Amygdala Removal

Thank you for sharing about your unpleasant and disturbing experience.  I have not had the experience that you describe as it was just part of my right temporal lobe amygdala that was removed more than 25 years ago.  But I have had emotional problems and have read much to get answers as to why I cannot control my anger.  I've not heard of left temporal lobe resection causing uncontrolled emotional problems but from what I have read it seems not terribly surprising this could happen.  The left temporal lobe as I understand serves more to rationalize while the right temporal lobe brings on the emotions.  So if the left amygdala is removed there will be an imbalance.  Fortunately there is what neuroscience calls "neuro-plasticity".  The brain is not fixed like the heart which of course only can serve one function.  When there is injury or tissue removal, the brain has some flexibility and can compromise.  I would ask the doctor at the center which did the brain surgery if they can offer any therapy (maybe neuro feedback) to help as you learn to manage.Mike

Hi, Thank you for posting, it sounds like you’ve been through a lot. We are happy to hear that you have not had a seizure in six months,that’s fantastic news!  It’s best that you follow-up with your healthcare team, to address your difficulties in regulating your mood and behavior, to determine what individual treatment plan is best for you and if you experience any additional side effects, moods, behaviors, symptoms or changes in seizure types/frequency. To learn more about challenges with moods and behaviors associated with epilepsy and things to review with your healthcare team, visit: https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/challenges-epilepsy/moods-and-behaviorWe know that living with epilepsy is more than just knowing your type of seizures or what medicine to take. It also means learning how to handle the way epilepsy affects your life including your physical well-being social and emotional health. https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/healthy-livingYou may want to consider participating in treatment, seizure and lifestyle management programs, which can help people with epilepsy learn skills to better manage their epilepsy and its effects on daily life: https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/managing-your-epilepsy/what-managing-epilepsy-well-networkYou may also want to consider keeping a journal or diary. My Seizure Diary:https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/epilepsy-foundation-my-seizure-diaryis a great tool for identifying & tracking seizures, setting reminders, managing medications& side effects, recording medical history, moods, behaviors, triggers, and other therapies or personal experiences, that may affect seizures and wellness, which can be shared with your healthcare team. For more information, skills and resources that will help you manage seizures and epilepsy more easily, visit: https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/managing-your-epilepsy Additionally, you may always contact our 24/7 Helpline, where trained information specialists are available to answer your questions, offer help, hope, support, guidance, and access to national and local resources. 1-800-332-1000, or contactus@efa.org. epilepsy.com/helpline . Or contact your local Epilepsy Foundation: https://www.epilepsy.com/affiliates , find support groups, events, and programs in your community.

Eight years ago (at the age of 44), I was diagnosed with epilepsy (WTF!?). After 8 extremely challenging years of trialing medications (10 different meds), it was determined that my epilepsy was intractable... I went through all the testing (30 days in a seizure investigative unit) and was given the green light for surgery. Subsequently, I had a right temporal lobe resection. My entire right temporal lobe was removed, including the amygdala, coming up a year ago on the 26th of this month. I have been absolutely astounded by the issues I've come across that I didn't hear or read about prior to the surgery, one being a form of  overemotional response. More than anything it manifests as anger. Otherwise, I don't feel any of the emotions I was accustomed to (e.g. excitement, joy, pleasure, hunger). I have found that anything that overstimulates any of my senses (sound, motion, smell, taste, touch, etc.) will eventually cause my brain to go haywire, resulting in extreme fatigue and anger/frustration. This fatigue/anger is exacerbated by noise (of any volume), particularly repetitive, complex, strident, noises (and I can hear noise that no one else seems to be able to hear). As a result, I am still unable to live a life that even resembles normal. I haven't been able to returned to work, I no longer watch TV or listen to music, I limit my time on the computer, and avoid people. I find interacting with people exhausting and the more people there are the more difficult it is and the quicker the brain goes sideways...I finally found a neuropsychologist (that I can actually talk to) and she explained the brain healing process in a way no one else did. She pointed out that my brain is recovering from significant damage and, that while the brain has the ability to create new neuro connections and reorganize, it takes significant time for that healing to happen. She has been a massive comfort in this process and I'm hoping that over time things will settle down. But, I'm disappointed that no one explained any of this before the surgery, and I'm really surprised that there is so little information available to explain more about the post-surgical healing. Looking at the information provided about surgery now I would say that much of the information downplays the post-surgical experience, which really doesn't help those who go through a challenging healing process. In addition, I wasn't able to connect with others who've been through similar things so reading your post actually provided me with some comfort too. (It's nice to know that I'm not alone in this!) Thank you for sharing!