Brain Mapping

[Navy Veteran]

Has anyone ever gone through brain mapping?
My neurologists have been talking to me about this. They've told me that a piece of my scalp is opened, then electrodes are put on my brain to try and figure out where my seizures a coming from.
I have had all the alphabet soup scans; CT, MRI, PET, MEG, VEEG. The pattern that keeps occurring is that electrical impulses fire off in almost every area of my brain. When I think about it, I picture a fireworks display going on in my head.
I am very reluctant to have it done. Hell, they are opening up my head and putting things on my brain.
There are risks to every surgery, but if any of you have ever had it done, what are the rewards?

 

[Tez_20]

Hi Navy Veteran,
I've never had brain mapping but I've gone through all the rest of the tests like yourself, I used to be under a brain surgeon who diagnosed the right side of my brain as being brain damaged and I asked him to operate and kill the impulses on the left side and he refused because my head fires off all in one go as you've explained like fire and he refused saying it was a 50/50 operation and also while he could talk to me, the operation could do otherwise and cause no function at all because there's no way of pin pointing the pulses but as your stating it's brain mapping.
So now I'm heavily drugged but sorry I can't help otherwise.

 

[Navy Veteran]

Tez 20,
Thanks. I have not hit the point of asking them to "cut" me open. Heck, if they do I'm afraid that they'll find nothing there (joking is my way of coping with this ****)
I went on epilepsy.com to find out about it. Reading it, the operation may be able to localize them, but this is not always the case.
I have been dealing with epilepsy for over 15 years. It really has not affected my day to day life. I was medically retired from the Navy and not been able to do certain things i.e. drive or do the job I did in the Navy; Air Traffic Control.
However, they have told me that I've had several mini-strokes caused by my seizures. If they keep occurring it will lead to brain damage. This may be one reason I would have it done, but as of now I can still function as a normal person. Well, normal is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[Tez_20]

Tez 20,
Thanks. I have not hit the point of asking them to "cut" me open. Heck, if they do I'm afraid that they'll find nothing there (joking is my way of coping with this ****)
I went on epilepsy.com to find out about it. Reading it, the operation may be able to localize them, but this is not always the case.
I have been dealing with epilepsy for over 15 years. It really has not affected my day to day life. I was medically retired from the Navy and not been able to do certain things i.e. drive or do the job I did in the Navy; Air Traffic Control.
However, they have told me that I've had several mini-strokes caused by my seizures. If they keep occurring it will lead to brain damage. This may be one reason I would have it done, but as of now I can still function as a normal person. Well, normal is in the eye of the beholder.

Navy Veteran your welcome, just sorry I can't help further and join the club on nothing being there :roflmao: mind you seizures are a lot to cope with but no way will I let it rule my life...Lupus caused mine and never found out I had that till 2008 from birth besides loads more.
We've had epilepsy quite a few years between us I was 15 when I started having autisums then grandmal besides temporal-lobe kicked off when I was 18 and I'm now 46. It's such a shame your career as been took from you but I've also had 2 mini strokes and at the age of 24 to major strokes totally paralyised for 4yrs but my parents never gave up and pushed me so hard :clap: but they can affect the brain but to what degree we'll never know.
Well as long as your going ok best you can besides your mind functioning on a steady level, if your neuro does want to do it then that's for you to decide

 

[Navy Veteran]

You gotta love Navy medicine. My doctors think they have been able to trace back the head injury that may have caused them. They found that I had a fractured skull. The only injury that I can think of that was serious enough to cause this was an accident that happened in 1993.
I was working about 70 ft up on the mast of my ship. I was in a safety harness tethered to a yardarm. Sorry for the Navy speak. Been out about ten years, but the terminology is ingrained in my brain, nice ring to that
The harness broke and I fell about 50 ft, cracking my head on the bulkhead. I went to medical where with my head gushing blood. The Corpsman stopped the bleeding and gave me two Motrin for the pain. They did not bother to have me be seen by a doctor.
It sucks, but as you can see, I have learned to cope with it. I can because I've come to accept it and am able to joke about it. Nothing else I can do.
I do not mean to make light of other people's experiences with this ****, but I have to laugh at myself instead of getting angry.

 

[photoguy]

I just went thru the brain mapping last week. It was quite astonishing. I had a grid placed on the cortex of the right temporal lobe, and depth electrodes in both the left and right hippocampus. The mapping only input on the grid, as there was already good evidence to suspect that area as the source. It was a painless procedure. The only thing I didn't care for was that one of the trials moved to the amygdala, and gave me quite a panic attack. In the end it was all worth it. They confirmed the source and removed it. So far, no new seizures (I suffered from complex partials).

Best of luck to you!!!

 

[Tez_20]

I just went thru the brain mapping last week. It was quite astonishing. I had a grid placed on the cortex of the right temporal lobe, and depth electrodes in both the left and right hippocampus. The mapping only input on the grid, as there was already good evidence to suspect that area as the source. It was a painless procedure. The only thing I didn't care for was that one of the trials moved to the amygdala, and gave me quite a panic attack. In the end it was all worth it. They confirmed the source and removed it. So far, no new seizures (I suffered from complex partials).

Best of luck to you!!!

Hi photoguy,
Cheers for replying and it will help Navy a great deal :tup:

I'm pleased for you that they found the source and was able to help you GREAT NEWS and the best of luck

 

[Tez_20]

You gotta love Navy medicine. My doctors think they have been able to trace back the head injury that may have caused them. They found that I had a fractured skull. The only injury that I can think of that was serious enough to cause this was an accident that happened in 1993.
I was working about 70 ft up on the mast of my ship. I was in a safety harness tethered to a yardarm. Sorry for the Navy speak. Been out about ten years, but the terminology is ingrained in my brain, nice ring to that
The harness broke and I fell about 50 ft, cracking my head on the bulkhead. I went to medical where with my head gushing blood. The Corpsman stopped the bleeding and gave me two Motrin for the pain. They did not bother to have me be seen by a doctor.
It sucks, but as you can see, I have learned to cope with it. I can because I've come to accept it and am able to joke about it. Nothing else I can do.
I do not mean to make light of other people's experiences with this ****, but I have to laugh at myself instead of getting angry.

Ado mate,
Sorry I've not replied earlier and you've made my day with your comment about how you speak...Christ you need to hear me proper broad.

Well I'd say a fractured skull is good enough to cause seizures and you should have been looked after better than that

I'm the same as you though just get on with things and if a seizure happens it happens, my heads like the map of the world regarding scaring, mind you having the skin head off my Lupus dow help one bit.

This list below is what you can get from skull fractures.

Indications that a head injury is more serious than a concussion and requires emergency treatment include:
•Changes in size of pupils
•Clear or bloody fluid draining from the nose, mouth, or ears
•Convulsions
•Distorted facial features
•Drop in blood pressure
•Facial bruising
•Fracture in the skull or face
•Impaired hearing, smell, taste, or vision
•Inability to move one or more limbs
•Irritability
•Loss of consciousness
•Low breathing rate
•Restlessness, clumsiness, or lack of coordination
•Severe headache
•Slurred speech or blurred vision
•Stiff neck or vomiting
•Sudden worsening of symptoms after initial improvement
•Swelling at the site of the injury