Hello all, my husband is the AVM survivor having made a wonderful recovery from his bleed and subsequent crani in September 2008. Unfortunately he was left with a seizure problem, but thankfully it’s been a long time since he had one of those monsters (knock on wood). He is on two seizure meds though. In April he went to his yearly checkup and told his seizure doc he hated not being able to remember names quickly. That really is his only complaint, but honestly he was not good at names before 2008 so……. His doc seems to think that may be from the seizure meds but does not know for sure. Well his doc has made an appointment for him to see a neuropsychologist for testing his memory. He goes in August for this.
Have any of you wonderful people ever been to a neuropsychologist? What can he expect? Also how was the outcome for you?
Hi Marie, And yes, "knock on wood" no seizures - yay! :)
I have fatigue and found the testing exhausting, yet the testing helped validate cognitive difficultites.
Hope all goes well & provides the answers you're both looking for.
I see a fabulous Neuropsychologist ! I was originally referred in my disability quest? She frequently gives me mental excercises and helps me pinpoint trouble spots. She originally collected much of the testing data going back to my bleed and inpatient admission in 09 She reviewed rthe data and then preformed some additional testing of her own. She is patient, kind, and Very knowledgable, seeing her has become a life changing experience!! Nikki
My wife and I went to neuropsychologist, it was a great help. It helped us learn to communicate better. my bleed was 2 weeks after our honeymoon so we didn’t really have any experience as a married couple communicating with a spouse. Meredith also went on her own to help deal with the stress and trauma she was trying to overcome. She said it was actually stressful during my 3 weeks in the hospital and the months after, I said ‘no way, what was stressful about all that?’…lol
I hope this helps.
I had one done last week. They start asking questions like: who was cleopatra? Who was Gandhi? What Luther King was fighting for? Then some math questions, to see how you are doing with numbers. Then some memory test like reading a text and asking for the details 10 mins later. Then a “game” to match pictures… Then another game to draw pictures… Things like that. It took 3 hours to be completed and I was exhausted! I had a brain AVM removed Sep/2011. Hope it helps.
Marie, I also went to a neuropsychologist right after my brain bleed. They do alot of sets to see if and what areas of your brain were damaged. At the time, it was very tiring for me as it was a 4 hour test. The results tell you if or what areas of your brain were damaged, so it gave me good information. The outcome for me was that I have aphasia and short term memory loss. I'm also on an anti-seizure med, which thankfully works.
Greg, so glad it worked out well for you both, had not thought about both going??? Love your stressful comment about your new wife, being the wife myself, it was the worst time of my life, granted my husband went through the physical pain and problems of the AVM but it was really a terrible time for me and the kids as well. Hope things continue to go well for you guys! Marie
Very interesting on the questions, I'm anxious to hear what they do/ask my husband. So I'm guessing you have not received the "results" yet? They said to plan on being there for testing anywhere from 4 - 6 hours, I'll let you know. Marie
So glad your seizure meds are working for you as well! Thanks for you input on the testing, I'm anxious to hear about my husbands. How long did it take to get the results of the test? I'm guessing they don't tell you anything right away correct? Marie
Hi Marie - congrats on your husband's anti-seizure "status"!
My neuropsych. testing was long (about 3 hours) with what seemed like random questions. Your husband might need to sleep for awhile afterward - I did, anyway.
Though totally unrelated to the actual testing questions, below is a link to a site page regarding neuro.psych. testing.
Hi marie I had the neuropsych testing before my op, as they wanted to see how a person copes, who hadn't bled before the resection. it took about three hours and involved cognitive skills, short term memory, maths,reproducing images, timed reflexs etc.
I then did the next one a week after my second op. Then the third one approx a month after the op, then the fourth one before my employer would consider having me return to work. The fifth one was a year after my op. Thats when the neuropsych told me that it isn't necessary to do another test. They were challenging, but did no harm - just got you thinking that we are such resilient and normal people - after all we go through. My best wishes and positivethoughts for your husband, for you , and your loved ones.
Hi Marie, I am an AVM survivor, obliterated for about 16 years. I always had some cognitive deficits , but was able to "get around" them. Although, it was always harder when I was tired. Then I had a GM seizure (due to scar tissue) 5 yrs ago & started meds. I don't know if the seizure caused additional damage or if the meds make me so tired that I can't concentrate enough to overcome the deficits.
Anyway, I saw a neuropsychologist, and found the process facinating! Just like others have described, they will basically try to check the function levels of various parts of his brain with puzzles, etc. There's no way to prepare for it. During some tests, I couldn't believe that my mind went completely blank. So frustrating!!! Other tests, I did very well. I'm sure there were parts I thought I aced when in reality I probably didn't. It does take a few hours & is exhausting!!
The outcome did show me where the deficits are & some suggestions to help me get along with overcoming them. One thing I will say, is for your husband not to think too much about it before hand. Not to try to study. While I was in there I kept thinking OK, now, if the doc is walking behind me, is that part of the test? Just go in with a clear mind so they can accurately map it out. Good Luck & God Speed Kristin