Gracie and I went to see the neurosurgeon today to discuss Vagal Nerve Stimulator (http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/answerplace/Medical/treatment/vns/, http://www.vnstherapy.com/). I figured that it wouldn't be the right option for Gracie since her seizures have dramatically improved off lamictal, but... Josh and I are praying about whether it might be the right option for Gracie! It's a day-surgery procedure where a small cable is connected to the vagal nerve in the neck and a small implant is placed near the chest muscle (kinda like a pace-maker). It runs a steady low dose of electrical stimulation to the vagal nerve which somehow prevents seizure activity. If she looks like she's going to have a seizure, we can pass a magnet over the implanted battery and it bumps up the voltage slightly and aborts the seizure. No one really knows why or how it works... that's the field of neurology for you!!
The median patient has a 50% reduction in seizures, so for Gracie that would be fantastic. PLUS the possibility of a non-sedating treatment for her seizures so that we could avoid diastat. PLUS avoiding more medication side effects and, God-willing, maybe we could even get her OFF some of her meds. That would be so wonderful. I had a great discussion with the surgeon about us moving overseas and he felt that this is as good an option as any for overseas and that either I could learn to program it or we could find someone who already knows how to program it. (In fact, he trained a neurosurgeon who currently practices in Bogota, Colombia!)
If we decide to do this, we could get it done this month even, although we might wait till April... Either way, we appreciate your prayers! Gracie has become a different child off the lamictal - she is bright, perky, loving games, sharp, and much much faster. She had been in slow motion for the entire fall and early winter. It's amazing to see what she is like with less medication side effects and less seizures slowly her brain down!
The median patient has a 50% reduction in seizures, so for Gracie that would be fantastic. PLUS the possibility of a non-sedating treatment for her seizures so that we could avoid diastat. PLUS avoiding more medication side effects and, God-willing, maybe we could even get her OFF some of her meds. That would be so wonderful. I had a great discussion with the surgeon about us moving overseas and he felt that this is as good an option as any for overseas and that either I could learn to program it or we could find someone who already knows how to program it. (In fact, he trained a neurosurgeon who currently practices in Bogota, Colombia!)
If we decide to do this, we could get it done this month even, although we might wait till April... Either way, we appreciate your prayers! Gracie has become a different child off the lamictal - she is bright, perky, loving games, sharp, and much much faster. She had been in slow motion for the entire fall and early winter. It's amazing to see what she is like with less medication side effects and less seizures slowly her brain down!
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