Like millions of other Americans, I have a condition known as epilepsy, which causes seizures of varying degrees. Medication has not stopped the seizures and as a result, I will be going into surgery next month to have a Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) device implanted into me. Essentially, the device will occasionally send electric impulses to my brain in order to prevent seizures, or at least reduce the severity and frequency.
If I do have a seizure, then a special magnet placed near my heart can be activated. That magnet will tell the device to send immediate impulses in order to hopefully and immediately stop the surgery. Now, since there is surgery involved, there is risk involved. That’s where my DNS and MOLST documents kick in.
After ensuring that I meet the qualifications for a VNS device, I had a final consultation today to go over all the details of my surgery date, and I ensured that the necessary documents were signed.
My MOLST makes it very clear that, among other things, I am to have no blood transfusions. No, I am not a Jehovah’s Witness as I am a rational adult, but I am not comfortable with the notion of someone else’s blood flowing through my veins. I simply won’t permit that sort of thing to enter my body. Yes, I realize that death might be the ultimate consequence of that decision, but it is my decision and I’ve made it.
Given that there is a chance for blood loss when surgery happens, there is a very small chance that I might lose blood to the point that I’d need an immediate transfusion. I ensured that the surgeon is aware of my MOLST.
What that means is simply this: if I start bleeding out, there is to be no transfusion whatsoever. I have other orders in place within that MOLST that basically ensure that no lifesaving measures will be taken if things go sideways. The surgeon who is performing the procedure is well-experienced in the area of VNS, and the procedure is exceedingly common, so the documentation is merely a formality, not an expectation that things will not go the way that they should go.
Once the device is implanted, it will take about two weeks for my body to get used to it. At that point, I’ll go in for a follow-up and from that point forward, my VNS will be in full effect. As you might expect, I will be writing an article regarding the surgery and I will document everything that I can.
On the day of the surgery, I will have to be there at 7 a.m., meaning that I’ll have to be up at 5:30 to ensure that I am prepared for the procedure, which should take two hours. Factor in prep and recovery time, and I will likely be there for six hours or so, so my whole day will be shot, but that’s a small price to pay for having less seizures.
Any sort of surgery makes me nervous, and the last time that I had surgery was back in 2013, when my appendix burst after two weeks of severe pain. Yes, yes, I waited far too long and even the surgeon was amazed that I arrived at the hospital alive. A regular procedure that should have taken thirty minutes with one surgeon took two hours with two surgeons.
By all medical logic, I should have died back then and they actually expected it when I got onto the table. But for whatever reason, I obviously survived.
Will luck continue to follow me? We shall see. The benefits outweigh the risks.