Waiting for surgery

[Itr786]

Issues with sleep at the moment are really getting me down, even whilst taking sleeping tablets, I'm not getting the sleep required, I just suddenly wake up in the middle of the night, feeling like my brains been working overtime having done an algebra equation. I've always had issues with being a 'overthinker', but it was never something that used to cause me to randomly wake up in the middle of the night.

Another trip to the gp. I've still got afew months wait until I see the surgeon.

 

[Music36]

Itr,

I had laser ablation surgery on my left temporal lobe (Hippocampus and Amygdala removal) June 2015. My surgeon told me it takes two years for the brain to heal. It's been a rough road for me. I stayed in the hospital longer than I was told I would be staying b/c of complications. My brain got so swollen and the pain was so severe that morphine wouldn't even help. The pain was so unbearable that I wanted to die. It was scary. Finally, they got me on steroids. Once the swollenness started to decrease, the morphine was able to do its job. I learned a valuable lesson. I will NEVER have surgery on a Friday again. I was in so much f----n pain and they wouldn't give me anything w/o my surgeon's orders. My father raised hell and made the nurse staff call my surgeon on Sunday. He then told them to put me on steroids. I also was very sick vomiting for days from the anesthesia. Recovery does get better with time. We have to try and be patient. I was very emotional the first six months or so. I felt like I had severe anxiety disorder and was bipolar. I was crying a lot for no reason the first few months. I was a basket case. Before surgery, I rarely cried. I felt like my personality changed. Eventually, we heal but it takes time. I had a lot of trouble communicating (coming up with words) and my memory issues got worse, but then it got better over time. I had memory issues before surgery so it wasn't a big decline. My memory issues are still worse then before surgery but a lot better than the first year after surgery. I started doing brain games (Lumosity.com) about two months after surgery thinking it may help with memory issues. It definitely doesn't hurt. I would say it's worth it to go through it all b/c I have not had a complex partial since the surgery. I just have occasional auras. I'm not happy about my memory issues, but they were probably going to get worse anyways from the seizures. It's just something I have to accept and I may still see improvement. It's just unbelievable to me at times b/c I had an extraordinary memory most of my life. It used to be one of my greatest strengths.

 

[suebear]

Issues with sleep at the moment are really getting me down, even whilst taking sleeping tablets, I'm not getting the sleep required, I just suddenly wake up in the middle of the night, feeling like my brains been working overtime having done an algebra equation. I've always had issues with being a 'overthinker', but it was never something that used to cause me to randomly wake up in the middle of the night.

Another trip to the gp. I've still got afew months wait until I see the surgeon.

something you may want to ask the neurologist in regards to sleeping is if you can do this naturally. I understand you are taking sleeping medication however if you are able to obtain the pill melatonin over the counter it would be beneficial as melatonin is a hormone the body produces so we can fall to sleep.

Hope this helps!
-Sue

 

[Itr786]

I've never heard of melatonin, but looking online, it looks like something I could try as a replacement for zopiclone which I'm currently taking to get a full night's sleep.

 

[Nakamova]

Be careful with the melatonin -- it can make seizures worse for some people. If you decide to try it, start with a very small dose and see how you feel. Larger doses can be counterproductive.

See:
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/melatonin-cautionary-tale-24793/