Several people have asked for an update on Hannah…
My last post mentioned a drop in the number of seizures she was having and for most of June, Hannah didn’t have any seizures (during the daytime at least). It was a nice relief for her (and for us). Recently though she has started having more again, and she continues to experience negative side-effects of the medication.
We’ve decided to move forward with surgery which is scheduled for July 28th. In preparation for this, we’ve had several more visits to Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
Hannah had a comprehensive neuro-psychiatric exam to test things like IQ, behavior, motor skills, etc. This test is done as a baseline so that when the same testing is administered a few months after surgery, we can tell what (if anything) has changed.
We also met with the surgeon who will be doing the surgery. Talked a lot about the risks. Several (like death and injury) are actually higher with uncontrolled seizures than they are with surgery. Surgery does have a higher risk of infection and stroke though. The stroke risk surprised me, but evidently, when they place the electrodes directly on the surface of the brain, there is the possibility that they could restrict necessary blood flow. One of the most encouraging things I heard from the surgeon was that personality is not really affected when resecting only one side of the frontal lobe. So… Hannah should still be “Hannah” after the surgery 
.
It’s obviously a scary time for us. Please keep Hannah in your prayers. Thanks.
If your curious to learn more about the type of surgery that will be done, this video is very informative both about surgery and about epilepsy (with uncontrolled seizures). I also described the procedure a bit in a previous post.
Thanks for the update on Hannah. I will keep Hannah and your family in my prayers. Your sister in Christ… Georgia
We’ll definitely keep all of you guys in our prayers! Thanks for the update!
I will keep her in my prayers as I have the past several months. Virtual hugs from Colorado to you all.
We will be praying for that sweet little sweetie. We will be praying for you too, keep your eyes on Jesus. He will carry you through. hugs to you and yours
The prayers continue for you all. Hanna’s beautiful and I can see God’s got great things in store for her!
Hannah and your family continue to be in my thoughts and prayers. You’re going through so much; but God has gone before you and will take care of every detail! Thanks for keeping us updated.
I am so glad we connected on FB and twitter…we don’t live far…and would love to meet you all. Would love to talk to your wife. I have been thru 2 brain surgeries…going on a 3rd for epilepsy. (long story on that) But I will say this…REMARKABLE JOB! My cognitive skills were not touched…my eyesight is still perfect…language and mood weren’t touched…and MEMORY for me is just a very BIG GIFT FROM JESUS. It was done on my dominant side…not sure which side Hannah will have hers…but would love to talk with Jan…JESUS IS HOLDING YOU ALL TIGHT..and lifting you up thru this heavy walk. Give all your cares and worries to Him!!! He never lets us down! God bless you all!!
In His Grip,
Hetty Siebens