Hi CBI,
A good sugical candidate is someone who is experiencing 2+ seizures per month, someone who's seizures aren't controllable with AEDs, and someone who's seizures are coming from mainly one central location in the brain. After you've tried more than 2 different AEDs and you're still having seizures, chances are that meds aren't going to do the job.
There's a lot of testing to take place before surgery. I went through 6 months of candidate testing, including MRIs, a PET scan, neuropsychological evaluation, WADA angiogram, Video EEGs, depth electrodes, grid electrodes, brain mapping, etc. etc.
If you are referred to a neurosurgeon for candidate testing, it isn't elective. My insurance covered it all.... no questions asked.
There are very few risks with this type of surgery; mostly infection. The tests will show which side of the brain controls language, memory, and speech (specifically the WADA angiogram). If your seizures are coming from the same side that your speech and language is on, they might not do surgery because it could cause a speech deficit. In most cases, the speech and language is on the left side but not always (mine is on the right).
Surgery doesn't work for everyone, but I've never heard of it making seizures worse.
I had my surgery at a "major medical facility"...
For my surgery, I was out of work from Oct 28, 08 until Dec 1, 08. I had my surgery on Nov 12. From Oct 28 to Nov 12, I was hooked up to EEG with a camera in my face. We also did depth electrodes and brain mapping during the first two weeks. I was back to work quickly. My neurologist wanted me to take another 2 weeks off, but I was determined to get back in the groove.
Just a few answers to your questions...
I hope everything works out.
God bless you,
Tristin :)
--- On Sat, 8/1/09, CBI <cbicook@yahoo.
From: CBI <cbicook@yahoo.
Subject: [epilepsy] brain surgery
To: epilepsy@yahoogroup
Date: Saturday, August 1, 2009, 6:43 PM
There has been a lot of reference to those having surgery. Can someone(s) explain what makes a person a candidate to have surgery? Is it the number of seizures one has, the location in their brain that they begin, inability to gain control using medications or what? I keep reading about these surgery's and don't know where to start to find out if it would work for me. How does insurance cover these? Is it considered elective? Is it beyond experimental. What are the risks? Could you worsen the level and type of seizures you currently have? Do you need to be at a major medical facility to have this surgery or are more and more hospitals capable of performing it?
How much time must one take or have available to complete this process and continue back to work?
I know these are a lot of questions. I'm sure there are some good WEB sites to explain it and I confess I have not looked at them yet. I'd like to get the group's opinion and recommendations on this process. Thanks.
CBI
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