64 yr old mom w/epilepsy showing cognitive dysfunction
Hi,
I'm hoping that someone might be able to provide me w/some advice regarding my mom, who seems to be experiencing increased cognitive dysfunction. My mom's 64 years old & had uncontrolled epilepsy since infancy, but had a left, frontal lobectomy about 18 years ago. The lobectomy stopped her seizures, but she's continued to take epilepsy meds.
In the past couple of years, I've noticed that she seems to be having a much harder time cognitively. She struggles to put thoughts together coherently, remember things (both short and long term), and has problems with word recall, which I realize could be a side-effect of the surgery. Although these weren't major impediments to her in the past, recently they seem to be effecting her more negatively. Lately, it seems as though her confusion leads to major anxiety and obsessive thinking - personality traits she's never truly had
I'm hoping that someone might be able to tell me 1. Are those w/either long-term uncontrolled epilepsy or left frontal labectomies more likely to suffer from dementia? And, what are the best means (medical & otherwise) of combatting these symptoms?
Btw - to further confound matters, I should add that my mom is on pain pills for RA, and this, too, could be at the root of the problem.
Thanks for any guidance you can give!
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