Ictal Spect Finally Scheduled!

January 7, 2012

Dear family and friends~

It's been awhile since I've updated you about Chris.  The brain mapping process is long and tedious, with a committee of doctors meeting to discuss the results of each step.  Meanwhile, Chris is doing well.  He is feeling better now since the complication of the slight bleed when he had depth electrodes.  Once in awhile he still has a day where he feels like it's difficult to come up with the words he wants to communicate.  The doctors treated him as a stroke risk (no lifting, no cardio, etc.) for 2 months after surgery until his brain was fully healed, but now he's back to normal, and even got to spend a day at Legoland with his little cousins this week and had a great time!

The next step in his brain mapping process will begin this Tuesday, January 10th when he's admitted back into the hospital for an Ictal Spect test.  This will involve lowering his meds to induce seizures.  Once seizures begin, he will be injected with a radioactive isotope during a seizure, then have a brain scan within the hour.  This will highlight the blood flow activity in the area of his brain where the seizures begin.  It will be tricky for them to do the injection during a seizure, as they last just 20 seconds or so most times.  It will be interesting, to say the least.  This is a non-invasive test so we are not concerned about the process.  

All the brain mapping tests so far have indicated the seizures have a focus in the right anterior frontal lobe, which is why they are being so careful to find the exact location.  The temporal lobe can be resected and for the large part, the other side will compensate for what is removed.  We don't have that luxury with the frontal lobe, since every area has such a specific duty in the body.  In this case, the focus appears to be near Chris' speech and hand movement centers, so there is still a chance it may be inoperable.  One day at a time.

We covet your prayers through this process, as always.  Please pray specifically that the doctors will be able to locate the exact focal point where seizures begin, that Chris will be able to make the right decision regarding surgery based on the information we are gaining, and that PEACE will wash over us through this whole process.

The adventure continues this Tuesday - I'll update you as soon as we have some more information!

With Love and Thankfulness for YOU,

~ me ~