How Is David?: And another seizure

Sunday, October 18, 2009

And another seizure

22 and a half hours ago, I had just come back to my dorm after watching Unlocking the Mystery of Life with one other student (I had been hoping to challenge the size of the room, which has 100 seats, but no).

I sat down in front of my computer, opened a random file and looked at it, and then an aura started. I think it still followed the pattern of each seizure being harsher than the next, but it was a seizure. Like the previous three, I was conscious the whole time but had difficulty speaking for a while after it ended - something between 15 minutes and 1 hour.

I think a large part in starting that seizure was played by missing out on sleep the last two or three nights. I don't think missing the dose on Wednesday morning had any significant role; I am pretty sure that the levels in my blood were back up by the time I had the seizure.

I am hoping to get caught up and ahead, perhaps a week ahead, in all of my classes, as Monday and Tuesday are part of a 4-day weekend. Please pray that I will get much done, and have wisdom as to what to put time into.

Thank you for you prayers, and God bless you all.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...: Can you feel our prayers? We're sending them daily. You are so right, sleep is what you probably the culprit. I hope the upcoming 4-day weekend will give the rest you need. Slow down there David :); October 19, 2009 at 9:21 PM

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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 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

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.

How Is David?

Sunday, October 18, 2009

And another seizure

1 comment:

Pray for David

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WHAT'S UP WITH DAVID--updated 9/19/09

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