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UPDATED: Sun, 10/21/2007 - 9:35pm

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VNS Surgery

If you (or your loved one) have had a vagus nerve stimulator implanted, what happened after it?

no more seizures
5% (11 votes)
helped control seizures a lot
34% (76 votes)
helped a little bit
35% (78 votes)
didn’t help at all
17% (37 votes)
worse off
10% (22 votes)
Total votes: 224

View results
View past poll results

Mood and Behavior 101

Epilepsy and its treatment affect the way that some people with this disorder think and behave. While a seizure is happening, it interferes with thinking. If seizures happen over and over again (as they sometimes do), they can have a lasting effect on many of the brain's functions, from memory and language to planning and reasoning. It's possible that epilepsy may change how you relate to others, your mood, even your personality. But most people with epilepsy find that it has no effect on their behavior.

Do any of these sound like you?

"I just don't trust my short-term memory."

"I knew the word I wanted to say, but I couldn't get it out. Or I'd say another word that wasn't quite right."

"I am more irritable now; everything is an effort."

"I'd finish watching a show, and somebody would ask me what it was about, and I couldn't answer them. I didn't know, and I just watched it!"

Not only can seizures and epilepsy affect how you react to the world, but they also can affect how the world reacts to you. Many people don't know what to do when they see a seizure. Some can't understand that a person who looks pretty normal may not understand a single word being said. The workplace can bring new challenges, and some people with epilepsy have to find other jobs because of their seizures.

This section will help you understand the challenges related to thinking and behavior for people with epilepsy. We hope to give you better knowledge of what you might expect. You can learn how others have dealt with changes in their ability to process information and interact with the world.


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