The VNS has a device ( size of a Pacemaker ) placed being the skin on the side of your left chest ( most of the time ) . Then there are Leads ( wires ) goes from the the device up the inner side of the neck and twine around the Vagus nerve below the brain .

The device is on a time program to sends an electric pulse to the Vagus nerve . It helps reduce the seizures.

You can check out some other epilepsy online sources even on Facebook to find out more about people who have gotten a VNS. It is helpful to know about their experience first hand. Thats how I made my decision on whether I wanted one.

@A MyEpilepsyTeam Member
I once had a Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS). It is supposed to stop a seizure from occurring. Every 3 minutes it turned on and vibrated so much it made me cough and messed up my speech. Slowly I got used to it and things got better. I never had any luck with it controlling my seizures.

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A MyEpile...

A VNS is a object that is placed on the Left hand side on your chest not far from shoulder. It sends out an electrical impulse every few min., which can be adjusted how often it sends one out. It sends it out to attempt to intercept the electrical impulse that causes seizures. They give you a magnet you can wear on your wrist or keep in your pocket. if you have auras before a seizure you hold the magnet over the stimulator on your chest to set it off and try to interact and stop it. It may not stop all of them if it misses inclining before seizure already started, also sometimes the impulse sent out from the seizure may have been too strong and stop it. Even if it is too strong to stop it will lessen the power of the seizure impulse effects you. A side effect is it may slightly change some sound in your voice each time it goes off. It didn't help me any since I don't have auras the magnet was worthless I had to depend on the impulse it's programmed to send out and stop any seizure coming thru. I'm sure it missed plenty. I had mine implanted 25yrs. ago so there may be changed of that I know they have a new stimulator implant that is much newer and supposed to be allot better. The VNS wasn't a hard surgery this new one is brain surgery. It's called the DBS or Deep Brain Stimulator.

VNS is to be very easy but it is an implant.