vns surgery

Hello, My son Carter is two so there is a big age difference between the two of you. Carter's surgery went very well. They said the battery usually last about 5 yrs depending on the frequency. They have to preform another little surgery to replace the battery. I havent really noticed any bad side effects and the scaring is very minimal. Carter's looks great. I say go for it. It could help with your seizures and make you feel better. I know the doctor told me even if it doesnt work for seizure control it might help his moods and his post seizure state. I recently recieved information on a toll-free confrence call on Nov. 6th at 7:00pm CST you can call 1-877-451-8943 and listen to doctors and other patiets and ask questions. I also have a website with lots of information www.vnstherapy.com Hope this helps. Tracy

Howdy spazz.. I had the implant a few weeks ago (October 15th) so I'm still going through the recovery motions from surgery and improving every day. It seems that lately I've had some days that are better than others which is normal. Everyone heals differently so recovery time can differ from one person to the next. It is important to know that you do need time to heal after surgery. For what it's worth, I've had the brain surgery in '95 (left temporal lobe had a scar that was removed) and I've gone over the limit of medications so the VNS was the answer for me to take with solving the break through seizures. Keep in mind that this is a timed issue and it is not a quick fix. The VNS works with your medication to control your seizures. There will be visits to your neurologist where it will be tweaked. Your neurologist is doing this to determine what dosage works best for your situation. Something you might want to consider is asking your neurologist more information about the VNS itself as they would be able to give you that specific information. The VNS does have batteries in it however they are not replaced seperate. When the batteries are in need of replacement the generator will be removed. Your neurologist or surgeon can explain more of this information to you in detail. If you have not contacted anyone at the device manufacturer as of yet, you can do so and they will give you more information on it. Keep in mind, in most cases you will speak to marketing representatives selling you on the product. This is a big issue so write all your questions down and be ready to ask them. The more you know the more prepared you will be. Both my husband and I went together to the neurosurgeon for the surgery consultation and I felt very comfortable when we left because we could ask questions and I knew he heard things that I may have missed. Best of luck to you with your research! Sue