Let's Talk About It!

Check out this website:

www.talkaboutit.org

Heroes Star on Epilepsy Awareness

Epilepsy Information For Schools

Did you know these famous people had Epilepsy?????

Leonardo Da Vinci - (April 15, 1452 - May 2, 1519) The man responsible for some of the greatest religious paintings in history, Leonardo Da Vinci excelled not only in painting but in numerous other disciplines as well. He was a Tuscan polymath, architect, botanist, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, and writer. His most famous work is definetely the paintings of both Mona Lisa and the Last Supper of Jesus Christ which have both been the most reproduced religious paintings of all times.

Michelangelo - (March 6, 1475 - February 18, 1564) The sculptor of many of the most renowned sculptures of all times. Michaelangelo was a respected renaissance man only rivaled by Leonardo Da Vinci. Striving to excel in numerous disciplines, he is also responsible for the paintings inside many famous cathedrals and the construction of some of the most respected buildings. Projects such as St.Peters basilica, basilica of San Lorenzo, and the Medici Chapel which will forever leave Michaelangelo and his works a legend in all history.

Aristotle - (384 BC - 322 BC) Aristotle was a Greek philosopher writing on many different subjects including zoology, biology, ethics, government, politics, physics, metaphysics, music, poetry, and theater. He was also a great teacher for Alexander the Great. Aristotle was one of the first to point out that epilepsy and genius were often closely connected. He found that the seizure disorders may have the ability to increase brain activity in specific places and maybe also enhance a persons natural abilities to a certain extent.

This is what it looks like..........

This is me in March having another EEG at Cleveland Clinic!

ABC's Good Morning America

Consumer Alert:

This video clip from ABC's Good Morning America is about a friend of mine named Amy Detrick from Columbus, Ohio. Amy is one of my couselors at Camp Firebird each summer. She and her doctor from The Ohio State University Hospital are discussing the issue of "prescription switching".


http://web11.mediavsn.com/UserSavedClips/d34350d6-f4a1-4d08-b331-3662742d92e0.asx

President Obama Signs Historic Health Care Reform

http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/epilepsyusa/news/President-Obama-Signs-Health-Care-Reform-In-to-Law.cfm

National Epilepsy Awareness Day

Wear your purple - Friday, March 26th is National Epilepsy Awareness Day!

Meet William Bingaman, M.D., Cleveland Clinic Foundation

This is Dr. William Bingaman. He performed both my brain surgeries. Dr. Bingaman is a NeuroSurgeon at Cleveland Clinic. He is also the Section Head of the Epilepsy Center of Cleveland Clinic.Biographical Sketch
William E. Bingaman, MD, is Vice-Chairman of the Neurological Institute and Head of the Section of Epilepsy Surgery at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.

Dr. Bingaman’s clinical interests are in the surgical treatment of adult and pediatric epilepsy, with special interest in hemispheric epilepsy. He also is interested in spinal surgery and maintains a busy clinical practice in close collaboration with the Department of Neurology via the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center.Dr. Bingaman attended undergraduate studies at Johns Hopkins University and graduated from Temple University Medical School in Philadelphia, Pa. He completed his residency in neurosurgery at Cleveland Clinic Foundation and completed fellowship training in spinal neurosurgery at the Cleveland Clinic and joined the faculty of Cleveland Clinic in 1997.He has authored more than 85 scientific papers and book chapters. Currently, he is an ad hoc reviewer for Neurosurgery and Epilepsia. Dr. Bingaman remains dedicated to teaching and participates in the medical student Preceptor Program and has been named Neurosurgical Teacher of the Year three times in the past 10 years. Dr. Bingaman maintains active research collaborations with Imad Najm and Damir Janigro, supplying human cortical tissue for a variety of epilepsy research projects.He is an active member of many professional organizations including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the American Epilepsy Society, the Ohio State Neurosurgical Society and the Council of State Neurosurgical Societies. Additionally, Dr. Bingaman holds leadership positions in several national neurosurgical organizations including Member-at-Large board member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Vice Chairman of the Council of State Neurosurgical Societies, board member of the American Neurosurgery Political Action Committee and Past President of the Ohio State Neurosurgical Society.

Current Clinical Trials for Epilepsy

According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the current clinical trials for epilepsy can be found on this website:

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=epilepsy&pg=1

Clinical trials are very important to find a cure and treatments for epilepsy.

What is an Epileptologist?

I see a pediatric Epileptologist at Cleveland Clinic; her name is Elaine Wyllie, M.D. I think she is a fantastic doctor!!!

Please read the following article about Epileptologists.

http://hsc.usf.edu/COM/epilepsy/tologist.html

Learn about Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI)

http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/mri.html

Doctors use MRIs to look at the brain.

The Brain

Electroencephalogram (EEG) Test

http://www.webmd.com/epilepsy/electroencephalogram-eeg-21508

This website talks about one important test of diagnosing and evaluating epilepsy. It is called an EEG test.

Newsweek Article - April 2009

Epilepsy in America: What Must Be Done

http://www.newsweek.com/id/193480

My Brain Surgery

This is me after my brain surgery. Since this surgery didn't work for me, the next step will be an implant placed in my brain. This implant has not been approved in the U.S. yet, but is being used in Europe with great success. My brain surgeon says maybe in 2 or 3 years, the implant will be approved in the U.S.

Epilepsy Drugs to Treat Seizures

This is a list of common epilepsy drugs to treat seizures.

http://www.webmd.com/epilepsy/medications-treat-seizures

Epilepsy Brain Surgery

Please watch this video on epilepsy brain surgery

http://www.webmd.com/video/aiding-brain-surgery-epilepsy

I had this surgery in September. The surgery was not successful for me, but it has worked for many other people with epilepsy.

Epilepsy Research

Researchers are constantly working on finding a cure for epilepsy. Here is a link to see some of the current research going on now.

http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/research/

7th Annual Stroll for Epilepsy

Yesterday was the 7th Annual Stroll for Epilepsy. This is one of the fundraisers that helps raise money and awareness for the Epilepsy Foundation of Central Ohio. My team is called "Team Hollywood". We had eleven people on Team Hollywood and raised $565. All of the money goes to help find a cure for epilepsy, helps 40 kids go to summer camp, and provides classes for people to learn more about epilepsy. I was proud to be a part of yesterday and we all had a lot of fun!

Welcome to My Epilepsy 2010 Blog

My goals for this Epilepsy 2010 Blog is to raise the awareness and advocate for this neurological disease. Also to find how Epilepsy has affected the lives of others and their families and how close the medical researchers to finding the "CURE".