I posted this on another forum and wanted to have it here too.
I hope you might be able to help me. I had the typical epilepsy surgery 10 years ago which was successful as far as I am concerned, and I am doing great as far as seizures go. In trying to go forward in this new life, I am in graduate school nd am finding that i might need some sort of adjustment to learning techniques. I don't know if it is just so much material given in a short time, my age now and time since school, or the fact that I have had the surgery that is making it difficult for the material to stick and stay stuck. I usually need to apply the material. Then it will get into long term memory, but we do not get the oopportuiity to apply all of it as there is so much material at once. I get terribly overwhelmed, but what is worse is that the lectures are basically someone reading a power point presentation with little input or rationale with the tests being totally application. Without the rationale or data that should be in between presented at all, it is like being asked and expected to put a puzzle together with no picture and some of the pieces missing. That rationale is missing to me, but I have learned that we are supposed to dig that out ourselves. My question is this. Did anyone who has had this surgery find that they needed other learning strategies after surgery in order to retain and then recall material? What were they and were they effective? It would help me immensely to have other learnng techniques that take into consideration this surgery. I need to be able to apply this material in order to be successful, but the time allowed is short and there is a lot of it. Any input would help.Thanks Tattoo

Hi there Tatoo,
I had the right temporal lobectomy. But also my seizures are coming from the left temporal lobe. My memory is in the toilet, either because of taking so many meds. Or because of where the seizures come from. The thing that engraves something in my memory the best is doing something i enjoy, and learning by doing hands on work. That's how I became a Microsoft professional. But because of the damn seizures and all my years of being unemployed. No company will accept me for an interview.
Sincerely
shawn33

Hi! I had my surgery 7 years ago this month and also have a Terrible memory and have "adjusted" to the situation at hand with constant repetition and written instructions to learn something new. Repetition seems to be the key for me as well as doing it hands on myself. If I have the opportunity to do it myself a few times I am much more likely to retain the information (although not always by any means).

Hope this helps some. I would be interested in any information myself.

Hi Tattoo,
I had my surgery 15 yrs. ago and after that my short term memory went downhill. I have found that keeping myself active and when I'm working in school to take a lot of notes for myself, by doing these things it has helped improve my memory much. I wish you the best of luck in graduate school. May God Bless You!

Sue

Thank all for the responses. I have had a busy and very stressful summer. Because it has been 10 years since surgery, I decided to have more Neuropsych testing done in June to see if I could learn anything there that may help me retain information better. It showed that I have a Reading Disorder. Believe it or not, that is a disability too. The psychologist in my doc's office who did my testing told me that sometimes people are able to get through undergraduate school with it, but in grad school with its rigorous schedule, it may be detected then. Guess that is right. I went through Disabilty Office and do quallify for accommodation. I have seen the Learning Disability office for that and my contact there has recommended accommodations.. At this point though I don't think my school will allow me to stay. The will know about the epilepsy, surgery, and LD. Even though it would be discrimination, professional schools are a different animal and nursing especially sets itself apart. I am considering either a transfer or another option. I feel I have so much to offer those like us but am hitting road blocks in my growth after surgery and do not haver time for that. The growth after this surgery has been phenominal to me, but I may have reached an end here. At a loss really. Thanks for being here. Tattoo

Hi Tattoo,
I'm sorry to hear that you have a reading problem. I know if I were in your place I wouldn't let the school tell me I could no longer attend that is completely wrong. I look at Alan Faneca who plays for the NY Jets he's had epilepsy for 15 yrs. and has been playing professional football for awhile and he was able to get a college degree and he's still playing now. He taking tegretol for his sz. The reason why I know this is because the NY Jets are at summer camp just a few miles from my house and that's how I found out about him. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't go to their school or push you around just because you have sz. and reading problems. After all your just as good if not better than they are! Here's wishing you well and May God Bless You!

Sue

Thanks. The LD Center recommended some accommodations for the reading disorder, but the big problem is with the school of nursing's master's program. I went to the ADA office and found out that they only handle employees even though it was on the website the LD Center gave me. He put out feelers after listening to my story and called with his recommendation that I see the Dean of Students. I still feel that a student doesn't have much chance when it gets down to it. I would lke to find a school that has my program and a very good Epilepsy center associated with the university. My university does not have an epilepsy center of the quality I would like for my specialty study, so maybe it is best to transfer provided I can find the respect I would like to have based on my GPA and experience. If my present school will not allow me to continue, no other school will take me either, which means my rapid attempt after surgery to reach potential is over. I talked to the Medical School here about their pre-requisite courses, but I thought at my age, NP was a better choice. I'd be very gd but it is not up to me anymore if it ever was. Tattoo

Hi Tattoo,
If you would like to find a good university with an Epilepsy Center you should go to Rochester University in Rochester, NY or try going Syracuse University in Syracuse,NY I've been to both of of those places I will admit Rochester is much better but Syracuse University isn't that bad either. I've found I've gotten more help in Rochester and I feel that they are further advanced than a few other Epilepsy Centers I've been to but that's just my opinion. You might want to check it out if you're interested I know school will be starting up soon so if you want more info. just let me know and I will give you what I can. Here's wishing you well and May God Bless You!

Sue

Hello Tattoo2,

My daughter has epilepsy and was having a hard time in college. I had neuropsychological testing done, and the psychologist said she scored low on the verbal memory portion. I noticed that her reading comprehension was lower than I expected. On my own, I decided to have her tested for auditory processing, even though she had maybe one of the ten symptoms. It turned out that she did have auditory processing problems, and it affects your reading comprehension. The audiologist told me that, even though you are reading silently, your brain processes the words as if they were speech. In my daughters case, her seizure focus is on her right side, and it is her left ear that has the processing problem. Her hearing is normal, but through testing we found out that if she is listening to speech or reading with competing noise, she will not process the information well. An assistive device (FM system) was recommended. Don't know if this is your reading problem but thought I would mention it.

Thanks for your responses and support. My test results were not as detailed as wbwo's daughter's were, but it would be good to have that information. The semester opened Monday and classes start next week. At this point I have not heard anything from my school as to whether or not I will stay or just what the status is etc. I haven't bought books since I don't know if I will need them, and I have not heard from the LD Center who decides the type of accommodation either. Seems like they are cutting it very close. Thanks for being here. Tattoo