The Wada Test

 To make it easier for me (I am all about that)... I am including the email I wrote to Aunts, Uncles, and cousins who have been apart of Lisa's life to explain the WADA test, and to prevent me from rewriting everything I already wrote. Call me lazy or smart, I am both I think.

 Hi there! I hope all of you are doing well and staying warm! We are getting a break from the below 0 temps today and the rest of the week which is a welcome sight! 


Just wanted to update and give you a heads up about Lisa.


Last summer, the neuro drs studied Lisa's brain and determined where they think her seizures are stemming from. They were very excited to tell us this. Since then, Karen has been making trips back and forth to Peoria for several tests to see if she is a canidate for brain surgery.


Last week, Lisa had a WADA test, which they had to go through the groin to reach her brain. They put one side of her brain to sleep and tested the awake side. They determined that she has memory and language skills on her right lobe, which most people have it on the left...which she probably did when she was born, but after she got sick at 9 months old, her R brain took over what the left was supposed to do.


They put her other side to sleep too and I don't remember which side it was, but when they put it to sleep, the frontal part on the other side went to sleep too. They said this is not abnormal, but it is definately not common. The good news is that her seizures stem from the left side. They were worried that if something were to happen should she have surgery ie. stroke...that it would lose memory and language. This makes her a good canidate for the surgery.


They are 85% sure that she has language on her R brain, behavioral issues (stubborn) made it a challenge. They said she did better than they expected during the test.


From a psych test she had recently, she has very poor short term memory skills. (Karen said she got a tear in her eye when Lisa was talking about how much she missed Mom.) Dr Kurth told us that if Lisa was her sister, she would do the surgery. She had tears in her eyes as she told us this. She told us that although the surgery is risky, with a chance of Lisa losing more memory, the odds are even worse each time she has another seizure. It is because of her seizures that her memory is getting worse.


Lisa's seizures have become more violent and frequent within these past few years. We are lucky that she had had only a few incidents when she was badly hurt. One time, she hit the floor in her apt and did not catch herself and had two black eyes and a bloody lip and nose. No one knew. She was not able to help herself. We are thankful that she hit the floor and not the edge of a table or had something sharp in her hands. She has seizures and doesn't remember having them most of the time.


Just wanted to update you with what is happening with Lisa. Mom would have been thrilled with this news! It is all she ever wanted for Lisa.


We will keep you informed as to when and if we will proceed with the surgery. Lisa is her own guardian and we need to explain everything to her. Ultimately, it is her decision. She has said that she is leaving it up to her sisters to decide for her:)


We hope to do the right thing.


take care!


Love
Karla