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How can two hospitals provide such a difference in care??!!(Riven you'll like this one 'tis epilepsy related)

13 replies

fatzak · 24/04/2010 20:43

As I have posted lots about this year, DS has spent most of the year in and out of hospital with his out of control seizures. We have had a pretty rotten time at the hospital where our neuro is based - awful nursing staff, no communication, no interest from neurologist etc. The last week we had there in March, we were basically told that they had tried everything that might work for DS's non convulsive status and that we would have to accept that "children like DS" are prone to bouts of this that are hard to treat and that we should basically go home and sit it out. We even saw the neuro last week when DS was in a bad way and he made suggestions about changing/upping meds etc in the next three weeks before he starts keto diet.

So.. this week things are really really crap and we know there is no point going to A&E with a view to trying to see a neurologist as they will just send us home ( yup, sometimes they don't even send a neurologist to see us) so DH decided to take DS to the next nearest hospital to us which has a good neuro reputation. Another world. Within minutes of being in A&E they had a line in DS to administer a med to try to bring him out of his non convulsive status. Then they arranged for an EEG later that day ( we were refused an EEG at previous hospital on numerous occasions) and they stuck with it,even when DS was hysterical due to emergency med he had been given ( other hospital consultant ordered technician to stop recording after 5 mins as DS was crying and he said there was no point) And to top it all, the neuro consultant came to see us, said that his EEG showed no signs of Lennox Gastaut and that his history of seizures didn't really fit LGS( horrific scary epilepsy sydrome) that other neuro has just thrown at us with no support or explanation, they suggested way forward and new meds to try!!

The nurses are lovely, spend time with DS and give him the right meds at the right time. The ward might not be as modern, but bloody hell, it's a different world.

So. DS was given of of the new treatments today which I don't think has had a huge effect, but the relief that there is someone out there who will actually try something rather than just give up on us.

Sorry for that rant - spent much of the time on ward yesterday sobbing with a mixture of both relief and anger that we have spent the last 4 months being dismissed, accused of exaggerating DS' condition and finally someone is listening (a little faint one, but it's a smile)

OP posts:
myra · 24/04/2010 21:27

Hi fatzak

your sons condition sounds so much like my sons was when he was young hes still not much better at 36 though.
you will find that hospitals are all different in there care of epilepsy,
garry was admitted to A&E about a year ago for a bad tonic clonic we were asked to leave to allow them to work on him glad we refused they were trying to squeeze an item between his teeth to stop him biting his tongue, this has been wrong for over 15 years.

have you heard of the vagal nerve stimulator,
it is an implant in th chest with wiring to just below the ear on one side to the vagal nerve. it emits a very small electrical currant to the brain and in most cases it is successful in the easing of seizures.
garry had it for 5 years but just as its batteries were going down they brought out a new AED which i asked to try and it was good so never got them replaced.

myra

justaboutkeepingawake · 25/04/2010 06:50

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nooka · 25/04/2010 07:11

My nephew has very hard to control epilepsy, but the neuros have never suggested just not trying anything any more. He has had periods without drugs, but as an experiment, not because they just gave up. Currently they are trying cycling treatments, as sometimes the drugs work for a bit and then become less effective, so he has had a bit of a pattern of relative health followed by series of small fits, and then some horrible emergency visit type episodes, followed by a period of relative quite again. There have also been suggestions of Lennox Gastaut (when he is well his behaviour is quite Aspergers like, and is now quite severely learning disabled) but I'm not sure what they have decided now.

It's not right that there is such variation in care and approach - I think that some doctors get quite affronted when their approaches are not successful, but just because a patient doesn't respond to treatment is no reason to deny them care. I hope that the keto diet works for you, it didn't seem to make much difference to my nephew, but I know that for some people it is very effective.

TotalChaos · 25/04/2010 07:40

No direct experience but glad that the 2nd hospital was so much more helpful.

justaboutkeepingawake · 25/04/2010 08:00

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MamanPorcine · 25/04/2010 11:24

Wow fatzak that is quite shocking, but unfortunately not very surprising. I'm glad it seems that you are getting somewhere.

Dp and I are thinking of moving house - seems that we should look into epilepsy support wherever we move to, as our local hospital is pretty useless and our GP refused to refer us to anyone else so we have been seeing a private neurologist at great expense.

trace2 · 25/04/2010 13:51

which hospital was it the the being with w?

sarah293 · 25/04/2010 18:06

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trace2 · 25/04/2010 20:04

sorry ment to add so glad it dont look like LGS

fatzak · 27/04/2010 15:03

Where you are Trace!

DS still in - they tried him on a huge infusion of his usual epilim but that just seemed to make things even worse So he is now in the High Dependency Unit hooked up to a midazolam infusion for 24 hours to knock him out to try and break this cycle of absences and jerks. They expected him to sleep for a day but he is fighting it as he usually does when on any of the benzo drugs so at time it's fun and games We are just pleased that they are doing something about it - we will be on the keto diet two weeks from now, so hopefully this course will help things until then.

I just can't praise the consultant neurologists enough. They have gone out of their way to come and see us and to try and help DS - despite him not actually being one of their patients!!

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justaboutkeepingawake · 27/04/2010 15:46

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feelingbetter · 27/04/2010 20:57

Nice to hear things going your way for once - you have been through the mill, particularly over the last few months.

No LGS - fecking brilliant .

Keep us (me) up to date on the keto - I'm not a regular poster these days, but am a regular reader and would love to hear how things go x

herjazz · 28/04/2010 00:06

good stuff! glad you are receiving better care and things all looking more positive

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