surgery at 40

Re: Re: RE: RE: surgery at 40

Submitted by Amy on Mon, 2006-01-16 - 19:27

Hi BAU I had a left temporal lobectomy on 11/15/05 - I am 41 years old. I have been treated for siezures for about 12 years. We were not able to find any meds that kept me siezure free. Over the past year I had completed various testing which included a week long hospital stay waiting for siezure occurrences to pinpoint the area which was damaged, the WADA, various CAT scans, MRIs and the 8 hour nueropsychological testing. I took the time to think about the risks, research the surgery, the results of the surgery, etc. after I was told that I was a good candidate for the surgery. At this point I do not have any regrets to having the surgery. The surgery lasted approx. 6 hours, I was out of the hospital two days after the surgery, was on mild pain meds for a week after, then back to work on a PT basis three weeks after the surgery, then full time four weeks after the surgery. I work in an office and I deal with a lot of math calculations, phone conversations with attorneys and individuals regading domestic situations. At this time I can't say I notice a big change in any direction...specifically of my memory being better or worse. I understand better short term memory could take a while, but I can say that I don't have an exclusive bad memory problem which limited my lifestyle. I am a single Mom of an 11 year old daughter and have local family, friends and a generous employer that have been very supportive and helpful. I feel that the support was a big help in deciding to go ahead with the surgery. Two days after my surgery my Mother entered the hospital and three days later was diagnosed with cancer and given a six month life expectancy. I can say that my Mom's diagnosis put a lot in perspective with the feeling that the temporal lobectomy might have been a bad choice that I made... but it is a surgery that has occurred and has been successful many times... which compared to treatment of the type of cancer that my Mom has it has not been successful for many years. My point is that if your neurologist is suggesting that you are a good candidate for the surgery, you should trust the doctor's knowledge and experience with the results of the surgery based on your situation. The biggest negative that I can point out is the problem with my driver's license being suspended. I know my state has laws requiring the neurologist have your license suspended through the state....but I can understand why, but it can be frustrating! Best wishes for making a choice that satisfies your thoughts. Amy