Regrets
- Thread starter vagellie
- Start date
Welcome to the Coping With Epilepsy Forums
Welcome to the Coping With Epilepsy forums - a peer support community for folks dealing (directly or indirectly) with seizure disorders. You can visit the forum page to see the list of forum nodes (categories/rooms) for topics.
Please have a look around and if you like what you see, please consider registering an account and joining the discussions. When you register an account and log in, you may enjoy additional benefits including no ads, access to members only (ie. private) forum nodes and more. Registering an account is free - you have nothing to lose!
- Messages
- 5,555
- Reaction score
- 34
- Points
- 213
Hi vagellie,
I had a temporal lobectomy years ago to no avail. And yes, I do regret having it done. It did effect my memory and made me very, very depressed, so much so that I even have mood swings to this day. I was only seizure-free for 14 months and then they came back with vengeance. Now I have the Vagus Nerve Stimulator and it helps.
{{{HUGS}}}
cadsgj
Stalwart
- Messages
- 457
- Reaction score
- 32
- Points
- 103
I suppose one can wish they did not have surgery, but what i had learned in my early epilepsy life is that seizures (for me at least) and brain damage slowly got worse, and worse... the longer I would have waited, my brain would have taken more of a hit than the results of surgery brought about. I think if I could look at results of either choice, surgery was really my only option.
- Messages
- 5,555
- Reaction score
- 34
- Points
- 213
cadsgj,
vagellie and I DO wish we didn't have surgery, like we both said! The surgery DID cause more damage to my hippocampus and if I had a 2nd surgery, the surgeon told me I could end up like an end stage Alzheimer's patient--- no memories left. If I had not had the surgery in the first place, I would not have the memory problems I now have, I would not have the depression I now have and the seizures would not have progressed to tonic-clonic.
Glad surgery was YOUR only option! It is not for everyone!!
vagellie and I DO wish we didn't have surgery, like we both said! The surgery DID cause more damage to my hippocampus and if I had a 2nd surgery, the surgeon told me I could end up like an end stage Alzheimer's patient--- no memories left. If I had not had the surgery in the first place, I would not have the memory problems I now have, I would not have the depression I now have and the seizures would not have progressed to tonic-clonic.
Glad surgery was YOUR only option! It is not for everyone!!
seizuregirl
Stalwart
- Messages
- 388
- Reaction score
- 3
- Points
- 68
If I could go back and show myself what I've become because of having surgery, I wouldn't have had it done.
I had surgery on my right front temporal lobe and my hippocampus. And because of that, my short-term memory is basically gone.
I'm still having seizures, and depression too, that for me, is difficult to describe to dr's or family for them to understand. But if I had been told of the VNS or the RNS instead, I probably would have chosen 1 of them over surgery.
I had surgery on my right front temporal lobe and my hippocampus. And because of that, my short-term memory is basically gone.
I'm still having seizures, and depression too, that for me, is difficult to describe to dr's or family for them to understand. But if I had been told of the VNS or the RNS instead, I probably would have chosen 1 of them over surgery.
Last edited:
I was told that I couldn't have surgery as my seizures come from both sides of my brain and honestly I refuse to have it done. I would rather live with the seizures than be depressed or worse. Nothing against you guys but I always fear something terrible would happen in a surgery which is possible.