I'm sorry to hear about Denny's continued seizures. That must be really scary for him, and for you to witness as well. I hope the new med works for him. At my neurological consult they suggested I go Neurontin for pain, but it is known for helping with seizures. Maybe keep that med in the back of your mind to discuss with Denny's doctor if Depokote doesn't work out.
Denny has joint pain too? I wonder how typical that is. My knee is swollen and I walk like I'm elderly. It's not just my knee, but my back too.
Does Denny like to play games, like cards, etc? I think that anything he can do to stimulate his brain would be really helpful, even if it's minor things like games, word finds and so on. I think the brain is very resiliant and I have been told that if neural pathways are distroyed, the brain can actually compensate by using a different area to do the same task. Pretty amazing. I know stroke victims can regain a great deal, but it takes time. I don't understand it much, but I've been told that our meninges can be scarred from this, and I'm not sure what that means long-term. The infection clearly can cause pressure on the brain, and if someone had swelling of the brain itself I would imagine that could cause damage. It's all very scary to me.
I hear stories like Denny's and I have to remind myself that all of my complaints that seem "huge" to me are quite minor in comparison. Right after being sick I struggled more with thinking like Denny does, but that has resolved. My zoning, being confused, and forgetfulness is much better. Hearing about how much of a trouper he is and how strong you are is good medicine for all of us to hear.
INteractive chat would be nice.
I hope you keep your chin up. Remember to take care of yourself too.







