Epilepsy Talk

What Is the FDA Thinking?

October 2, 2021
3 Comments

Getting the FDA to retract a decision is like getting the toothpaste back into the tube, once it’s been squeezed out.

Take the current all-star Alzheimer’s drug aducanumab. It’s not a proven but it IS approved. To the hefty price tag of $56,000 a year!

Posted in Epilepsy, Medication Issues, News
Tags: approval, costs, drug companies, FDA, guarantee, interfere, Medicare, US market

Epilepsy Triumphs

September 28, 2021
13 Comments

This is a smattering of people from all walks of life, all over the world, who have had the courage, grit and determination to take charge of their epilepsy and not forfeit their dreams.

They have triumphed against all odds…

Posted in Epilepsy
Tags: "Reader's Choice Hero", Author Leanne Chilton, awareness, charity ambassasddor, determination, funding, goal tender, grit, Miss Ohio Queen, model, Prince, Speakers Hall of Fame, triathlete, triumphs, US Marine

Seizure Free – A Hope or a Promise?

September 25, 2021
18 Comments

Is it a reality…a hope…or a promise?

Have you been there once for a visit?

And then come back, to the land of falling down, shaking, quaking and blackouts.

We all know, the only thing that remains the same is change.

Everything is in a state of flux.

Drugs, science, our bodies, our brains.

From that you can choose hopelessness. Or hope.

Posted in Epilepsy, Tips
Tags: angry, courage, drugs, Epilepsy, hope, hopelessness, information, perseverence, possibility, promise?, science, seizure-free, seizures, support, surgery, victim, VNS

What Most Offends YOU About How People Treat Epilepsy?

September 20, 2021
31 Comments

I call epilepsy the “stealth condition,” because most people don’t actually witness a seizure.

Which results in an abundance of ignorance…misinformation..and to be frank, discrimination and slurs.

Posted in Epilepsy
Tags: achievement, advocate, behavior, discrimination, Epilepsy, ignorance, misinformation, oblivious, pariah, seizures, slurs, stigma

TNS vs. VNS – NO SURGERY!

September 15, 2021
10 Comments

The first Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS) was implanted in 1988, as a therapeutic option for medically intractable epilepsy, when elective epilepsy surgery was not appropriate.

As the number of implanted vagus nerve stimulators grows, so does the need to remove or revise the devices.

Which is a little tricky, because of the spiral stimulating electrodes, wrapped around the nerve.

Posted in Epilepsy, Medication Issues, Research
Tags: alternative, better seizure control, depression reduction, drug-resistant, effective, enhancement, Epilepsy, no side-effects, no surgery, non-invasive, post traumatic stress, success rate, trigeminal nerve stimulation, vagus nerve stimulator

Vagus Nerve Stimulation…Is it for YOU?

September 12, 2021
8 Comments

Having a Vagus Nerve Stimulator implanted can be a tough decision. Is it right for you? Will it work? What are the side effects and consequences?

I did some research and got the low-down on what it is, how it works and some interesting statistics.

Posted in Epilepsy, Medication Issues, Research
Tags: brain, depression, electrical pulses, improvement, memory, mood swings, refractory, setting, signals, vagus nerve stimulator

Brain Surgery — Questions to Prepare Yourself

September 8, 2021
18 Comments

How many times have you heard: “Well, it isn’t exactly brain surgery.” Well this time it is.

And it’s your brain.

It’s a scary trip into the unknown. Thoughts are swirling around in your head: What will happen to me? Is this the right thing to do? Is this really the best surgeon for the job? What if it doesn’t work? Maybe I should put it off…

It’s really hard to be prepared for something as radical as brain surgery – either physically or emotionally. That’s why it’s important to gather all the information you can, before hand.

Remember: Knowledge is power.

Here some things to consider and ask your neurologist/neurosurgeon team before surgery…

Posted in Epilepsy, Tips
Tags: advance directive, benefits, best doctors, best hospitals, brain surgery, complications, experience, insurance, living will, neurologist/neurosurgeon, options, post operative care, questions, recovery, risks, second opinion, skill

Blood Tests May Help Diagnose Epilepsy

September 5, 2021
5 Comments

A recent study shows that a simple blood test can determine whether or not someone has had an epileptic seizure.

Posted in Epilepsy, News, Research
Tags: blood test, complex partial seizures, monitor anti-seizure medication levels in your blood, tonic-clonic seizures, type of seizure

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Epilepsy

September 2, 2021
8 Comments

What was once known as “shell shock” is now called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. (PTSD).

PTSD affects about 7.7 million American adults, and while it’s impossible to predict who will develop PTSD in response to trauma, there are certain risk factors that increase your vulnerability.

Of course, the first thought is of veterans. But anyone can get PTSD at any age.

Going through trauma is not rare. About 6 out of every 10 (or 60%) of men and 5 of every 10 (or 50%) of women experience at least one trauma in their lives.