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Surgery-Left temperal lobe
Thu, 09/25/2008 - 19:49im 15 and im on trileptal, my seizures are well controled but i still have so many worries about my future. And i hate being medically dependent, it worries me too much. I have a scar in my left temperal lobe, so i was wondering if any one has had surgury done there and like how long the recovery time was, what are soem risks, how did it go, are you seizure free now, and just anything else you could share. It would really help, thank you.
Comments
Re: Surgery-Left temperal lobe
Submitted by aussie2006 on Sun, 2009-03-29 - 05:43
Hi, I had left temporal lobe surgery and partial hippocampus removal in March 2006,and have been seizure free ever since, I am currently in the last 5 weeks of taking medication ,thereafter I free of tablets as well.
I was off work for 7 weeks for my surgery/recovery, 1week in hospital & 6 weeks recovery at home. I had scarring on my left temporal lobe also but the difference for me was I had a test done ,which back in 2006 was a relatively new test called an fMRI, this is a test similar to an MRI but where you read words on a screen and they monitor which side of your brain is active for different things , a much less invasive test than a wada test but with similar results. The surgery itself whilst it is scary, to think of someone cutting you open and removing part of your brain, the brain itself feels no pain . You may have a slight swelling at the site of the cut for a while it does go down after a few weeks. I could not lie on my side for the first few weeks because of the titanium screws in my skull but once the swelling went down it was fine.
I had epilepsy all my life(with the exception of two years when I was 5). I was taking 400mg of dilantin, 1200 mg of tegretol and 2400mg of neurontin daily at the time of my surgery, I had surgery when I was 45. I had tried every medication available but nothing gave me complete control. If you are a suitable candidate for surgery I would thouroughly reccomend it, it is a life altering experience.
Hi, I had left temporal lobe surgery and partial hippocampus removal in March 2006,and have been seizure free ever since, I am currently in the last 5 weeks of taking medication ,thereafter I free of tablets as well.
I was off work for 7 weeks for my surgery/recovery, 1week in hospital & 6 weeks recovery at home. I had scarring on my left temporal lobe also but the difference for me was I had a test done ,which back in 2006 was a relatively new test called an fMRI, this is a test similar to an MRI but where you read words on a screen and they monitor which side of your brain is active for different things , a much less invasive test than a wada test but with similar results. The surgery itself whilst it is scary, to think of someone cutting you open and removing part of your brain, the brain itself feels no pain . You may have a slight swelling at the site of the cut for a while it does go down after a few weeks. I could not lie on my side for the first few weeks because of the titanium screws in my skull but once the swelling went down it was fine.
I had epilepsy all my life(with the exception of two years when I was 5). I was taking 400mg of dilantin, 1200 mg of tegretol and 2400mg of neurontin daily at the time of my surgery, I had surgery when I was 45. I had tried every medication available but nothing gave me complete control. If you are a suitable candidate for surgery I would thouroughly reccomend it, it is a life altering experience.
Re: Surgery-Left temperal lobe
Submitted by cinlef on Mon, 2009-04-13 - 23:00
Hi there - my name is Cindy, I'm 30 and have finally been offered the oportunity to have surgery. I started having Grand Mal siezures out of the blue when I was 18. They did an MRI, an EEG, and it seemed like several other tests (my memory doesn't let me remember much). Found a dark spot on my left temperol lobe, no real explanation. My neurologist at the time said that he wouldn't let anyone near his brain to do surgery. Things have changed since then though. I have been on @ 10 different meds, most not helping or causing unbearable side effects. I am on 800 mg Tegretol, and still having several small seizures a day. Dizzy, bad vision, just not quite there for a few minutes at a time.
I am terrified and would like to know what to expect. I am going in 4/27/09 for a week of test including a video eeg and I'm not yet sure what else. I am a mom to a 8yr old boy and a 5yr old girl. I have alot to lose. I am wondering if anyone out there has any advise or info on what I may be getting into. Time lines, side effects, etc....
Hi there - my name is Cindy, I'm 30 and have finally been offered the oportunity to have surgery. I started having Grand Mal siezures out of the blue when I was 18. They did an MRI, an EEG, and it seemed like several other tests (my memory doesn't let me remember much). Found a dark spot on my left temperol lobe, no real explanation. My neurologist at the time said that he wouldn't let anyone near his brain to do surgery. Things have changed since then though. I have been on @ 10 different meds, most not helping or causing unbearable side effects. I am on 800 mg Tegretol, and still having several small seizures a day. Dizzy, bad vision, just not quite there for a few minutes at a time.
I am terrified and would like to know what to expect. I am going in 4/27/09 for a week of test including a video eeg and I'm not yet sure what else. I am a mom to a 8yr old boy and a 5yr old girl. I have alot to lose. I am wondering if anyone out there has any advise or info on what I may be getting into. Time lines, side effects, etc....
Re: Surgery-Left temperal lobe
Submitted by mth1551 on Fri, 2009-03-27 - 14:56
I am contemplating surgery. I have had elilepsy since I was 7, and am now 24. Mine was caused by a fall - which left some scar tissue in my left temporal lobe. I don't want to lose my memore and am very scared of that. I have been on 10+ medacines now, keppra, dilantin, topamax, depakote, lyrca, lamictal, and others i can't remember. I just started being treated for my epilepsy when I turned 20. Each medacine I have used has caused very harsh side effects, from schytsophrenia, aggression, severe migraines, insomnia, severe stomach problems (surgery was required for this). So I am at my whits end. I have a 1 year old daughter and need to get better for her and my wife. I can't go through this anymore. If anyone can help me decide what to do or offer their support I would really appreciate it.