Yvette Fontaine

Hi my name is Yvette Fontaine and I have both an acquired brain injury and a traumatic brain injury. Shortly after I was born I acquired spinal meningitis causing a seizure disorder, and hydrocephalus. Shunts were placed to correct the hydrocephalus. In 1986 my shunts stopped working correctly and I went through a shunt revision surgery. This worked to control the hydrocephalus but I was on Depakote to control gran Mal seizures. The Depakote worked very well but in my 20s I was starting to have kidney issues, so Barrows Neurological put me under observation to observe my seizure activity and determined I no longer needed medication. I went from age 26 to 40 seizure free, but then due to stress, age and environmental factors at 40 I started having focal seizures. I was in the er twice before I urged the doctors to put me on seizure medication; I advocated for myself because the doctors released me twice without medication and I kept having seizures. I am now 46 years on the correct meds and seizure free. I live with my folks as I am unable to cook due to short term memory loss. I live life to the best of my ability and focus on what I can do, rather than the things I cant.