Tomorrow (Monday) at 1:30 we see Dr Ross to get David's stitches out and hopefully get a bit of insight into what may be next. As the surgeon he will have an opinion on when David will be recovered enough to consider another surgery. He also may be able to assess how David's recovery is going.
In a couple weeks we go to the neurologist who by then may have assessed what this visit gave us as far as seeing where the seizures come from, and what they recommend for the next step.
David is doing quite well. He is getting stronger at walking well every day. He used the walker from Thursday noon till Friday noon and that's it! His eye is still a little askew and he has double vision where the second image is not only separate but also rotated a little. He is not very active and sits still a lot which is strange for him.
Yesterday we went to the Griffith Observatory and David was able to endure for over two hours. Part of the time he was willing to sit in a wheelchair. We went out for a late pizza dinner after that. I thought he would be wiped out but he was up in plenty of time this morning and wanted to go to church.
Footnote to Friday's post: The temperature feels downright cool outside! It's been only 85 or so.
We have had a lot of fun with Bijan's relatives here. They are all sympathy for David and give him lots of TLC. Rachel is getting a huge amount of attention from her two 18- and 20-year old girl cousins. They are taking her with them to San Diego for the week to visit Bijan's brother and his family. She is getting treated like a princess.
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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
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2008
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August
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- Progress
- Photos
- Boogie boy
- Pray for wisdom today
- Fun at the surgeon's
- Onward
- Count it all joy
- Walking well
- Slower progress
- He's Home!
- Tuesday
- Wrapping up
- Sunday post from David
- Sunday night status of David
- Thanks for your for prayers
- Patient David
- Happy doctor
- Good news, he is unhappy
- Better
- Early morning cat scan
- Sedation
- Out of Surgery
- Emergency Surgery
- Better but still not great
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August
(24)
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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