Surgery transforms epilepsy patient’s life
\\\\\\\'I\\\\\\\'ve had quite a journey,\\\\\\\' Johnstown man says
When Hunter Bambino was 9 years old, his parents started noticing something strange in his behavior.
鈥淚 would be trying to field the baseball and I would freeze. I would just be staring off into space then come back out of it 15 to 20 seconds later and the ball would be behind me. It was kind of scary.鈥�
They started investigating and his mom observed him having grand mal seizures at night. That led to a medical consultation in Pittsburgh and a 20-hour surgery for a problem with his brain stem.
鈥淚 had to relearn how to walk, how to talk鈥� everything.鈥� Despite the surgery and a medication, the seizures continued. More medications followed and so did more seizures. They abated some through the years but started again when Hunter was 15.
鈥淗ere in Johnstown, my neurologist straight up told me, 鈥楾here is no fix for you. You鈥檒l have to just deal with it for the rest of your life.鈥� So that鈥檚 what I did.鈥�
That is, until he met Dr. Alex Whiting, a neurosurgeon at AHN鈥檚 epilepsy surgery program in Pittsburgh who also has an office in Washington.
鈥淭hey put electrodes down through my skull into the brain to find out where I was seizing,鈥� says Bambino. 鈥淭here was a particular moment when doc came in and I was talking to him, and he looked at me and said, 鈥楬unter, you know you鈥檙e having a seizure right now?'鈥�
Whiting determined where the seizures were originating and that Hunter was a candidate for a specialized surgery since he had been through 11 different medications with no relief from seizures.
鈥淗e said it鈥檚 something that can change your life, and I said absolutely; this is what I want to do.鈥�
Whiting removed a portion of Hunter鈥檚 right frontal lobe and right hippocampus during the surgery. He woke up with 78 staples in his head and no more seizures.
鈥淚鈥檝e had quite a journey, to say the least. That鈥檚 for sure,鈥� says the 26-year-old Johnstown resident.
That was two years ago and Hunter is still seizure-free with no side effects.
鈥淚 have a nice little scar on the right side of my head and 26 little holes that are just kind of starting to fill in. I鈥檝e been great. I鈥檓 in the best health of my life and I don鈥檛 really have any complaints at all. I never thought that I would be in this spot.鈥�
He鈥檚 been taken off one medication and will soon be able to quit the only other one he鈥檚 taking.
鈥淚鈥檓 so grateful for the time that I鈥檓 in now,鈥� Hunter says. 鈥淚鈥檓 able to drive again. I鈥檓 able to do everything. I currently work and run my own life and health insurance business.
More than medication
Epilepsy treatment has advanced significantly beyond just medications 鈥� particularly over the last few years. While medications are often enough for many patients and are still the first-line treatment, there are now many safe, minimally invasive surgical options for patients who continue to have seizures despite taking medications.
鈥淩esponsive neurostimulation, or RNS, is a small device we implant that acts like a computer that can learn to pick up what someone鈥檚 seizures look like and stop them before they happen,鈥� says Whiting. 鈥淲e鈥檙e also seeing great strides in personalized medicine tailoring treatments specifically to each patient鈥檚 unique epilepsy.鈥�
When it comes to surgery, the key lies in safe, detailed mapping of the brain beforehand using techniques like stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) to pinpoint the exact place the seizures are coming from and what different parts of the brain do for normal function.
鈥淒uring surgery, we use advanced imaging and navigation to carefully remove only the problematic tissue without damaging or changing the important parts of the brain,鈥� Whiting explains. 鈥淚n some patients with epilepsy coming from a deep part of their brain, we are able to pass a small, ultra-thin laser through the brain through an incision so small it requires a single stitch to close allowing us to treat only the part of the brain causing all of the seizures while still preserving the rest of the brain around it.鈥�
Whiting uses a comprehensive approach that goes beyond standard brain scans to pinpoint seizure origins. 鈥淲e utilize advanced neuroimaging like high-resolution MRI and PET scans alongside continuous video-EEG monitoring to capture seizure activity and identify its starting point.鈥�
The takeaway is that there are other options to explore if medications alone have not helped someone control seizures. 鈥淎 critical message I want to convey is that if someone with epilepsy has tried two anti-seizure medications without achieving seizure control, it鈥檚 a strong indicator that they should consult with an epilepsy specialist to explore all available options,鈥� says Dr. Whiting. 鈥淢any people don鈥檛 realize that surgery can be a very effective treatment, and not just a last resort, offering a path to significantly improved quality of life or even seizure freedom when medications aren鈥檛 enough. It鈥檚 about empowering patients to know when to seek more advanced care.鈥�
Hunter also wants to spread the word about his surgery and amazing recovery.
鈥淚 do want to become a motivational speaker for people with epilepsy because I know how hard it is,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 am actually writing a book as well. When I was young and this was all going on, I would get scared to do anything because I didn鈥檛 know whether I was gonna have a seizure. I鈥檓 trying to do everything that I possibly can to just keep moving because I鈥檓 just so happy now in my life.鈥�
Hunter is working to finish his book. For updates on it and his health journey, follow him on Facebook (Hunter Bambino) and Instagram (@_hunts1499_).