Seeing surgeon/surgery

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Itr786

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Hi ladies/gentlemen,

I'm not sure if this is relevant to only the UK, or worldwide...

So I'll be having surgery for my epilepsy, from the start of the process, my epileptologist ran my through the process, all the scans/examinations I'd be undergoing, then after all the data has been compiled, they'd be able to finally decide if I would be a candidate, I'd then have an appointment with all the surgeon and discuss the surgery.

I'm now up to the point where I'm booked in to see the surgeon in early May.
My question is, how long after this meeting am I likely to have the surgery?

I was always under the impression I'd be be put on the waiting list, and wait my turn, which would likely to be quite a number of months, but according to a friend, who is a pharmacist, the surgery would be taking place within weeks after seeing the surgeon!?...

What are people thoughts/experiences on it?

Thanks in advanced.
 
Every country / hospital is different in regards to how long you have to wait to have the surgery. The best people to ask are your team of specialists.
Also remember that the surgery is in no way a cure but another way to treat your seizures.

I'm from Australia so it may be a bit different over here.
I had left temporal lobe surgery March 2011, from the time it was suggested I have surgery to my surgery it was 16 months.
My neuro suggested I think about surgery in Nov 2009 then referred me to a epiologist in the city. I couldn't get in to see the epiologist until June 2010.
Once I saw the epiologist & went through my MRI (scarring on the left temporal), history of epilepsy etc he sent my info to their epilepsy nurse to arrange the tests.

Because I live 3 - 4 hour drive away from the hospital where I had surgery the epilepsy nurse booked my appts close together so I didn't have to have so many trips. I had the 1st lot of appts in September 2010 then a 5 day VEEG, neuropsych evaluation & a fMRI in Nov 2010. I found out at the end of my VEEG that I was a candidate for surgery & could have it as early as March 2011. I had the last of the tests (another MRI, eye test), met surgeon & final chat with the neuropsych to see if I had any questions a couple of days before surgery.

The surgery went well but I took my time to recover & took things slow.
When I was going through surgery I was told I would always be on meds but they hoped to get me down from 2 meds to 1. I was able to start coming of 1 of the meds in 2012 & was taken of it in 2013. Not long after I came of the med I started having funny feelings again which my neuro later confirmed were focal seizures. I'm still having these funny feelings every so often but luckily they arent like the seizures I had pre surgery.

Good luck with everything
 
The wait time will depend on "the system" and whatever its delays might be. Yours will no doubt be different than folks in other locations.

That said, I do have some thoughts and experiences to offer....

users.eastlink.ca/~kehoe/surgery/

You'll have to copy/paste the link because the forum *still* won't let me post links. :(

Kevin
 
Hi Itr786,

Hope you don't have to wait too long. But I do agree with the others...it's different in every country you live in and probably how seriously fast you need this operation.
My wife wants to start a HepC program and they're making her wait a very long time. Here in the USA, healthcare is on the down slide, IMO

Good luck and hope all works out,

Joey
 
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