Surgery transforms epilepsy patient’s life
\\\\\\\'I\\\\\\\'ve had quite a journey,\\\\\\\' Johnstown man says
When Hunter Bambino was 9 years old, his parents started noticing something strange in his behavior.
无毛视频淚 would be trying to field the baseball and I would freeze. I would just be staring off into space then come back out of it 15 to 20 seconds later and the ball would be behind me. It was kind of scary.无毛视频�
They started investigating and his mom observed him having grand mal seizures at night. That led to a medical consultation in Pittsburgh and a 20-hour surgery for a problem with his brain stem.
无毛视频淚 had to relearn how to walk, how to talk无毛视频� everything.无毛视频� Despite the surgery and a medication, the seizures continued. More medications followed and so did more seizures. They abated some through the years but started again when Hunter was 15.
无毛视频淗ere in Johnstown, my neurologist straight up told me, 无毛视频楾here is no fix for you. You无毛视频檒l have to just deal with it for the rest of your life.无毛视频� So that无毛视频檚 what I did.无毛视频�
That is, until he met Dr. Alex Whiting, a neurosurgeon at AHN无毛视频檚 epilepsy surgery program in Pittsburgh who also has an office in Washington.
无毛视频淭hey put electrodes down through my skull into the brain to find out where I was seizing,无毛视频� says Bambino. 无毛视频淭here was a particular moment when doc came in and I was talking to him, and he looked at me and said, 无毛视频楬unter, you know you无毛视频檙e having a seizure right now?'无毛视频�
Whiting determined where the seizures were originating and that Hunter was a candidate for a specialized surgery since he had been through 11 different medications with no relief from seizures.
无毛视频淗e said it无毛视频檚 something that can change your life, and I said absolutely; this is what I want to do.无毛视频�
Whiting removed a portion of Hunter无毛视频檚 right frontal lobe and right hippocampus during the surgery. He woke up with 78 staples in his head and no more seizures.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e had quite a journey, to say the least. That无毛视频檚 for sure,无毛视频� says the 26-year-old Johnstown resident.
That was two years ago and Hunter is still seizure-free with no side effects.
无毛视频淚 have a nice little scar on the right side of my head and 26 little holes that are just kind of starting to fill in. I无毛视频檝e been great. I无毛视频檓 in the best health of my life and I don无毛视频檛 really have any complaints at all. I never thought that I would be in this spot.无毛视频�
He无毛视频檚 been taken off one medication and will soon be able to quit the only other one he无毛视频檚 taking.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 so grateful for the time that I无毛视频檓 in now,无毛视频� Hunter says. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 able to drive again. I无毛视频檓 able to do everything. I currently work and run my own life and health insurance business.
More than medication
Epilepsy treatment has advanced significantly beyond just medications 无毛视频� particularly over the last few years. While medications are often enough for many patients and are still the first-line treatment, there are now many safe, minimally invasive surgical options for patients who continue to have seizures despite taking medications.
无毛视频淩esponsive neurostimulation, or RNS, is a small device we implant that acts like a computer that can learn to pick up what someone无毛视频檚 seizures look like and stop them before they happen,无毛视频� says Whiting. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e also seeing great strides in personalized medicine tailoring treatments specifically to each patient无毛视频檚 unique epilepsy.无毛视频�
When it comes to surgery, the key lies in safe, detailed mapping of the brain beforehand using techniques like stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) to pinpoint the exact place the seizures are coming from and what different parts of the brain do for normal function.
无毛视频淒uring surgery, we use advanced imaging and navigation to carefully remove only the problematic tissue without damaging or changing the important parts of the brain,无毛视频� Whiting explains. 无毛视频淚n some patients with epilepsy coming from a deep part of their brain, we are able to pass a small, ultra-thin laser through the brain through an incision so small it requires a single stitch to close allowing us to treat only the part of the brain causing all of the seizures while still preserving the rest of the brain around it.无毛视频�
Whiting uses a comprehensive approach that goes beyond standard brain scans to pinpoint seizure origins. 无毛视频淲e utilize advanced neuroimaging like high-resolution MRI and PET scans alongside continuous video-EEG monitoring to capture seizure activity and identify its starting point.无毛视频�
The takeaway is that there are other options to explore if medications alone have not helped someone control seizures. 无毛视频淎 critical message I want to convey is that if someone with epilepsy has tried two anti-seizure medications without achieving seizure control, it无毛视频檚 a strong indicator that they should consult with an epilepsy specialist to explore all available options,无毛视频� says Dr. Whiting. 无毛视频淢any people don无毛视频檛 realize that surgery can be a very effective treatment, and not just a last resort, offering a path to significantly improved quality of life or even seizure freedom when medications aren无毛视频檛 enough. It无毛视频檚 about empowering patients to know when to seek more advanced care.无毛视频�
Hunter also wants to spread the word about his surgery and amazing recovery.
无毛视频淚 do want to become a motivational speaker for people with epilepsy because I know how hard it is,无毛视频� he says. 无毛视频淚 am actually writing a book as well. When I was young and this was all going on, I would get scared to do anything because I didn无毛视频檛 know whether I was gonna have a seizure. I无毛视频檓 trying to do everything that I possibly can to just keep moving because I无毛视频檓 just so happy now in my life.无毛视频�
Hunter is working to finish his book. For updates on it and his health journey, follow him on Facebook (Hunter Bambino) and Instagram (@_hunts1499_).