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Stuart Ross McCallum

goodreads author profile

url

http://www.goodreads.com/mccallum

born

November 27, 1960

gender

male

place of birth

County Durham, The United Kingdom

website

http://www.beyondmycontrol.net

genre

Biographies & Memoirs, Nonfiction

influences

People who can laugh at themselves.

member since

June 2008

about this author

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Hello Friends,

My book titled: Beyond my Control is the true story of my life, beginning with my battle trying to beat the slimming disease — anorexia nervosa. While trying to break the vicious cycle I was in, another condition suddenly entered my life — epilepsy. I was seventeen.

I describe my twenty-year journey of living with epilepsy and how the unpredictable disease has not only impacted my life but the lives of everyone around me. For fifteen of those years, I operated my stained glass business and managed staff while battling an ever-increasing number of seizures. As the condition deteriorated and my post seizure responses became more intense, I was often prone to violent outbursts that threatened not only m...more

13 posts
Stuart Ross McCallum's Blog

Director, Stanford Epilepsy Center - Strongly Recommends: Beyond my Control

Hello Friends,

I am delighted to share this highly positive review for: Beyond my Control. Written by the Editor-in-chief, epilepsy.com.

Synopsis: Stuart McCallum wrote this book to tell the story about his life battling epilepsy. It starts on a cold day in October of 2003, in Melbourne, Australia, the day of his brain surgery. But before describing the surgery and its challenging aftermath, the...more Hello Friends,

I am delighted to share this highly positive review for: Beyond my Control. Written by the Editor-in-chief, epilepsy.com.

Synopsis: Stuart McCallum wrote this book to tell the story about his life battling epilepsy. It starts on a cold day in October of 2003, in Melbourne, Australia, the day of his brain surgery. But before describing the surgery and its challenging aftermath, the story reverts to his upbringing in the far northeast of England. At age 17, he started to have his seizure auras: déjà vu sensations, nausea, and headaches. In retrospect, since he describes himself as being "dazed," some of these were probably full complex partial seizures. He saw many doctors, obtaining few answers. Some of the answers he did receive were wrong: for example, the one that declared him to be having psychological episodes and in need of placement in a sanitarium for his mental health. He was put on mind-numbing doses of antidepressant medication. His father rescued him, and Stuart returned to his family home in Australia. Once home, he had his first full convulsion and his diagnostic mystery was solved. Stuart had epilepsy.

The rest of the story tells how Stuart struggled to live his life with epilepsy, with many successes, but also with significant problems. He opened a stained glass and building supply shop in Melbourne. He came under the care of leading epilepsy specialists in Melbourne, who began altering his medication regimen with partial success. But all was not easy, for someone who would work on a ladder installing windows, suddenly to awake on the ground. He did well enough that his business prospered and he was able to successfully propose marriage to his wife, Lisa, eventually leading to two beautiful children.

After some years, the character of seizures began to change and Stuart would become abusive or even violent in the aftermath of a seizure. He would recall none of this later and would be profusely apologetic. Then his explosive outbursts also started occurring between seizures. He would throw pieces of returned stained glass at a customer, or speak rudely to those in his shop. In one post-seizure outburst, he stomped about his own store smashing his glass panels. Together with a downturn in the industry, Stuart's weekly seizures and antisocial behaviors led to deterioration of his business. It was clear to Mr. McCallum that his life could not continue on this trajectory.

Stuart's physicians at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne recognized that medications, even the ones that were achieving temporary control, were not going to be long-term answers to Stuart's uncontrolled seizures. They began to consider whether he was a candidate for brain surgery to cure his epilepsy. As extreme as this may sound at first, brain surgery is a standard and relatively safe therapy for epilepsy, provided that medications fail, that the seizures begin in a well-localized region of brain, and that region is safe to be removed. A key step in the surgical evaluation is video-EEG monitoring to record the brain's electrical (EEG) pattern at the start of a seizure. Mr. McCallum describes his video-EEG monitoring experiences in some detail in the book, and also in an article in the medical journal Epilepsy: Insights & Strategies. The many other steps for surgical evaluation were completed, including in his case seizure-tracking electrodes implanted directly into his brain. The findings were that he did seem to be a good candidate to have surgery.

A temporal lobectomy - removal of a piece of brain from the temporal lobe on the side of his brain - was performed in October of 2003. Stuart takes us through confusing hallucinations he had during his hospitalization and his postoperative pain. But he was soon headache- and seizure-free. His sister gave him a Dictaphone to record his recovery progress. It notes his insomnia and a cleaning obsession that came over him during his recovery. He had an insatiable desire to talk and would telephone old friends overseas and regale them with never-ending chatter. He became very focused on John Lennon's music. Few people have these particular reactions after epilepsy surgery, but everybody's reaction is different. Stuart's reaction to surgery and the cessation of his seizures was obsession and mood swings. Over time, these improved and he became himself again, but a Stuart McCallum without seizures.

Commentary: To learn facts about epilepsy and epilepsy treatments, people should read medical sources (like epilepsy.com) and talk to doctors. To learn about epilepsy itself and the effect that it has on people's lives, it is necessary to talk to people with epilepsy or read books written by them. Beyond My Control is a fine example of the latter. Mr. McCallum puts the bewilderment, frustration, fear and anger surrounding having seizures into language that everyone can understand. When he says things like "I felt like a walking time bomb; always thinking, when is it going to explode?" he makes epilepsy real and not an abstract medical disorder. For people with epilepsy and their families, reading the book may help to decrease the sense of isolation brought on by a chronic medical illness. But epilepsy affects many people differently. Some with epilepsy will observe that they do not become violent after a seizure, do not always have an aura to warn of an oncoming seizure, or do not have seizures like the ones described in the book. Some who take the journey through epilepsy surgery sadly will have ongoing seizures or complications of surgery. Therefore, the book is not a compendium of what someone with epilepsy should expect for themselves. It is one person's story, an example of how epilepsy can be faced with courage. The tale is told with sensitivity, humor and honesty. It is a strongly recommended read for people with epilepsy and those who care about them.

Reviewed by Robert S. Fisher, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, Stanford Epilepsy Center
Editor-in-Chief, http://www.epilepsy.com
June 26, 2009

Thank you for taking the time to read this wonderful, in-depth review.(less)

0 comments Published on June 27, 2009 23:41 | 1 view | Tags: beyond, brain, control, epilepsy, lobe, my, surgery, temporal

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avg rating: 4.85 | 13 ratings | 11 reviews | 1 distinct work | 10 fans

Beyond my Control: One Man's Struggle with Epilepsy, Seizure Surgery & Beyond
by Stuart Ross McCallum (Goodreads author)
avg rating 4.85 — 13 ratings — published 2008

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Stuart's writing

Beyond my Control - One Man's Struggle with Epilepsy, Seizure Surgery & Beyond (Biographies & Memoirs)

1 chapters — updated 01/15/2009 07:00PM

description: This is the true, often harrowing account of my life with epilepsy. From diagnosis to eventual recovery from a temporal lobectomy.

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	06/17 Stuart is currently reading: And the Devil Laughed (Paperback) by Carole Sutton (Goodreads author) bookshelves: currently-reading	my rating:
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"Betrayal, the first book in Jaimey Grant’s Regency romance series, takes the reader to jolly old England in the early 1800s. Mystery opens the story with the heroine imprisoned, rightfully so, for theft. Though her sentence appears stiff, (the de...more "

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June 19

Stuart read and liked Todd Fonseca's review of FireDrakes:

"FireDrakes – Medieval Adventure and Sorcery!
Rating: 4 of 5
Author: David Korinetz
Available: Paperback

Thousands of years ago, elves and humans co-existed peacefully. But as time marched forward, the occasionally coupli...more FireDrakes – Medieval Adventure and Sorcery!
Rating: 4 of 5
Author: David Korinetz
Available: Paperback

Thousands of years ago, elves and humans co-existed peacefully. But as time marched forward, the occasionally coupling of both species produced a halfling progeny. These halflings enjoyed the extended life and magical powers of elves but also the more violent lust for power from their human half. Elfin kind existence was threatened and in a bold move, it was determined the only way to eliminate the halfling threat was to eradicate all magic and disenchant all elves and halflings. Four talisman’s were created to house their magic as it could not be destroyed. Unfortunately, the spell that removed the elves magic did not eliminate the halflings’ capabilities. Equally unfortunate was only the halflings could use and harness the power of the talismans.

One of these same talisman’s was used to create the first FireDrake – a melding of a dragon and elf. FireDrakes were magical creatures with high intellect, practically indestructible, and imbued with magical capabilities. However, because they were created by a talisman, they were also under it’s complete control. Those who control the FireDrakes could rule over all. Intent on doing just that, the evil sorcerer-emperor Gamel manipulates a young halfling sorceress in possession of such a talisman. Learning of such a plan, a small band of Damon Knights set about to save their kingdom. They face incredible odds against an imperial army, witchcraft, were-beasts, FireDrakes, and the evil sorcerers.

David Korinetz’s FireDrakes is an entertaining, face-paced novel of medieval knights and sorcery . Korinetz creates a detailed a fascinating world with carefully crafted descriptions of the peoples and places in this fabled empire. The characters have great depth and stay true to themselves as the story evolves. Furthermore, Korinetz creates plausible scenarios where a small group of relatively powerless knights are able to overcome unbelievable odds and obstacles on their march to confront the sorceress. Creating such a plausible plot is a difficult task for even a seasoned writer and in his debut novel Korinetz pulls this off masterfully. I especially enjoyed the sections in the novel involving the history of the elves, the use of magic, and the evil witch’s creation of the were-beasts. I so hoped I would read the transformation from a human to such a beast and Korinetz delivered!

The ending chapters provide a good climax and close to most story arcs but leave room for future installments without frustrating the reader. FireDrakes is an enjoyable read and fans of this genre will not be disappointed!
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June 17

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And the Devil Laughed (Paperback)
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Stuart's favorite quotes

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
— John Lennon

tags: beatles, fate, life, planning, plans

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"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
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tags: bravery, courage, failure, inspirational, success

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"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth."
— Mark Twain

tags: dance, earth, heaven, hurt, inspirational, life, love, no-one-watching, sing

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"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them."
— Mark Twain

tags: literacy

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