Epilepsy story

I have had epilepsy and seizures since right after I turned 8 years old. I was playing with a friend, and was showing off, like and idiot, and was standing on a barstool, and started twisting in it, and fell. I started having seizures a few days later. I went to a neurologist, and he put me on phenobarbitol, and I was on that medicine for several years. When I got a little older, I stopped taking my meds and was OK for a few years. When I was about 13 or 14, I had another seizure while at school. I started back on my meds again, and was seizure free for several years again. When I was 17 or 18, I started having seizures again ever once and a while, but not to bad.

I went back to my neurologist, and he put me on Depakote, and Tegretol. And I stayed on that medicine for several years

As I got older, I started to have more seizures. About six months after my wife and I got married, I had my first one around her. It was around Christmas, and we were in bed, and I had one. Well, that was when I first started really having them again. I started seeing a neurologist in Dallas, and he put me on a new medicine to try, I believe it was Lamictal, but I don't remember, anyway, I didn't stay on it long, and I went back to Depakote and Tegretol. I continued on that medicine for several years.

When I was around 35 or 36, I started seeing a new doctor in Dallas, and he suggested surgery after staying in an Epilepsy monitoring unit with wires in my head for a few days. The doctor suggested that it might be a good idea to consider surgery if I was wanting to completely stop my seizures.

A couple of weeks after I got out of the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, I had a couple of seizures, and when I called the doctor, and told him about it, he moved my surgery up, and in February of 2005, I had surgery to stop seizures, so I thought.

When I had surgery, I just knew I wouldn't have any more seizures, and on the day I was suppose to get out of the hospital, I went to take a shower, and had a seizure while in the shower. The doctor told me that it was ok, and I might have a couple of seizures for a few months, but it should decrease from what I was having.

After I got out of the hospital, I still continued to have seizures on occasion, and as a matter of fact, it seemed like I was having them more often than before surgery, but I still tried to give it time, then , I said OK, if I can go six months without a seizure, I can get my drivers license back, well, I couldn't do it, I had one in July last year, after having one in early '09. Then I had one in December, just before my 6 months was up, then I had another one in January.

I went to my doctor in March, and he mentioned surgery to me. At the time, I wasn't willing to have it. My wife and I talked about it and decided it wasn't needed at this time.

Then I started to have them more frequently than I did before, then I had one on May 1st, one I will never forget, since it was on my birthday. Then I had one 2 weeks later, I think that one may have been my fault since I had walked all night the day before in a walk-a-thon to help raise money to fight cancer. I might have had a seizure, but it was worth it since my dad and brother both died of cancer. After I had the second seizure on May 15. I called my doctor and told him about my two seizures, and a few days later, I got a call from the doctors nurse saying that the doctor wanted to talk to my wife and I about surgery, and everything would be involved in it. My doctor decided to work me in next month to talk to my wife and I about everything that is involved in a second surgery. I will blog more after I talk to the doctor next month.