My son Nathan was born with nerve damage, and in addition to being mentally challenged, he suffered from an attack almost from birth. It’s no fun watching a baby with a little distension and twisting while you can do little to help.
Nathan has experienced hundreds of seizures in a career that is now 28 years old. some attacked him as he was walking, others made him slip the first bath into his mouth on the way. Unless you have a friend or loved one suffering from epilepsy, you can’t imagine the horror!
Although Nathan has taken a lot of medication over the years, when doctors have tried to get his prey under control, no combination of drugs has ever helped much. But what did the drugs do, such as sleepy, sad, lazy, sometimes downright mean!
When neurologist Nathan approached me with the suggestion of a procedure called VNS, or Vagus Nerve Stimulation, I was certainly interested, but a little worried, too. Art explained to me, suggesting that I could see far fewer attacks, and perhaps an improvement in behavior.
During surgery, a small wire is inserted into the Vagus Nerve through a small incision in the neck. The second incision, near the wing, is used to insert a small generator that will send electrical impulses through the wire.
The surgery went well, and Nathan had little discomfort for two days. A week later he saw the surgeon. Over the neck incision is a huge bandage that you will sew. It was removed, revealing only a slight scar, like a red line appearing across half of her neck. Adhesives were used in the underarm incision, so there was no need to remove them. Neck incisions today appear like normal wrinkles on the skin of the neck, and are therefore completely hidden. The scar on the wings has healed a little, and still to this day.
The generator can be seen as a small bump only in the underarm area, but it is completely hidden by clothing. The generator will probably need to be replaced every 12 years, and the bottom rebuilt after a while, and a new battery installed.
Within a week or two of surgery, most doctors are on the job, using a computer in their office. It was therefore designed to be organized and adapted to each one. Adjustments can be made so that the pulse of electricity is more frequent, less frequent, or it can be adjusted to send a large amount of current, or a smaller amount.
Each patient is different. Patients who have had many seizures in the past need stronger and more frequent electrical pulses, while those who suffer fewer seizures may be given for less time and less frequently.
At first, Nathan was getting used to some work on his underarm sense of thought. He could feel it, then it was closed, and it came back again. This is to be done all day every day, and I arrange the work in a few days. In those days he was working and resting, but he did not want to ignore him and learn.
Today, Nathan feels far fewer robberies. It had taken about a week before, and now months go by without a single incident. In addition, the invasions appear much milder and subside much more quickly than before.
I have also seen quite a difference in his behavior, although we hope to see even more progress as he is weaned off more drugs. He soon took double seizure medication, but he had previously taken four types. Once he gets off at least one drug, his behavior should improve even more.
Although Nathan remained on the same medication as the VNS was working to control the seizure, I was overwhelmed by the results so far. It’s not nice to have to worry every day about whether he will fall and hit his head – or worse.
If you are considering VNS therapy, consider it, but talk to your doctor first. Go online to read more about the actual surgery, discuss seats with your doctor, make a decision. A life with fewer falls, but very nice…
Report:
- More about Vagus Nerve Stimulation: www.vnstherapy.com
