{"id":35465,"date":"2020-11-18T12:27:40","date_gmt":"2020-11-18T19:27:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=35465"},"modified":"2025-03-03T09:31:34","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T16:31:34","slug":"relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\/","title":{"rendered":"Relief from epileptic seizures after 33 years of suffering and searching"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Clay
Clay Philllips is thrilled that after 33 years, he got relief from epileptic seizures and now has his driver’s license back. Thanks to a device in his brain, Phillips’ seizures now are a thing of the past. Photo by Chuck Bigger for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Along the banks of Hardscrabble Creek, Clay Phillips scavenges the land where the wind seems to carry voices of five generations and the Native Americans who came before him.<\/p>\n

The Sioux, Apache, Ute and others long found sustenance and plentiful hunting grounds in this area near Ca\u00f1on City in southern Colorado.<\/p>\n

After a hard rain, Clay, 45, hunts along the Hardscrabble on his family’s ranch \u2014 not for venison or rabbit\u00a0\u2014\u00a0but for artifacts, flint arrowheads that the first Americans left behind.<\/p>\n

For 33 years, Clay also searched for something bigger \u2014\u00a0relief from epileptic seizures so violent that they dislocated his shoulders, forcing him to have seven surgeries. He’s among\u00a0countless people who live with chronic diseases<\/a> and believe they have little chance for a medical breakthrough.<\/p>\n

During this season of gratitude, Clay wants to share a message of hope and inspiration with all who suffer: Never, ever give up. Scientists and doctors are working every day to find answers, and sometimes, they come. Just ask Clay.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt still seems unreal almost,\u2019\u2019 said Clay, a gentleman and old soul, who leaves lemonade and cookies out for guests, cares regularly for on older neighbor, and finally, after more than 30 years, is free from epilepsy.<\/p>\n

The search for relief from epileptic seizures<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For much of Clay’s life, there wasn\u2019t much doctors could do for him. Diagnosed at age 11, he\u2019s done his share of suffering. As he grew older, seizures left him in a mental and physical fog that stole many days from him and prevented him from driving or working. Then, thanks to the wizardry of modern medicine and great doctors, the seizures ended. Just like that. An illness that had imprisoned him since 1985 no longer demonized him. He has not had a seizure since Dec. 12, 2018.<\/p>\n

\"Clay
Clay Phillips and his wife, Diana, take a walk on the family ranch. He is finally able to help on the ranch again after getting relief for epileptic seizures. Photo by Chuck Bigger, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe have patients who are told \u2018You have to live with this,\u2019\u2019\u2019 said Dr. Mark Spitz<\/a>, Clay’s\u00a0neurologist for more than two decades. \u201cThat might have been accurate at a certain point in time, but patients have got to keep checking and rechecking to make sure there isn\u2019t something that can help them.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

In his younger years, Clay’s seizures came when he slept, about every six months. Medication did a good job of keeping them at bay, but by the age of 16, after he got his driver\u2019s license and his body matured, seizures came more often and they were more severe. By age 18, Clay had seizures three to five times a week. One of them caused an accident, and he wasn\u2019t able to drive anymore.<\/p>\n

He worked on his family’s ranch, doing strenuous labor, bucking hay and helping to plant trees. By age 24, before he married Diana, a Ca\u00f1on City teacher assistant and photographer whom he met through a friend from church, Clay had his first of seven shoulder surgeries.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was helping my dad and my brother out on the ranch. When I would have grand mal seizures, they would cause my muscles to tense up and dislocate my shoulders,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u201cDr. Spitz told me that it was because of how strong I am from ranch work, and he usually only sees this in men. I would have to put them back in, and then I\u2019d go back to work. After a while, they started to dislocate when I would do other activities like swimming or starting the lawn mower.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Clay
Clay Phillips displays an arrowhead he found near Hardscrabble Creek. His wife, Diana, looks on. Photo by Chuck Bigger, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Eventually, Clay no longer could help on the ranch. His shoulders got so bad, he couldn\u2019t close a car door.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to wear slings just to keep them in,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u201cThere were times when I would roll over in my sleep and dislocate a shoulder.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Quality of life declines<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For years, Clay’s quality of life declined. In 2002, doctors tried to determine where the seizures were originating in his brain but couldn\u2019t pinpoint the exact location. Clay received a diagnosis at that time of \u201cgeneralized cluster epilepsy.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Diana watched as her husband\u2019s quality of life deteriorated. A grand mal seizure, she said, might last seconds, but the after-effects would continue for a half hour.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would be staring off in space,\u2019\u2019 she said.\u00a0 \u201cHe doesn\u2019t realize what is going on. He loses consciousness, but he can still respond. Instinctually, he will respond but he will make absolutely no sense. He\u2019ll repeat himself. Usually, he will repeat the same phrase.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Mark Spitz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To determine whether the fog of the seizure had passed, Diana would ask: \u201cWhat is today? Is it daytime or nighttime?\u2019\u2019 she said. \u201cAnd some of the random, easy questions that you should be able to answer, until he could answer them, he wasn\u2019t out of the seizure.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Full recovery and a return to mental clarity could take anywhere from one to two days. Often, during the first 24 hours, Clay could only sleep.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe couldn\u2019t do anything else,\u2019\u2019 Diana said. \u201cHe always felt horrible with a massive headache. He wouldn\u2019t eat because he just couldn\u2019t. The second day would be hit and miss. Sometimes he would be OK, sometimes he wouldn\u2019t.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

For a period of time, Diana didn\u2019t feel comfortable leaving him alone, so he stayed at a friend\u2019s home during the day while she went to work.<\/p>\n

Doctors used medications to try to control the seizures. The drugs worked for a while, then didn\u2019t. Unable to do hard labor on the ranch, Phillips took a job driving for a pizza company. His seizures had been controlled enough for three years with medication to allow for him to drive. At the age of 31, he had a seizure while driving which resulted in another car accident. No one was injured, fortunately, but doctors told him he could not drive again. Since he couldn\u2019t drive, he constantly had to ask for rides, that is, if he even felt well enough to walk.<\/p>\n

Quest for relief from epileptic <\/strong>seizure <\/strong>continues<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

In 2008, doctors tried to implant a device called VNS (Vagus Nerve Stimulator).<\/a> When activated, the device sends a signal to certain areas of the brain in hopes of quashing, in Clay’s\u00a0case, epileptic seizures. Unfortunately, though, it didn\u2019t help much. Clay’s seizures continued.<\/p>\n

Then, in early 2018, Spitz, who is chief of the Department of Neurolog<\/a>y at the University of Colorado School of Medicine<\/a>, had news to share about progress being made in epilepsy treatment. RNS – Responsive Neurostimulation \u2013 offered enormous possibilities and doctors at UCHealth’s Neurosciences Center on the Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a> lead the world in the number of procedures performed.<\/p>\n

The best way to understand RNS is to think of it as you might an implantable ventricular defibrillator for the heart, Spitz said. A device is inserted under the skin; a wire that delivers an electrical pulse leads to the heart and shocks it when it detects a rhythm problem.<\/p>\n

\"Clay
Clay Phillips and his wife, Diana, walk along Main Street in Florence, Colorado. Clay is relishing the simple pleasures of life now that he has found relief from epileptic seizures. Photo by Chuck Bigger, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019ve done now is extrapolated that same concept for the brain, and it is very individualized and we implant electrodes just in that hotspot in the brain,\u2019\u2019 Spitz said.<\/p>\n

Faster computers provide new hope for relief from epileptic seizures<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Having better, faster computers than were available five or 15 years ago has been the driving force for change, he said. For Clay, the first thing doctors had to do was identify the origin of the seizures in his brain.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way of testing or localizing where the seizures are starting is called stereo EEG and it is nothing new,\u2019\u2019 Spitz said. \u201cBut what it entails is putting in wires, and that is nothing new but these are now thin wires.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis technology started in the 1950s in France and what we would do is drill holes in the skull of the person and insert these electrodes and those electrodes, in the old days in France, were like shish kabobs. Now they are thin wires,\u2019\u2019 Spitz said.<\/p>\n

In the old days, physicians didn\u2019t have computer imaging like they do today. Targeting was imprecise and because probes were larger, patients were more prone to bleeding, creating complications for patients.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, computers came along and it got better and better and better,\u2019\u2019 Spitz said. \u201cWe were able to look at the patient\u2019s MRI scan and go to a screen and target what we wanted to cover in terms of potential spots where the seizures might be coming from.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Computerized imagery allowed doctors to implant electrodes more precisely and avoid bigger blood vessels, which helped to lessen bleeding. While computerized imagery improved, so did the electrodes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a pretty good idea when we go in of where the seizures may be starting,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u201cWe cover those areas, but we don\u2019t cover every little spot on the brain. We can\u2019t because it is too dangerous. We put in 10 to 15 wires and each wire has about 10 contacts on it, which record the brain\u2019s electrical activity, which is what we did for Clay.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Clay won\u2019t ever forget the test. \u201cThat test was crazy. They gave me a drug that put half my brain to sleep and asked me questions. They waited awhile to let my brain wake up, and then did it again to the other side.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Rapidly developing science around\u00a0seizures<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Only five years ago, technology limited physicians to only about 30 spots on the brain. At that time, doctors had to open a person\u2019s skull instead of drilling individualized holes. They placed a grid, about the size of a credit card, over a person\u2019s brain and then searched for the origin. Those patients had to spend several days in the hospital recovering after the electrodes were removed and data was obtained. Now, the electrodes are removed by pulling them gently out of the head. Patients usually go home the next day.<\/p>\n

On Oct. 4, 2018, doctors completed Clay\u2019s RNS surgery. They removed a little piece of bone in the skull and placed a microprocessor powered by a battery. The microprocessor monitors electrical signals and detects a seizure, and shocks the part of the brain, stopping the seizure before it develops. UCHealth and the University of Colorado School of Medicine lead the nation in the number of patients who have received RNS treatment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Clay\u2019s case, the advancement in medicine has made a dramatic change in his life,\u2019\u2019 Spitz said. \u201cWe were kind of stuck — but because of new technology — in his case it is new computers, I can really help people that I couldn\u2019t help before.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

The microprocessor was placed in \u201cmonitoring\u2019\u2019 mode and Clay had a seizure on Dec. 12, 2018 \u2013 his last. The device was fully activated in January 2019.<\/p>\n

\"Clay
Clay Phillips stands near Hardscrabble Creek, a special place on his family’s ranch. Clay is thrilled that after 33 years, he finally got relief from epileptic seizures. Photo by\u00a0 Diana Phillips.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI really loved the doctors,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u201cThey told me all the risks and I really love UCHealth and all the doctors.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Each night, Clay downloads data from the device in his skull onto a laptop computer. The data is then sent to physicians who review it at University of Colorado Hospital.<\/p>\n

Getting back behind the wheel<\/strong><\/h3>\n

After more than a year without seizures, doctors cleared Clay to drive again. In the days before he took the test to reinstate his Colorado driver\u2019s license, he felt like a teenage boy.<\/p>\n

Since he had not driven a car for 14 years, he practiced for weeks before taking the test. Diana rode in the passenger\u2019s seat as he drove through the small town of Florence, not far from where his family homesteaded five generations ago.<\/p>\n

Diana noticed her husband\u2019s right turns weren\u2019t as sharp as they needed to be, so Clay practiced making right turns – around and around they went. In March, just before the pandemic changed everything, Phillips aced his driving test. The couple celebrated that night over a steak dinner at K-Bobs in Ca\u00f1on City.<\/p>\n

In recent months, Clay has been able to return to the ranch and do some light duty with his father and brother. He\u2019s been helping to bale hay, though his shoulders are very sore afterward.<\/p>\n

After a heavy rain, Clay tries to get out to the ranch where he can hunt for arrowheads and artifacts along the creek. He has a knack for seeing the glimmer of flint along the banks of Hardscrabble Creek.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs of right now, I\u2019ve got the freedom to just go anywhere. I don\u2019t have to ask people for rides anymore. I\u2019ve been able to help out on the farm a little bit,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u201cI can go run an errand when I need to, and I can run errands for my wife. We are currently planning a vacation. We now don\u2019t have to make plans that include if I have a seizure.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just nice to have that freedom,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u201cI praise God and the doctors for the amazing care and success of my case.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Along the banks of Hardscrabble Creek, Clay Phillips scavenges the land where the wind seems to carry voices of five generations and the Native Americans who came before him. The Sioux, Apache, Ute and others long found sustenance and plentiful hunting grounds in this area near Ca\u00f1on City in southern Colorado. After a hard rain, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":36092,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[184,4624],"class_list":["post-35465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-innovative-care","tag-neurology","tag-neurosciences-outcomes"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRelief from epileptic seizures after 33 years of searching - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For 33 years, Phillips searched for relief from epileptic seizures so violent that they dislocated his shoulders. Then he found it.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Relief from epileptic seizures after 33 years of suffering and searching\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For 33 years, Phillips searched for relief from epileptic seizures so violent that they dislocated his shoulders. Then he found it.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UCHealth Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-11-18T19:27:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-03T16:31:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/10\/18090335\/Capture.jpgcar.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Erin Emery, UCHealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Erin Emery, UCHealth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Erin Emery, UCHealth\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f989ee92cb6da7cfb7f697db1c6771b3\"},\"headline\":\"Relief from epileptic seizures after 33 years of suffering and searching\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-11-18T19:27:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-03T16:31:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2359,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/10\\\/18090335\\\/Capture.jpgcar.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Neurology\",\"Neurosciences outcomes\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Innovative care\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\\\/\",\"name\":\"Relief from epileptic seizures after 33 years of searching - UCHealth Today\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/10\\\/18090335\\\/Capture.jpgcar.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-11-18T19:27:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-03T16:31:34+00:00\",\"description\":\"For 33 years, Phillips searched for relief from epileptic seizures so violent that they dislocated his shoulders. Then he found it.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/10\\\/18090335\\\/Capture.jpgcar.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/10\\\/18090335\\\/Capture.jpgcar.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":794,\"caption\":\"Clay Philllips is glad to have his driver's license back. The epileptic seizures he had for 33 years are now a thing of the past. Photo by Chuck Bigger, for UCHealth.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Relief from epileptic seizures after 33 years of suffering and searching\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\",\"name\":\"UCHealth Today\",\"description\":\"UCHealth Today\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"UCHealth\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/24135149\\\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/24135149\\\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"UCHealth\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/uchealthorg\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/uchealth\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/uchealth\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/school\\\/14839\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/uchealthorg\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UC41SJI79yjZIe96OajzN22g\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f989ee92cb6da7cfb7f697db1c6771b3\",\"name\":\"Erin Emery, UCHealth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dcbc519a86e2e2bbb057b69be9251292a18359ac42f269269b20ff261f26358b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dcbc519a86e2e2bbb057b69be9251292a18359ac42f269269b20ff261f26358b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dcbc519a86e2e2bbb057b69be9251292a18359ac42f269269b20ff261f26358b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Erin Emery, UCHealth\"},\"description\":\"Erin Emery was a long-time writer and editor UCHealth Today. She also spent years as a reporter for The Denver Post, the Colorado Springs Gazette and the Colorado Springs Sun. Erin was part of a team of Denver Post reporters who won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news reporting.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/author\\\/eemery\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Relief from epileptic seizures after 33 years of searching - UCHealth Today","description":"For 33 years, Phillips searched for relief from epileptic seizures so violent that they dislocated his shoulders. Then he found it.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Relief from epileptic seizures after 33 years of suffering and searching","og_description":"For 33 years, Phillips searched for relief from epileptic seizures so violent that they dislocated his shoulders. Then he found it.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\/","og_site_name":"UCHealth Today","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/","article_published_time":"2020-11-18T19:27:40+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-03-03T16:31:34+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/10\/18090335\/Capture.jpgcar.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Erin Emery, UCHealth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@uchealth","twitter_site":"@uchealth","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Erin Emery, UCHealth","Est. reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\/"},"author":{"name":"Erin Emery, UCHealth","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/f989ee92cb6da7cfb7f697db1c6771b3"},"headline":"Relief from epileptic seizures after 33 years of suffering and searching","datePublished":"2020-11-18T19:27:40+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-03T16:31:34+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\/"},"wordCount":2359,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/10\/18090335\/Capture.jpgcar.webp","keywords":["Neurology","Neurosciences outcomes"],"articleSection":["Innovative care"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\/","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\/","name":"Relief from epileptic seizures after 33 years of searching - UCHealth Today","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/10\/18090335\/Capture.jpgcar.webp","datePublished":"2020-11-18T19:27:40+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-03T16:31:34+00:00","description":"For 33 years, Phillips searched for relief from epileptic seizures so violent that they dislocated his shoulders. Then he found it.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/10\/18090335\/Capture.jpgcar.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/10\/18090335\/Capture.jpgcar.webp","width":1200,"height":794,"caption":"Clay Philllips is glad to have his driver's license back. The epileptic seizures he had for 33 years are now a thing of the past. Photo by Chuck Bigger, for UCHealth."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/relief-from-epileptic-seizures-after-33-years-of-searching\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Relief from epileptic seizures after 33 years of suffering and searching"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","name":"UCHealth Today","description":"UCHealth Today","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization","name":"UCHealth","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"caption":"UCHealth"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/x.com\/uchealth","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/uchealth\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/14839\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC41SJI79yjZIe96OajzN22g"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/f989ee92cb6da7cfb7f697db1c6771b3","name":"Erin Emery, UCHealth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dcbc519a86e2e2bbb057b69be9251292a18359ac42f269269b20ff261f26358b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dcbc519a86e2e2bbb057b69be9251292a18359ac42f269269b20ff261f26358b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dcbc519a86e2e2bbb057b69be9251292a18359ac42f269269b20ff261f26358b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Erin Emery, UCHealth"},"description":"Erin Emery was a long-time writer and editor UCHealth Today. She also spent years as a reporter for The Denver Post, the Colorado Springs Gazette and the Colorado Springs Sun. Erin was part of a team of Denver Post reporters who won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news reporting.","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/author\/eemery\/"}]}},"coauthors":[{"id":20,"name":"Erin Emery","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/author\/eemery\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35465"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35465\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80846,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35465\/revisions\/80846"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}