This is a blog about epilepsy. I have lived with seizures for 25 years now and I want to share my experiences to allow others with epilepsy a chance to compare their experiences to mine and to allow those without epilepsy to understand further the condition and how it effects one. I had the VNS device implanted 4 years ago and have posted on that extensively. Please feel free to comment and I will try to respond.
Saturday, January 21, 2006
As for me...
Still not quite fully recovered. I tried to remove the steri-strips that function as stitches. But even after soaking them in water for quite some time, they were not quite ready to be removed. Maybe tommorow...
Connie, So far the VNS side effects are only slightly annoying. As for effectiveness on controlling seizures, so far it appears to be only marginally effective. Most people don't experince improvement until many months have passed, so I am not surprised. I don't know how your son can communicate, but if he will not be able to indicate how the VNS is affecting him with regards to side effects, I would be somewhat hesitant to have it implanted. If the settings are not adjusted with care, the sensations in the throat can feel like choking or pain or a bizzare irritation. It really helped to be able to tell my nurse that certain settings were too much to take and that I needed to go a bit slower on changing them. Let me know if you have any other questions. I would be glad to help. P.S. - You're right! I have a great MOM!
1 comment:
Connie,
So far the VNS side effects are only slightly annoying. As for effectiveness on controlling seizures, so far it appears to be only marginally effective. Most people don't experince improvement until many months have passed, so I am not surprised.
I don't know how your son can communicate, but if he will not be able to indicate how the VNS is affecting him with regards to side effects, I would be somewhat hesitant to have it implanted.
If the settings are not adjusted with care, the sensations in the throat can feel like choking or pain or a bizzare irritation. It really helped to be able to tell my nurse that certain settings were too much to take and that I needed to go a bit slower on changing them.
Let me know if you have any other questions. I would be glad to help.
P.S. - You're right! I have a great MOM!
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