First Steps

We had a really good doctor's visit today.  When we first got back into the exam room we met Dr. Holtzman, a child psychologist who specializes in kids in the neurology department.  She wanted to meet Teddy, & then talked to me & Alan about how she could possibly help Teddy with some of his fear & anxiety when getting needle sticks & EEG leads put on.  Since he's going to have to get both of those things a lot in the coming months it sounded like a good idea to start working on that now!  So she's going to meet with us & Teddy again & after doing an initial evaluation she will try using some cognitive behavior therapy to help him learn how to deal with his fears.  She seemed very knowledgeable & understanding--we were both very impressed with her!
After Dr. Bertrand examined Teddy he went out to the waiting room where Grandma Lawrence & Annika were waiting while Alan & I stayed & talked with her about the possibility of surgery.
Our first step is to get an MRI.  She said that seeing his brain damage & whether it involves his hippocampus would help determine if surgery would help him.  She said if his hippocampus on his right side is damaged & scarred, they've found that removal of it gives an 85% chance of stopping seizures.  And since that part of his brain would already be impaired, removing it would have no probable effects on him at all. 
We should get a call to schedule the MRI in the next couple weeks, & hopefully have it done before the end of February.  Once we get through that we have to start thinking about setting up an inpatient video EEG--he would be admitted to the hospital, hooked up to leads, & slowly weaned from his meds until he has a seizure.  Once it's captured on EEG they will have a better idea what part of his brain the seizures are starting in & whether it's an operable part.  If no seizures are captured after a week, he'll be sent home & we'll have to decide whether or not to continue with the surgery process.
So oddly enough I find myself hoping that Teddy's brain damage is deep enough to have effected his hippocampus.  If it doesn't, things get a little less cut-and-dry, but surgery would still be an option. 
Once we have an MRI date set up, I'll post again.