UPDATES... Where are we all at?

Hi Darren,

I'm new to this chat thing, so i really don't know how it works.  I am so busy with the family and work that I only get online in the evening maybe 2-3 times a week. I live on the other side of the pond in California.  I first was diag with epilepsy when i was 13 or 14.  I am currently 42.  At age 16 my events were finally under control. I was able to get my drivers license at age 17.  I was seizure free for 10 years, so my doctor took me off the meds and told me it was not unusual to outgrow it.  This was just around the time i meet the girl that would become my wife.  He did one last eeg, and said that all was clear, go on and enjoy my life!!  Thing were great, I got married 3 years later and know have two great kids, ages 8 and 11. 

Well, about a year ago I started noticing that I was getting this strange feelings and i started lossing seconds of time.  I kept putting it in the back of my mind as stress.  Things at work were very stressful and trying to balance work, family and everyday life is hard.  I finally got the courage to seek help.  I randomly picked a nero and he did a eeg and mri.  The eeg was clear, the mri show something in the left tempral loop.  I had been okay for 25 year and now i had epilepsy again!!!  How could that be.  This just is not fair!!  I still say the stress did it.  Well the nero started throwing drugs at me. I felt like alice, one drug makes you big another makes you small.  After much harrassment from my wife, i switched doctors.  Currently i am on keppra 1000mg  x2 a day and tegretal 600mg x 2 a day.  I still have aura's, (which i never had as a kid, might i add)  but the seizure are down to about 2 a week.  I know the doc. Will bring down the teg. Level and up the keppra next month.  They all feel i am a perfect example for the brain surgery.  I don't even want to go there.  I can live with lossing 5 seconds here and there.  But i do find i am upset alot and depressed from time to time.  Maybe the drugs or the scar tissue?? Those are the things i would like to get rid of most.

Thanks for the ear

Dennis

Reason for Edit:

I have changed the case of your post from BLOCK CAPS to Mixed Case. (See Rule #14: https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=46&m=106997) Writing in block caps is considered to be rude and is shouting.

Post Edited By Moderator (djdaz_1985) : 7/5/2007 3:14:01 AM (GMT-6)

Djdaz - There is never anyone in the epilepsy chat room.  I'm wondering if there is anything you can do about that. Is there any possibility that you can schedule a series of chat times in the epilepsy live chat room? 

                                 Much appreciated,

                                         Rooz

                                     

Here's my update. Most of you know that I was diagnosed with epilepsy last August at the age of 55. My seizures are still not under control and I have been on several medications. I am currently on Keppra, Topamax and just last week my neurologist added Klonopin because for several months I have been staying awake until daylight and having seizures during the time that I am struggling to go to sleep. I then get some sleep during the day. I have been very lethargic. I am fortunate to have a good neurologist at Vanderbilt University Hospital who is easily acccessible. He is going to admit me again for the four day EEG or how ever many days it may take, they will be adding a lot of lights and loud music which I am having problems with. I am a little frightened because he said he is concerned that there is something else going on besides the seizures. They will be doing some other studies while I am there, not real sure what. As most of you know, it takes a while for the EEG rooms to become available. I am not looking forward to it, but I want to live a better quality of life. I know I am going to go out of my mind when they had in the lights and loud music, but we have to find out what's going on. I can't even go to church because of the music, so I'm just waiting for the phone call to find out that they have a room for me.

Best wishes to everyone!

Carla