Looking ahead to surgery, but fear is setting in.

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months, just chugging along.

This constant up and down of the temperatures is stressing me out. :(
If it's gonna be cold, be cold. Hot, be hot. :(

This is the worst yo/yo of temperatures since before my surgery. It's got me worried of a
possible breakthrough seizure. I hope I'm just being overly cautious. But this is just making
my IBS more of a battle. :(
 
I know what you mean about the temperature swings. It sucks. I'm ready for Spring, days and nights above freezing, no more snow-shoveling... Keep your stress levels down --maybe add in a few "stress-breaks" during the day to keep you sane.

And congrats on hitting 34 months!
 
Bigman,

I was wondering if you drive. I had my surgery 21 months ago and I was clear to drive after not having seizures for 6 months, but I've been hesitant. Now, I think I'm ready. I tell myself just take it one step at a time. First step, study the book and get my permit. I'm 49 and I've never had a license so it's scary. There's no guarantees in life that I'll never have a seizure again but we have to live. In the back of my mind, I kind of expect another seizure to happen b/c I had them all my life. I don't want to have a seizure while driving. It's kind of unbelievable that I don't have them anymore. My life could be completely different if I drive.
 
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Do I drive, no. But I have my license. I've had it since I turned 16. I decided to not drive after it was determined I had CPS. I do want to get back to driving. So far it seems like I should be ok behind the wheel. But it's been a long time since I last drove (16yrs+).

I plan to go to a driving school to get refreshed behind the wheel. ATM I can't afford a car, so I'm in no hurry. Once I get driving my life will be completely opened to me. I will no longer be chained to public transportation, or relying on others to get around. :)
 
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months, getting closer.

Still no seizures, just headaches. So much going on, making them worse. :(

Hopefully I can get things settled down soon.
 
how do you cope with head aches so often I just want to go into comma when first inkling of migraine....You have my symphthy.i had migraine this week I don't know if I had mini sz I even thought stroke.i had one of those rages few days before and I never know if those rages are e or meds or just me getting into dither.
Pain killers not helping you as I guess pain killers don't help much with head aches...Do you go to work bc must be nearly impossible
 
sorry my last post meant to be encouraging reading what I just said depress me
 
Hey Bigman, are the headaches a recent development or have they been there since surgery?

Hope you get some stress relief now that Spring has finally arrived. :)
 
seagull said:
how do you cope with head aches so often I just want to go
into comma when first inkling of migraine..
Click to expand...

I try my best to deal with it. OTC pain meds, recommended vitamins, sleeping in quiet room with a cold cloth on my head for a few hours. What ever I can do.

Nakamova said:
Hey Bigman, are the headaches a recent development or
have they been there since surgery?

Hope you get some stress relief now that Spring has finally arrived. :)
Click to expand...

I've had headaches prior to my surgery. After surgery they were more frequent.
But this past year they have been worse. I told my neurologist about them. Didn't want to add any more AEDs to the mix. So it was suggested I try vitamins known to help. I'm almost through my second vitamin. My stress level has gotten worse, so that's part of the problem. :(

I need to get a lot of stressful paperwork sorted out, which is a real pita.
Unless that gets finished, my stress level will be through the roof. Hopefully my headaches will settle down when this finished. I may inquire about a CT or MRI, to
rule out any other problems.

Fall / Winter / Spring - stress levels are low to moderate just temperatures alone.
Summer - stress levels are moderate to high just temperatures alone.

Don't get me wrong I like warm weather (60-75 degrees). But anything warmer I'm dying,
and can't enjoy any outdoor activity. That just stresses me out, making me miserable.
 
The minutes immediately after surgery I did. But that was because of the cutting of my skull and scalp, etc.

When I first looked into a mirror after surgery, it looked like I was run over by a 18 wheeler. I thought I looked like this.
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Well my mind was trying to justify the pain. Once my body settled down, my eyes stopped playing tricks on me. I seen swelling, and black & blue with some bandages.

From 5/13/14 to now no CPS or Tonic Clonics. :) Just daily headaches.

On the universal 1-10 pain scale, they range from 7-10.

If that is the only "seizure" activity I have, then the surgery was worth it.

I just need to find out the right course of action to deal with the headaches better.

Seizures - so far so good.
Headaches
IBS
Stress

Headaches cause stress, which flares my IBS, leading to more stress.
IBS stresses me, which brings on headaches, leading to more stress.
Added Stress makes everything worse.

If I can figure a game plan to eliminate or reduce my headaches or IBS, my stress levels
can go down some.

So far I tried 3 months of B-2 for my headaches. It showed "some" relief, without any added stress. I'm almost done with my 3 months of CoQ-10. Unfortunately I had added
stress that made this less helpful. I plan to try both B-2 & CoQ-10 together for 3 months
and see if that works better.
 
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What about Valium just for week or so relax body then ibs feel better.
I had extended colectomy for mine if bowel is bad it do tend give you head ache
 
I'm trying to avoid adding any more Rx meds. I don't want to rock the seizure boat.

Trileptal for Seizures
Levsin for IBS pain,
B-2/CoQ-10 for Headaches
 
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My repaired brain is 3 today. :)

It's been a long three years. But so far no CPS or Tonic Clonics. The only thing that gets me is my IBS. Now if I could get that situated, I'd be golden. But it's a real roller coaster
of "good" days, bad days, and really bad days. It seems like whatever I try just wont work, or work for long.

Well at least one part of my body is working correctly.
 
Congratulations Bigman! Next month will be two years since my surgery and so far no complex partials (just occasional auras).
 
That's awesome BigMan! Have the headaches abated?
 
Unfortunately no. That's the only possible "seizure" activity I have. My IBS & stress make them worse. I'm just trying to find a more manageable pain level. But that will take a while because I have a lot of stressful projects going on.
 
I honestly feel
That I may be that tiny percent that gets almost completely cured from VNS. I've only had a few partials. I owe my recovery to maintaining a very healthy lifestyle, including a very healthy diet, exercise, and ALOT of natural light!
 
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