how much did your brain surg change you?

[qtowngirl]

yo yo, hope y'all are well

my question today is: what considerable changes, if any, have you chosen to make since your surg? i'm almost eight months sz-free and have noticed for atleast the last four that my thought process isn't quite the same. and of late have noticed i literally do alot differently, either in a different way than prior or something i've never done. i'm still in a surreal state of recovery but notice more by the day, alot of which is favourable.

-i now recycle paper and cardboard. one part of my head is surprised and the other is saying 'hey! we got another chance we're gonna make better decisions! recycling is smart!'

-i don't put as much effort into my usual neat-freak-tidy-as-a-pin-house cleaning. i'm still 'me' in that sense, but on a different 'how much do i give a shit today' level.

-i've learned how to shut out everyone else's bullshit. before i'd go right down with the drama, and many seizures due to attached stress. as i now have the choice to be in control of what effects me (for the most part anyhow), i try uber-hard.

-i've got an overwhelming sense/urge/push to go help others with E, which i'm doing in my own town (raising awareness and funding), but my brain is starting to say 'let's get on the project over in laos! we could move for a year and help the third world! all i can do is laugh, and set thoughts like that on the back-burner, b/c doing something like that isn't really possible, but that's for right now, ya never know!

point being that majority of my building pathways are focused on trying new things and being part of life that's purely great. i'm still having verbal memory issues (tho i just laugh - it's either that or get depressed, why bother that won't change it), and sometimes have to talk myself into keeping stress above board, but for the most part i happily take it all in.

haha, so this time next year i may just be in laos, recycling and helping teach people about E! yeah!!! anyone wanna join?! :bigsmile:

hugs, nat.

 

[arnie]

Hi Q! Good to see you here! I haven't had brain surgery, but I do many of the things you for some of the same reasons, but vicariously. What I mean by that is that after having seen the people my dad worked with as an Episcopal priest, seen firsthand the degree of poverty in Brazil when I went there at age 20, worked for a couple years with abused children and then for 15 years with people with chronic kidney disease, and had a couple of people very close to me being suicidal for several years I have really developed a sense for how transitory our existence is, and for what is important and what isn't. I think it's good for people to have that sort of perspective on life, and not everyone has the opportunity to get it.
I'm glad you're doing well!

 

[Belinda5000]

I was having 100's of sz's a month before my brain surgery.It stopped the sz's on my RTL not at all. I just continued to have sz's I taught ppl what epilepsy was about.

stress,crowds keep bringing on my sz's.I found out even docs make mistakes dianosing E and operating.They can't seem to stop mine though.

I volunteered at EF of Georgia and learned quite a bit.

 

[pita300]

How much did it change me?? Hmm As you know my surg was a long time ago. I was a lot younger I was just happy at the prospect of living a normal life. So at that age really didn't care about others I was selfish and was more concerned about myself. Some 30 years later with the issues I went through over the last 3 years I am ready to Advise Educate and Advocate. I don't have a desire to go to Laos but everything else you can count me in!

 

[cadsgj]

Sask girl, wish I could throw out some great issues of my brain surg's. With me I guess they assumed getting rid of the AVM would get things cleared... hmmm, guess not. Then they go for another shot to get rid of seizures but not wanting to go too far where I would loose my ability to speak... oops, they should have done it. Now they want to go back in for another shot at it and that is where my change comes, they don't get to go back in unless things are at life/death.

So my change here is I have let them go in upstairs to fix problems in earlier years of my seizure life, and via my life now, I won't let them back in unless necessary... I'll just change drugs :taz: and find my fun from there while I get to keep talking!

Sure wish I could help teach people about E, but I think memory loss in my field might pull me in the wrong direction. Thumbs up for you though, THUMBS UP!

 

[qtowngirl]

thanks bud, and HUGS to you.
as it's incurable i do know my seizures could start again, in which i've already decided that i would have a 2nd surgery (there's still a little hippo left!).
my memory has failed somewhat even after one surgery, i can't imagine what it would be like after three. sorry to hear sweetie.
we just keep on keepin' on right - or as arn says, onward and upward.
keep me posted how you are after getting off the vimpat, fingers crossed for ya that you feel FAB!