“The epilepsy team here at NYU Medical Center has determined that 2 areas of Stella's brain are causing her seizures: a spot on the left side of her brain and a larger area on the right front of the brain. Therefore, Stella will undergo 2 more surgeries next week- one on Monday to remove the left spot and another surgery on Wednesday to remove the spot on the right side. The seizure focus area on the front of her brain is close to the area that controls the left side of her body. There is a risk that this function could be damaged during surgery to remove the tumor. If so, Stella may need intensive physical therapy to restore her left side function
If all goes well though, she should leave the hospital in one and a half weeks. We might need to stay in NYC for an additional week to have a checkup with the neurosurgeon to make sure she has no infection at the surgery site.
We will probably need to meet with her neurologist also to have a plan for her treatment when we return to Hong Kong. Ideally, the doctors would like to slowly wean her off her anti-seizure medications- she is currently on two, one of which can permanently damage her peripheral vision if used long term. These medications also dull her learning ability because they are so strong.
Both her neurologist and neurosurgeon are optimistic that the surgeries will greatly reduce her seizures. Stella has had only one seizure over the last 2 days (probably due to the heavy medication that she is on). However, we can see a positive difference in her- she is more interactive, energetic and happy!!! Can you imagine how she might be with months of no seizures? I am so excited to see how she will develop - perhaps say mama or her sister's name.
Alison
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