Goin' Fishin'

There are still a lot of unknowns with all of these decisions being made at 6pm on Friday. However, we are supposed to call at 8am Monday to get the go ahead to drive to Houston and move forward with everything. The only thing I really want an answer to right now is whether or not they are going to shave my head on this go round. If my head is going to be shaved, now or later, I want to donate it to Locks of Love or Children with Hairloss, instead of it just being swept up off the Operating Room floor. We have some friends in Rockwall that are going to cut some ponytails before we leave and some in Houston. However, we need to know before we get to Houston so that our friends here can get to cuttin' before we leave.

I have spent quite a bit of time this weekend on the phone with some of my favorite nurses from the Epilepsy Unit in Houston asking them questions about the procedure. What I have learned about the procedure is that it's rarely performed. Again, my case is rare. Typically, the docs have a little bit better clue as to where the seizures are located. So, they do the Phase 2 brain mapping, brain resection, and everyone goes home happy!! However, since the docs have no clue where mine are starting, they are doing this first. The nurse I spoke with this morning said, "they are going on a fishing expedition." This will help them to localize it a bit better. Then, they aren't exposing my brain to too much infection risk when they go in for the Phase 2 brain mapping. We still don't know for sure if they will shave my head. It sounds like they will, though.

Here is a little info that I found from a few sites on the first procedure they will do...it's called a Wada test. It determines the hemisphere of my brain responsible for certain functions.

Wada

Johns Hopkins' Wada

Cleveland Clinic Wada

The other test they will do, the fishin' expedition has some sites, but I haven't found too many that are super informative. However, these are the best I've found and mine are the subdural strip electrodes.

This one actually has drawings that show you where the strips are placed on the brain. So, if you have a weak stomach, this is the one for you. Then, it has X-rays, CTs, & MRIs, showing images with the strips on the brain. Kind of cool to see.
Clinical w/ pictures

Subdural Electrodes article

I'll try to update as we get more details.