Gaross wrote:

Not that I know of.  I haven't heard of one.

*G* It would be in the Phone Book under Health Services? in the Yellow
Pages, or Epilepsy Foundation of America (likely) under the White pages.
I thought somewhere inside the Ep.Foundation of America website there's an
Option where you enter your ZIP Code and it tells you the Nearest Chapter
Office and Email addr. to where you live--> http://efa.org .   You might
have already read those, but I think the efa. site had links on VNS stuff
too.

to get a Second

Getting a second opinion is out of the question financially.  I have
Medicaid and it took months to get them to realize my condition couldn't
just be seen by a normal family doctor.  I had to go months to get a
family doctor picked and then my neurologist wound up having to call
them himself.  He had to explain to them my condition and that I had to
see a specialist, and since I was in the middle of tests with him, that
I should stay with him.  To get Medicaid to see I need another opinion,
and another neurologist, would probably be as easy as jumping off a
cliff and not falling.  My caseworker through Medicaid is a b**ch.

*G*  Bureaucracy is wonderful ain't it?    They'd pay for a $10,000 to
$20,000  Implant plus Surgery (that's a Guess only of the costs-->  Howdy
might know the real costs) ,   plus a Recall each ~4-5 years for Battery
replacement *$500?  but they won't pay for a Second Doctor to consult if
it's appropriate wrt. the Tests you've already had and Records already
assembled by your Main Neuro.  ($300 ? ).

   I had just wondered without having gone through all the stuff you've had
to go through already, *if they've tried or exhausted all the Other
treatments (mostly pills that are newly licensed each 2-3 months),  before
they get into something more invasive like having a 'battery pack' implanted
under one of your arms for the rest of your life.
  That's why I'd rather have Howdy-1 comment on your situation, wrt. the
VNS since he's the only one I know 'here' who's had one installed and lived
with it for about 8? or more years.  I think Ann (who used to post here too)
also had one installed.  If she's still around (lurking), she might have
comments from a Woman's point of view, if there's any difference wrt. its
use between Men and Women.

    Any comments I made earlier or here were based only on posts Dave's
done from 1998 to now, plus a Talk and Video I got at our (Toronto)  Ep.
Convention in 2001 or 2.  (Cyberonics was one of the Lecture Presenters,
among the 8-10 that one day, and handed out VHS tapes and brochures as part
of their Presentation among various subjects discussed in the sessions
organized that day.   Since I was already 'here', I picked up a set to see
what it involved. ) /

I have done as much research as possible online on the VNS and I am
willing go for it if that winds up being my neurologist's decision.  I
just haven't figured out a way to make it through four more days without
winding up in a padded room.

G.   They don't use padded rooms any longer -- well except for Politicians,
but then they're needed more.....  It's 2 of our various country's Holidays
or Birthdays this weekend (Canada was July 1, U.S. July 4).  Why not go
outside and play in the High U.V. ??     There's not a whole lot you can do
before you hear on Tuesday anyway, and the rest of us are around here most
days anyway....     we don't get out much ....   //  G.