cure" me I'm not as convinced because like you say- there seems to be NO evidence anywhere in the world that the seizures won't come back even if they manage to get rid of them! So why risk loosing my memories and my possible functions when I have maybe one seizure a month or less when they probably won't cure me- I agree with you- at least if they were honest with me I wouldn't be so put off to having a second brain surgery (first to remove a tumor) because if it won't work - DON"T USE ME AS A LAB RAT!!!!!!!!! like that creepy Canadian study... take it easy dude