Derek's Fight Against Epilepsy
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Derek has always had trouble sleeping since he was a baby. His family always thought they were night terrors. When they brought him to the doctor they were told he would probably out grow them.
In January 2014 the doctor finally decided to do a sleep study. The day after the sleep study his family received the frightening phone call telling them his sleep study showed he was having seizures every 5 minutes in his sleep. After this all the crazy tests began.
Derek was diagnosed with Epilepsy in February 2014. It took almost a year and a half to get answers to why he was having these seizures. He's tried over 20 different seizure medications. Some of the medications have helped to decrease the number of seizures but have not stopped them. Derek's neurologist at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, WI decided that the next step for him was brain surgery.
Last year on September 29th Derek had the depth electrode surgery & after about 3 weeks in the hospital the doctors couldn't determine were the seizures were stemming from. They were sent home with no answers. November 2015 Derek had a surgery to implant a Vague Nerve Stimulator. This was suppose to help control his seizures but unfortunately this did not help him at all. The device was turned off July 2016 but is still implanted. After no answers the family decided to seek a second opinion at Mayo hospital in Minnesota. The doctors determined that Derek was in need of another depth electrode brain surgery as seizures have not gotten any better but worse. Also, in July Derek had an vision test & it was determined that Derek needed to see an eye specialist in Milwaukee. They were told that Derek is losing vision & that he had complete tunnel vision. They are still running tests to see what is causing this.
Derek was admitted into Children's in Milwaukee on Sept 12th because he was experiencing over 40 seizures a night. His seizures have been increasing in intensity too. They are trying heavy doses of steroids to hopefully calm them down. They were also told that Derek will go in for another depth electrode brain surgery on Sept 26th in hopes to find that seizure spot. If they are able to determine the spot, Derek would come back in two weeks & have the resection of the brain that is causing his seizures.
The next couple of months will be extremely difficult, for Derek, and for his family. Long stays in the hospital, countless trips back and forth from Beaver Dam to Milwaukee. The stress and worry of parents trying to get by while doing what is best for their son.
Please show your support with a donation to this very deserving family. Let's help them cover their medical expenses and make their tough days a little brighter.
Share with your family and friends! #DEREKSTRONG
In January 2014 the doctor finally decided to do a sleep study. The day after the sleep study his family received the frightening phone call telling them his sleep study showed he was having seizures every 5 minutes in his sleep. After this all the crazy tests began.
Derek was diagnosed with Epilepsy in February 2014. It took almost a year and a half to get answers to why he was having these seizures. He's tried over 20 different seizure medications. Some of the medications have helped to decrease the number of seizures but have not stopped them. Derek's neurologist at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, WI decided that the next step for him was brain surgery.
Last year on September 29th Derek had the depth electrode surgery & after about 3 weeks in the hospital the doctors couldn't determine were the seizures were stemming from. They were sent home with no answers. November 2015 Derek had a surgery to implant a Vague Nerve Stimulator. This was suppose to help control his seizures but unfortunately this did not help him at all. The device was turned off July 2016 but is still implanted. After no answers the family decided to seek a second opinion at Mayo hospital in Minnesota. The doctors determined that Derek was in need of another depth electrode brain surgery as seizures have not gotten any better but worse. Also, in July Derek had an vision test & it was determined that Derek needed to see an eye specialist in Milwaukee. They were told that Derek is losing vision & that he had complete tunnel vision. They are still running tests to see what is causing this.
Derek was admitted into Children's in Milwaukee on Sept 12th because he was experiencing over 40 seizures a night. His seizures have been increasing in intensity too. They are trying heavy doses of steroids to hopefully calm them down. They were also told that Derek will go in for another depth electrode brain surgery on Sept 26th in hopes to find that seizure spot. If they are able to determine the spot, Derek would come back in two weeks & have the resection of the brain that is causing his seizures.
The next couple of months will be extremely difficult, for Derek, and for his family. Long stays in the hospital, countless trips back and forth from Beaver Dam to Milwaukee. The stress and worry of parents trying to get by while doing what is best for their son.
Please show your support with a donation to this very deserving family. Let's help them cover their medical expenses and make their tough days a little brighter.
Share with your family and friends! #DEREKSTRONG
Organizer
Stephanie Meier
Organizer
Beaver Dam, WI