LifelongSeizures Subdued - Surgical Intervention Brings Healing
Living with epilepsy isn't a walk in the park. I've had the condition since I was a kid, but I was pretty much managing it fine with medication.
But things turned sour in 2006 when I decided to get pregnant. My doctors in Portland suggested changing my meds, as the old ones were unsafe for pregnancy.
The new meds messed up my epilepsy. After a car accident caused by a seizure, I was in the hospital for weeks. I needed hip surgery, lost my driver's license, and couldn't work for six months.
They call it refractory epilepsy when medication stops working. I started having seizures every two weeks, which made it hard for me to work and be a mother. I tried to switch back to my old meds, but they stopped working too.
I gave up on having kids for a while. I felt like I wasn't meant to have any. My life was all about managing my epilepsy.
Then, when I was 36, I was pregnant with my son. I was still having seizures, but thankfully, my son was born healthy.
Musings with Dr. Nicholas Poolos at UW Medicine helped me get my seizure frequency down to once a month. But it wasn't enough, and I was terrified when he suggested brain surgery.
The risk of losing speech, memory, and even my life was daunting, but I had no other choice. I couldn't live the rest of my life with seizures every other week, taking meds that were slowly destroying my liver and kidneys.
Dr. Jeffrey Ojemann at UW Medicine performed the surgery on Friday, November 13th, 2015. They removed an olive-sized part of my left temporal lobe. Although it took me six months to recover, I haven't had a seizure since.
I had taken Clonazepam for a while and had to detox off it after surgery. Benzodiazepines are a common treatment for epilepsy patients, but the withdrawal process was brutal. My doctors slowly tapered me off, and each month was a living nightmare.
I almost gave up on life. I felt like I couldn't keep going. I lost a lot of weight, was drained, and almost checked myself into a rehab facility. But I recovery, and I finally got my life back.
Today, I'm cured of epilepsy, haven't had a seizure since surgery, and don't take any epilepsy meds. I'm a full-time mom and working again, despite having a neurologist for so long.
Despite losing a part of my brain, I can think clearer and faster than ever and have a heightened sense of smell and taste. I feel like I've woken up to a brighter, more vibrant world.
Going through all this gave me a new outlook on life, and I strive to live every day to the fullest. Life is better than ever, now.
- Managing epilepsy effectively is crucial, especially in regard to health-and-wellness and mental-health, as the condition can impact one's ability to work and be a parent.
- With aging, certain medical-conditions like chronic diseases and epilepsy may require adjustments in treatment, such as changes in medication, which could potentially lead to unforeseen complications.
- Integrating science and medical advancements plays a significant role in addressing refractory epilepsy and finding alternative solutions, including brain surgery, that can improve the quality of life for those living with the condition.
- Proper nutrition is essential for optimal recovery and maintaining overall health and wellness, particularly during the detox process, as it was necessary for the individual to recover from the withdrawal symptoms and regain strength after brain surgery.
