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The Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) battery in my chest is dead
Epilepsy & Seizures | Last Active: Dec 7, 2023 | Replies (20)Comment receiving replies
@lsittll I can see why you are concerned and why you would want the battery removed. You will notice that I updated the title of your post to help others better find this discussion if they have had the same experience as well.
I did find some basic information (below). I am guessing all of this is what you may already be familiar with. Consistently in the articles I read, it states that removal of the device itself, not always the leads, is the next path if you had a reaction to the device and/or it isn't working properly.
- Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS):
https://epilepsysociety.org.uk/about-epilepsy/treatment/vagus-nerve-stimulation
"The stimulator has a battery inside it which can last up to ten years. When the battery is low, the stimulator needs to be replaced, during an operation similar to the one when it was put in."
You mentioned that it hasn't worked for you for your epilepsy for 21 years. Have you requested removal before?
Replies to "@lsittll I can see why you are concerned and why you would want the battery removed...."
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@amanjaro thank you for the information. The VNS has not worked for me at all. My mother always said that. There is no evidence that the VNS has ever worked for me. I don't know why my doctor is so insistent that it stay in. She says its like an added piece of medicine. My seizures are preceded by auras but they occur during my sleep so I can't place the battery over the VNS to prevent a seizure. My doctor says it fires off by itself.
I have never requested removal before. I did not want the battery replaced before but I did not know how to tell my doctor this. Now I am adamantly saying no.
The VNS can be quite bothersome. I cannot exercise at a rapid pace because I am out of breath, gasp and get a feeling like a knife is in my throat in no time. Sometimes crying makes it feel like there is a knife in my throat. I would not have this discomfort if the VNS was out. Neither would I have any discomfort about anything happening with the battery if it was out.
Laurie