Connie Eckley

In Connie Eckley's mind, it was a great day in late December 1995. She was feeling energetic, did evening lector at church and enjoyed dinner out with her husband and daughter. But while returning home, something else happened in Connie's mind. Without warning, as she turned from the passenger seat to face backward and talk to her daughter, Connie passed out and went into a seizure. Her husband, who luckily was driving the vehicle, abruptly turned around and headed to the nearest hospital.

"I woke up 45 minutes later in the emergency room," says Eckley. "They told me I had a grand mal seizure, but ER doctors weren't sure what caused it and referred me for further testing at the hospital." Following a CT scan, Connie was put on antiseizure medication and instructed not to drive for three months. Despite a heavy dose of medication, she experienced periodic seizures and side effects from the drug.

Eckley, whose life had so suddenly switched gears, wanted to feel better. "I went directly from the fast lane to not even being on the road," she says. Without wasting any time, Eckley pursued more treatment, in search of answers and options.

Neurologists in Omaha, Neb. — Connie's home state — did an open MRI and detected something unusual on the left side of her brain. It was small and obscure, but warranted further investigation. In December 1996, she was referred to Mayo Clinic.

Solving the Mystery

"I recall feeling unusual since about 1994," says Eckley. "There were times I would feel like I was in a heavy fog. It was very mysterious, unsettling and difficult to describe. I would feel disconnected and foggy, but I attributed it to stress, hormones and middle age."

"Connie's lifestyle was being seriously disrupted by her seizures," notes Greg Cascino, M.D., a neurologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. "In addition, she was experiencing tremors and weight gain from the antiseizure medication."

Eckley, who manages her husband's trucking company, Aggregate Carriers, found it difficult to concentrate and remember things. In addition, someone had to drive her to work and do all her errands. "My condition was causing a great deal of stress and disruption in my daily life," she recalls.

Eckley was admitted to the intensive care unit at Mayo's Rochester Methodist Hospital and weaned off her medication. "The intent was to induce a seizure so we could determine exactly what we were dealing with," says Dr. Cascino. After six days, Eckley had a grand mal seizure. "It was the observation of this seizure and subsequent MRI that revealed Connie's left temporal lobe epilepsy caused by an arteriovenous malformation she likely had since birth, says Dr. Cascino."

Repairing the Damage

Connie was scheduled for surgery a few days later at Saint Marys Hospital. During the operation, surgeons removed the malformation and brain tissue responsible for her seizures. Doctors cannot explain why Eckley's condition did not surface until her mid-40s. Perhaps some event or injury triggered the seizures? Or was she having mild seizures all her life that progressively intensified? The latter might explain her "foggy feeling," which has lifted since the operation.

"I believe Connie will continue to be seizure free," says Dr. Cascino. "If the patient does not experience any complications from this type of surgery, the odds of a complete cure are very good. In fact, 90 percent of patients experience significant improvement and more than 70 percent are completely seizure free after this type of surgery."

"I haven't had any seizures or 'events' since my operation," reports Eckley. "I have lost about a third of my short-term memory, and nouns and names are challenging for me." But Eckley is back to work, driving and fully functioning in life. "I can always write stuff down," she laughs.