David is feeling fit and healthy and is ready for surgery tomorrow morning!
Could we ask y'all to sign your names in the guestbook at the bottom of the blog, so David knows who is checking in and praying and rooting for him?
His VNS implant is an issue to pray about. It doses him with electrical pulses that go up the vagus nerve in his neck and help his brain not to have seizures. He is dependent on it as we found out a couple times when something went wrong with it.
He has to have it off for the MRI they do before his surgery. So the plan is to turn it off at 4:30 this afternoon and turn it back on after the surgery, mid-day tomorrow. I feel that is a long time and he will be at risk of a seizure. In fact last surgery in May it was off for about that long and he had a bad seizure the next morning while in ICU. It was before the EEG was connected so it didn't count for anything. So please pray for him in this area.
David recently realized there is a positive side of this: when he is all hooked up and ready to have seizures, dropping the VNS dose may trigger seizures better than dropping meds. It may break through the Ativan which was so effective last time. If so maybe he can get his three seizures on the EEG and get out sooner this time. Not that we don't like it there--the nurses and everyone are so good.
Thank you so much whoever is praying. We feel it. We are in pretty good shape. This is very sobering and challenging but we feel like it will be good.
Say hello by signing the Guestbook at the bottom, or leave a comment--click on "comments" on the post; scroll down in the window that pops up and sign in as Anonymous.
Pray for David
+Pray for no seizures and healing from epilepsy.
+Pray for no colds (often come with seizures), wisdom in matters of health.
+Thank God for the period of no seizures from July 31 2008 to July 7, 2009, even with one less medicine and his VNS implant being turned way low inadvertently.
+Thank God for a full recovery from the trauma caused by the grid on August 1 2008.
+Thank God for the period of no seizures from July 31 2008 to July 7, 2009, even with one less medicine and his VNS implant being turned way low inadvertently.
+Thank God for a full recovery from the trauma caused by the grid on August 1 2008.
+Thank God for strength during the first four semesters at college.
+Pray for strength and wisdom through the third year, taken from home.
+Thank God for three months with no seizures, from early August to early November '11
+Pray for that pattern, of no seizures or even auras, to resume and remain
Use the Blog Archive to start from the beginning of this record
Blog Archive
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2008
(130)
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July
(19)
- Pray
- Cautious, but....!
- Doing better
- Peaceful sleep and seizures!
- A Trying Time
- More normal
- Swell guy
- Great Morning!
- Photos of this morning
- Resting up at the CCU
- He is out and did well but pray
- Go!
- Ready, Set...
- Passed!
- Three Prayer Requests
- Welcome Sean!
- More meds, less seizures
- More soon
- Success then....
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July
(19)
My angel!
2008
WHAT'S UP WITH DAVID--updated 9/19/09
David was diagnosed with focal epilepsy in 2000.
He has tried seven meds and had a device implanted, but still has had seizures and side effects.
Since summer 2007 he has been on a track toward surgery, which can be very effective. In July 2008 we got to the final stage which is to have grid surgery.
Grid surgery on July 29 involved placing a silicone grid of electrodes directly on his brain. A cable connected his head to an EEG screen, and he stayed in his hospital room to have seizures. If the grid shows where seizures come from then usually the spot can be removed and the epilepsy is gone or alleviated greatly.
Things went wrong on August 1 when the grid turned out to be very irritating and caused a lot of fluid buildup and swelling so it had to be taken out in emergency surgery as David started slipping into a coma. The opportunity to do therapeutic surgery was lost for the time.
But things started going well as he had no seizures for 11 months and 1 week after coming out of the hospital. Things are really good because he (accidentally) started taking one less medicine, and because his vagal nerve stimulator was (accidentally) set way too low after surgery, and still no seizures. This is very unexpected so maybe the trauma altered something in his brain and healed his epilepsy.
Despite some bumps things are still going well, with very few seizures. After asking for the VNS to be turned down, then having many more auras, turning it back up, and having sleep trouble, he has had seven seizures since July 7, '09. However, each seizure has been gentler than the last, and a common denominator has been found in many of them - looking at computer/TV screens too long.
He has tried seven meds and had a device implanted, but still has had seizures and side effects.
Since summer 2007 he has been on a track toward surgery, which can be very effective. In July 2008 we got to the final stage which is to have grid surgery.
Grid surgery on July 29 involved placing a silicone grid of electrodes directly on his brain. A cable connected his head to an EEG screen, and he stayed in his hospital room to have seizures. If the grid shows where seizures come from then usually the spot can be removed and the epilepsy is gone or alleviated greatly.
Things went wrong on August 1 when the grid turned out to be very irritating and caused a lot of fluid buildup and swelling so it had to be taken out in emergency surgery as David started slipping into a coma. The opportunity to do therapeutic surgery was lost for the time.
But things started going well as he had no seizures for 11 months and 1 week after coming out of the hospital. Things are really good because he (accidentally) started taking one less medicine, and because his vagal nerve stimulator was (accidentally) set way too low after surgery, and still no seizures. This is very unexpected so maybe the trauma altered something in his brain and healed his epilepsy.
Despite some bumps things are still going well, with very few seizures. After asking for the VNS to be turned down, then having many more auras, turning it back up, and having sleep trouble, he has had seven seizures since July 7, '09. However, each seizure has been gentler than the last, and a common denominator has been found in many of them - looking at computer/TV screens too long.
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