Surgery offers people with epilepsy a fresh start

Twenty-year-old Daniel Belzer’s life has revolved around epilepsy since he was 9 years old. After a childhood bout with meningitis, Belzer began having seizures – sometimes two or three a day.

“Most of the time I would stare off into space or grab someone’s hand if there was someone standing next to me,” Belzer says, describing his seizures. “Sometimes I would fall and hit my head. I’ve had a few grand mal seizures, which really hurt.”

Because of his epilepsy, Belzer was not able to get a driver’s license. Despite medication, his seizures spiraled out of control once he entered high school.

About 30 percent of people who have epilepsy cannot control their condition with medication.

“I was always worried about when a seizure would come on. I was really quiet and afraid to be around people I didn’t know. People made fun of me at school and I got into fights. I switched from Stockton to El Dorado High School, but ended up dropping out,” Belzer says.

Earlier this year, after moving to The Rare Breed, a transitional living program for teens and young adults operated by The Kitchen, Inc. in Springfield, Belzer decided he had to do something to get his seizures under control.

“I was at St. John’s for two weeks when I had meningitis as a kid. I trust St. John’s with my life, so I called the neurology clinic to find out if there was something that could be done about my seizures. That’s when I met Dr. Frederick. I trusted him right away because he has a son about my age with epilepsy. I remember thinking that he was very sensitive,” Belzer says.

SPECIAL SURGICAL PROCEDURE

Neurologist Tim Frederick, M.D., joined St. John’s in July 2004. He brought with him expertise in a surgical procedure called anterior temporal lobectomy, which is the removal of a portion of the temporal lobe of the brain. It is the most common type of epilepsy surgery and also the most successful. After surgery, 70-90 percent of patients are seizure-free.

Belzer underwent several days of testing, including several days of continuous video EEGs to record his seizures (electroencephalographs, which show the electrical impulses of the brain) to determine if he was a candidate for the surgery.

“First, we have to pinpoint the exact area of the brain that is causing the seizures. We also make sure the other side of the brain can compensate for the area that will be removed during surgery,” Dr. Frederick says.

Very few people with epilepsy have seizures deriving from both sides of the brain. He added that the brain’s temporal lobes are responsible for memory, language and speech perception.
“In many patients, the affected area of the brain has already been damaged by the seizures,” Dr. Frederick says.

Belzer turned out to be a perfect candidate for the surgery. On Aug. 29, at 10:30 a.m., he checked into St. John’s Hospital with high hopes for a life without seizures. Neurosurgeon Sunghoon Lee, M.D., performed the procedure, which took about two and a half hours. Belzer spent four days at St. John’s and continued recovering at The Rare Breed.

DOING BETTER AND BETTER EVERY DAY

Belzer enjoys playing pool with his friends at The Rare Breed's youth outreach center.

“I haven’t had a seizure since before the surgery,” Belzer says. “It’s wonderful to be able to go grocery shopping or clothes shopping and not have to worry about having a seizure. My friends and family say I’m so much happier and more talkative now. I’m doing better and better every day. The surgery was so worth it.”

He continues to take some anti-seizure medication and sees his physicians, Drs. Frederick and Lee, regularly. After putting his seizures behind him, Belzer says his future plans include getting his driver’s license and going back to school for his GED. He also plans to go to college.

“I really feel that I’ve been given a fresh start. I’m looking forward to the future now,” he says.

Grief normal for parents after child’s epilepsy diagnosis

 St. John’s neurologist Tim Frederick, M.D., gives his patients bumper stickers that read “Epilepsy is OK.”
                                                                                                                              
“One out of every 125 people has epilepsy, but it’s still a condition that most people don’t know much about,” Dr. Frederick says. “Parents are often devastated by their child’s diagnosis and don’t know how to help their child live a normal life. Some people with epilepsy don’t leave their homes by themselves. Some quit school or work and literally drop out of society. But what they need to understand is that help is out there, either through the right meds or with surgery.”

Twenty years ago, Dr. Frederick learned first-hand what it was like to have a child with epilepsy. His son Allen, now 23, was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 3.

“I first noticed it one day when I was getting him out of his car seat,” Dr. Frederick says. “He was just staring into space. I mentioned it to my wife, Gladys, and she said that she had noticed him having those staring spells a lot. That was our first clue that he might have epilepsy.” An EEG later confirmed the diagnosis.

"We went through a grieving process like most parents of children who have epilepsy go through,” Dr. Frederick says.

Tim Frederick, M.D.

 “I had to wear a helmet in case I had a seizure and kids at school would make fun  of me,” Allen says. “After I stopped having as many seizures, I didn’t have to wear the helmet anymore.”

Allen is now virtually seizure-free and attends adult education classes at Ozarks Technical College. He sees his dad’s colleague, neurologist Michael Luzecky, M.D., to keep his epilepsy under control.
 
St. John’s offers a support group for people with epilepsy and their families at 6:30 p.m. on the third Monday of each month in room 210 of St. John’s Cancer Center, 2055 S. Fremont. No registration is necessary, but for more information, call 417-820-3157 or 417-882-4184.