OK, it's getting real...

It's a good thing we scheduled this meeting! Our first pre-op with my epilepsy specialist, Dr. Fisher, was today. If you are going to "have" a seizure condition this is the guy
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However, we were shocked to learn that one of my seizure medicines also promotes bleeding. So, I can't have it in my system during surgery. I have 1.5 weeks to wean off of Valproic Acid and switch back to Keppra. The last medicine transition I did took a total of 3 months so I'm not sure how this was missed.

How long will the surgery take: 4-6 hours and for lack of  better words, my skull will be placed back on.... Yes, and the wires from the grid will be coming out of my head. I'll have a bandage on so I'll be "kid friendly" for visits.

The recovery time for the 1st surgery will probably only be 24 hours - about what I had expected.  As the doctor put it, I won't feel 100% 24 hours after surgery but I'll be well enough to talk and eat.

Am I able to move around: Yes, but only from the bed to chair. I guess I never thought of this but for the whole week my hands will be lightly tethered and restricted since the whole point is to have seizures. They don't want me to thrash around during a seizure and pull at the wires. So, for one week, Feb 2nd to Feb 9th I will be restricted and monitored 24 hours a day in my own room. Other than watching TV,  I'm not sure I will even be able relax with the internet or update my blog.

Another thing I was worried about is my driving privileges. If you lose conciousness during a seizure, the doctor is required by law to report it to DMV - this in turn revokes my driving privileges for 3-6 months. I've been through this more than a few times so it would be unfortnate if it happened again. The "good" news is that if I lose conciousness during the Subdural Grid Mapping study, it will NOT be reported.

There is a chance that if I have a seizure within the first few days of the seizure study, the second surgery (to remove the tumor) could be moved up. However, they hope to get about five seizures to study.

I'll talk about the risks of the surgery another day. Today's appointment and all the details sure made this thing REAL. It was a long ride home tonight. This is no joke!