Tomorrow is the big day. All the data collection between mapping and this point was depending on Max’s brain. The team was able to see and record enough of his big seizures to get the final pieces they needed to come up with a plan.
They were able to determine that Max’s seizures occur in the same two spots each time. This is good news, this makes Max more likely to be a good surgical candidate than if we had many foci or if his seizures were firing all over in different spots each time. However, in our two spots, it’s not the same instigator or point of origin each time. If we had the same spot sparking each time, laser ablation would be the way to go. With Max’s situation, laser ablation would likely require more lasering than the team (or we) are comfortable with. So the best option for us is to have the RNS implanted.
RNS is sort of like a pacemaker for your brain. It is a small, implantable neurostimulator connected to leads (tiny wires) that are placed in seizure onset areas. In the beginning, it will monitor Max’s brain activity, kind of like a tiny EEG running all the time. Matt and I will scan the data each day and it will get sent to Max’s team. Once we have a good run of data, the RNS is programmed to know exactly what Max’s seizures look like. It gives the team invaluable information and also it is then programmed to stop his seizures before they start. This technology is incredible for people like Max who have intractable epilepsy. It will take some time to get there, but there is a possibility of reducing his seizure load significantly or in some cases complete seizure freedom. Max will be going in tomorrow morning at 8 for RNS placement. We’re ready. We’ve still got a lot of fight left in us.
