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Need answer about brain surgery.

Sat, 11/18/2006 - 15:03
Lets see, how I can say this. I really want to know about brain surgery anything about it. I was asked if I would like to have brain surgery in order to possibly be medicine free.I keep on saying NO. For the simple fact that;they say every surgery has risks & that is one risk I wish not to take. See they told me that they really couldn't pin point were it is in my brain. I was in the hospital & they did everything could to make me have a seizure; but they couldn't. So can anyone tell me if they would recommend brain surgery? What I should look for if I do have the brin surgery. meeciamecia

Comments

If there going to remove any

Submitted by GetBackJack on Sat, 2006-11-18 - 16:28
If there going to remove any brain tissue, it's important they have a good idea of where the seizure focus is. I don't know what your neurologist told you, but if he said you are a good candidate, but can't find a focus, it's an operation I'm not familiar with, (VNS? I'm not up to date on that) If on your MRI they're able to find fibrous brain tissue (scar) usually represented by such things as very minute differences in structures such as the hippocampus when comparing the right side to the left, then they can theorize that perhaps your focus originates from that area which is part of the limbic system, which is an area highly susceptible to injury or disease (likely). If you get auras where you experience anxiety, fear, and things such as that these may back that since the amygdala is near the hippocampus. Usually they'll take that out as well. (But it is also usually damaged, and the other hippocampus/amygdala are taking up most of the work-if not all;) So, if they see these things and they can't pinpoint it on an EEG (monitors electrical signals in the brain), it might be worthwhile to try again. Anyway, before you are considered eligible for the surgery some tests should be run: MRI: To check for tissue abnormalities Video EEG: They taper of your meds and monitor you on camera-you'll have someone push an alarm when you begin to have a seizure or you'll push a button when you feel an aura coming on-this will help the neurologist focus on the important parts. Wada testing: They'll put a catheter up an artery so they can put different hemispheres of your brain to sleep. Once the left and once the right. Questions will be asked to determine how much functioning is where and where dominance is. Some of these tests are "extra backings" to others for instance; Neuropsychological testing: To find the dominant hemisphere (mine was done before the WADA) If none of these test have been done, and they want to give you a temporal lobectomy-refuse refuse refuse, there would be something rotten in Denmark. ...and in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love...you make. Lennon&McCartney.

Re: Need answer about brain surgery.

Submitted by Jasbuch on Thu, 2006-11-23 - 17:22
Hey meeciamecia I agree with the person who placed their previous comment. All those tests they said will have to be done BEFORE even talking about surgery to see if you are a candidate. Another test they didn't mention is called a PET scan, which tests the usage of sugar in your brain. So all these tests mentioned to you should be done to pinpoint where your seizures are coming from. If it can't be pinpointed from a central spot, the odds of surgery working for you are not that significant - I'm sorry. Another option that they mentioned was called a VNS implant. What this is, is it is a device that they plant in your body close to your heart and it has wires that run from it to your brain. This device puts off electrical impulses every so often. This is determined by the doctor and varies from person to person. But it is meant to control electrical activity in the brain and may be an option if you can't find exactly where your seizures are coming from The statistics I have seen for having the part causing seizures cut out is about 70 to 90 percent of stopping them completely. For the VNS implant is only about 40 to 60 percent of CONTROLLING seizures. I have learned that the VNS implant is meant to control seizures, not stop them. So the decision is up to you and your doctor, but if you can have it cut out I would certainly go that route.

Hi Jasbuch, re:"The

Submitted by solis on Thu, 2006-11-23 - 18:09
Hi Jasbuch, re:"The statistics I have seen for having the part causing seizures cut out is about 70 to 90 percent of stopping them completely." As one who's had decades of seizures and now surgery, I understand you mean only to help meeciamecia, (=good) but your statistics on the 'complete success' of surgery are very wrong. People need to be aware of the accurate statistics in order to enable themselves to decide if they are willing to take the risk of surgery. Temporal Lobectomy : "After surgery, 60% to 70% of patients are free of seizures that impair consciousness or cause abnormal movements." http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/temporal_lobectomy.html Frontal Lobectomy: "30% to 50% of patients are free of seizures that impair consciousness or cause abnormal movements." http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/frontal_lobectomy.html Hemispherectomy: "More than 75% of patients experience complete or nearly complete seizure control" http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/hemispherectomy.html Corpus Callostomy: "Seizure frequency is reduced by an average of 70% to 80% after partial callosotomy and 80% to 90% after complete." http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/corpus_collostomy.html Conclusion: The most typical surgeries are temporal lobectomies and the result statistics are nowhere near 90%. Moreover, the surgery with the highest positive results (corpus callostomy) is also a "less common type of epilepsy surgery" http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/types_surgery.html ~sol

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