Seizure Disorder Update

The other day I said I was going to have a doctor's appt. with my neurologist. I said I was planning to ask him about weaning off of the meds, and said I would post a follow-up to that visit. Well...here it is.

I asked him what the possibility of me weaning off of the meds would be, and how long I would have to be seizure free before trying that. He said that because I have such a prolonged history of seizures, and they were such a huge part of my life through my developing years that there is no chance that I will wean off of the meds. I am on them for life. It is not a case where weaning is an option even because of my history.

So...that settles that, and I don't have to think about that anymore...just keep taking my meds.

I also asked my doctor about having my VNS removed. In case you don't know what it is, a VNS is a Vagal Nerve Stimulator.  It is basically a pacemaker for my brain. There is a small "box" in my chest that has the battery and computer. Then there are wires that run up my neck and are attached to my Vagal Nerve. The battery is dead and has been for a few years, so I thought taking it out would just get rid of a foreign body from my body, and prevent possible problems.

When I asked about removing this, he looked at me like I was crazy. He said if its not infected, there's no reason to take it out. So after that appointment, both of the things I asked about I was told were not going to happen. But I did get my prescription refilled...so I guess it was a profitable appointment. 

Seizure Disorder

Not sure how many of you know, but I have a seizure disorder, which was diagnosed in about the 7th grade, and has frustrated me ever since. I have had seizures off and on, but for the past few years they have been under control with meds. Because of taking seizure meds, I am limited as far as what jobs I am able to do. I am not able to get a CDL, and most places will not let me drive commercially, even though the meds totally control my seizures. So...I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow for my yearly visit with the neurologist, and am going to ask him about weaning off of the meds. I don't know how long they generally want people to be seizure free before weaning off of meds, but I am hoping he will be able to give me some answers, and maybe start that process.
Even considering that is a very scary thing for me, because of the fact that I have been on these meds for a while, and they've been working well. The last time something changed with my meds, I was unable to go back to the meds I had been on, and had to go through the process of figuring out what meds would work to control the seizures.
If anyone out there has experience with weaning off of seizure meds, I'd be interested in hearing about it. Thanks for your encouragement, and I'll let you know what happens, and how it goes at the doctor's.

Tire Swing

One of the things I loved growing up was swinging on our swing set. Now...let me explain. We didn't have an ordinary, run-of-the-mill swing set that you see at any home improvement store. No, our's was MUCH "less safe", and therefore MUCH more fun than any you could buy at a store.

My dad had made our swing set from treated 4x4's. It stood approximately 15 feet high at the center beam, and there were 4 swings on chains that hung down from that beam. The swings were made of 2x6's, and were about 15-20 inches wide each. The center beam was 20 feet long, so there was space in between each swing. We definitely got a LOT of use out of that swing set, and LOVED to swing on it.

All that being said, last summer I decided to put up a tire swing at my in-laws house. They have trees tall enough to put one in, and we go up there often enough to make it worth it. I talked to a tire shop in town and got a tire for free, and then got a length of rope that has a 700 lb. test strength and very little stretch.

I had to remove one branch from the tree to hang it on the branch I wanted, which is about 30-35 feet in the air. Having that long of a rope makes for an EXCELLENT swing path.

Even though my babies are still little, Hadley, the 19 month old, already enjoys it. It has also been used by many other kids that have been at their house and hopefully will last for a long time.

Here's a video of Hadley enjoying it.

Happy Father's Day

So once again I've failed at keeping up with my blog. One of these days I'll keep up with it, but life happens and the blog takes a backseat to everything else.

I want to say Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. Keep being awesome and remember you have little eyes watching you all the time and they want to be just like you...so make them proud and be someone who is worth being like.

I was not with my family this Father's Day, because of work so my wife recorded this video of my 19 1/2 month old and I figured I'd share it. Thanks for watching and reading.