Journal of Alzheimers Disease & Parkinsonism
Open Access

Abstract

A febrile seizure began the 30 year journey from captivity of seizures to freedom after neurosurgery: Left Anterior Temporal Lobectomy/ Left Hippocampus removal had to be considered for best end result. 80% of patients after surgery were seizure free one year post op and 90% showed marked improvement.(neuro.mcg.eduepisurg.htm) It was suspected that he had been having petite mal seizures all along. At age 14 and 16 years of age, he experienced seizure activity that put him into a coma for 3 days leaving him with some memory loss. By the time the “subject” was 32, medication was no longer effective, having approximately 800 seizures a year. It was determined at this time that surgery was his only option if he was to continue to live. Because of the extent of the surgery, it was thought it would leave him a nonfunctioning adult that he would be bound to a wheelchair and unable to care for himself, when he opened his eyes after surgery he had no memory. No memory of the ability to function in everyday living, or who or what people surrounding him in hospital were. He had no memory of family or friends, that he had children or a wife and had difficulty retaining short term memory without continual repetition. But he learned again how to eat, walk, use the toilet and care for his personal needs. He returned to work, drives and lives on his own. The one thing he did retain was his craft as a master welder.

Biography

Joey Gaines was born a perfectly healthy baby boy May 15, 1967, the last of 4 children. Epilepsy was not listed in the familial health history. At age 2, he became ill running a high fever causing seizures. It was not until puberty that it became clear that he had been affected by the illness as a toddler. He became afflicted with grand mal and complex partial seizures. After high school he went to work for his uncle and became a skilled craftsman, a 100 % x-ray welder. He retained his ability to weld even after the surgery and has been actively working his craft for 33 years.