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Physiology & Medicine / Epilepsy with some of Rosalind’s experiences and some details:
« on: 08/05/2008 22:22:31 »
I will try to explain in my best way but I am not a doctor, although I’ve had Epilepsy since my late teens that’s for nearly 40 years.
But there are many well-known people with this condition.
Of course if there are any questions are welcome and I will do my best to reply, if I can’t it’s because I don’t know enough.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First thing, I guess is to tell you just how I feel before the seizures/fits occur, then during the seizures/fits also how I feel afterwards.
Epilepsy can be passed on genetically but not in my family’s case as I am the only person with it.
--------------------------------------
Before the fit/seizures, my left arm (usually) goes into a sort of stiff spasm, which I know this as a sign but my legs also feel like a cross between as wobbly as jelly but also they feel so heavy that I have to sit down or I’d fall over and harm or cut myself. I have done that before.
Also I start to feel very light-headed then I know there’s trouble coming so by then
I have hopefully managed to lie on my back in the middle of the sitting room.
--------------------------
During the seizures/fits, my whole body starts to completely tense up then my head rolls backwards as all 4 of my limbs jerk all over the place but whilst I am having the seizures/fits, I am unconscious and very scared because I’m not in control of my body.
-------------------------------
It always exhausts me afterwards and then I feel like I have not slept for 2 whole nights.
As I recover from these seizures, I feel groggy and if I try to speak then my words would sound like double-dutch so I don’t try to talk for a while.
Also my legs always feel like a jelly so I stay sitting on the floor. In other times, I become disorientated where I can’t find my way around the home that I’ve lived in for 19 years that I know extremely well.
As I know that I am feeling a bit better then I have a sleep or just rest until I feel ok.
---------------------------
I do not drink alcohol because of my Anti-Epilepsy medicines because if I did drink then epilepsy would not be controlled that well. But coffee, tea, water and fruit juices are fine and food too.
These medicines work to control my brain in a similar way that when we take Vitamin C pills and we get a cold. Also I can’t drive which doesn’t bother me one bit.
As with every medicine for anyone, they are an individual thing so that’s why I have not named them.
--------------------------------------
Another thing, I can’t drive as it’s illegal in the UK to drive when someone’s (me) has had a seizure recently.
That includes strobe or flashing lights as they can be a trigger for a seizure, because it’s called Photosensitivity. So if on the news there are flash-lights with cameras then I turn my head away until it’s over also as a way not to harm my head/body.
---------------------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilepsy
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/epilepsy1.shtml
Types of different seizures/fits:
1. Tonic-Clonic (Grand Mal/Major) seizures, which are the type that I have.
The person loses consciousness, falls to the ground and their body stiffens and starts to jerk uncontrollably.
Because the limbs muscles start to tighten and then relax in turn. It is not possible to stop the seizure and do not try to stop it or force anything into the person’s mouth or you’ll break their limbs or teeth.
Some people may become incontinent but this happens in a rare cases.
2. (Simple) Partial Seizures: This type are called “focal” seizures and they affect just part of the brain not like the Tonic-Clonic (Petit Mal) seizures are similar to the “Absence” ones, where the person loses their concentration for a few seconds or moment, but they are unlike the Tonic-Clonic seizures, as the individual doesn’t always know that they’ve happened. Another familiar description might be like a daydreamer.
3. Atonic Seizures: Sudden loss of muscle control can make the person fall quickly to the ground and recovery is quick. This type of seizure is mainly begins as a childhood condition, but adults can have it and some where helmets to protect their heads. I have only seen people like this a long time ago.
4. Absence Seizures: (Petit Mal) This type of seizure/fits are like just staring into space for up to 10 – 20 seconds. People do not get injured here. But sometimes warnings beforehand can be that they are rubbing their fingers together.
5. Narcolepsy: you may have heard of this condition and it is not strictly one of the Epilepsy conditions but sounds like it. Which makes the individual feel very sleepy in the daytime or their eyes, cheeks and face just go all droopy then they fall asleep and one of several things that they shouldn’t do is to drive, work with machines and get overtired.
Symptoms:
Epilepsy can affect 1 in 50 people in the UK, (sorry I don’t know the US statistics) it begin as a baby and as they grow older in some cases, the children tend to grow out of this condition.
Or in other cases it can start when people get to their teens and hormones changes. But also as it’s been documented that Epilepsy can begin at about 65, it started for me in the middle one.
But it is mainly the Temporal lobe of the brain that’s affected in any sort of seizure. This is used for many different things in our lives such as spatial awareness, including some of the main 5 senses, hearing, speech, smell, memory and emotions.
The Frontal lobes are responsible and used for many things, including movements, emotion, memory and language, social and sexual behaviour. For some scientists they are also considered to hone our personalities.
The Parietal Lobes are used for bodily sensations, such as touch, pain etc.
The Occipital Lobes are mainly used for our sight and visual senses.
First Aid for Epilepsy: Only UK tips:
Make sure that the person, who’s going to have a Seizure or Fit, is not near anything that might harm them and if they are in the middle of the road then guide them to the pavement, then lie them down on the right-hand side of their body,
With their head to one side and the right arm put at the back of their body but the left arm should be at the front of the body to stabilise them.
Always make sure that the head is put onto a soft surface e.g. a rolled up coat, cushion or carpeted floor.
Do look for a medical identity bracelet or medical identity card to see if you can find out the individual’s name or details. That is unless they are already known to you.
But do not restrain the person during the fit/seizure or shout at them as they will not be aware of you being unconscious. Also do not give any food or drink until they’ve completely recovered.
But do stay with the person until they have recovered from the seizure/fit as there might be problems.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Call for an ambulance if...
• You know it is the person’s first seizure
• The seizure continues for more than five minutes
• One tonic-clonic seizure follows another without the person regaining consciousness between seizures
• The person is injured during the seizure
• You believe the person needs urgent medical attention if they have had fits/seizures running one into the other or for longer than that it’s called “Status epilepticus”:
http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/firstaid.html
http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/750/
Thanks
But there are many well-known people with this condition.
Of course if there are any questions are welcome and I will do my best to reply, if I can’t it’s because I don’t know enough.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First thing, I guess is to tell you just how I feel before the seizures/fits occur, then during the seizures/fits also how I feel afterwards.
Epilepsy can be passed on genetically but not in my family’s case as I am the only person with it.
--------------------------------------
Before the fit/seizures, my left arm (usually) goes into a sort of stiff spasm, which I know this as a sign but my legs also feel like a cross between as wobbly as jelly but also they feel so heavy that I have to sit down or I’d fall over and harm or cut myself. I have done that before.
Also I start to feel very light-headed then I know there’s trouble coming so by then
I have hopefully managed to lie on my back in the middle of the sitting room.
--------------------------
During the seizures/fits, my whole body starts to completely tense up then my head rolls backwards as all 4 of my limbs jerk all over the place but whilst I am having the seizures/fits, I am unconscious and very scared because I’m not in control of my body.
-------------------------------
It always exhausts me afterwards and then I feel like I have not slept for 2 whole nights.
As I recover from these seizures, I feel groggy and if I try to speak then my words would sound like double-dutch so I don’t try to talk for a while.
Also my legs always feel like a jelly so I stay sitting on the floor. In other times, I become disorientated where I can’t find my way around the home that I’ve lived in for 19 years that I know extremely well.
As I know that I am feeling a bit better then I have a sleep or just rest until I feel ok.
---------------------------
I do not drink alcohol because of my Anti-Epilepsy medicines because if I did drink then epilepsy would not be controlled that well. But coffee, tea, water and fruit juices are fine and food too.
These medicines work to control my brain in a similar way that when we take Vitamin C pills and we get a cold. Also I can’t drive which doesn’t bother me one bit.
As with every medicine for anyone, they are an individual thing so that’s why I have not named them.
--------------------------------------
Another thing, I can’t drive as it’s illegal in the UK to drive when someone’s (me) has had a seizure recently.
That includes strobe or flashing lights as they can be a trigger for a seizure, because it’s called Photosensitivity. So if on the news there are flash-lights with cameras then I turn my head away until it’s over also as a way not to harm my head/body.
---------------------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilepsy
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/epilepsy1.shtml
Types of different seizures/fits:
1. Tonic-Clonic (Grand Mal/Major) seizures, which are the type that I have.
The person loses consciousness, falls to the ground and their body stiffens and starts to jerk uncontrollably.
Because the limbs muscles start to tighten and then relax in turn. It is not possible to stop the seizure and do not try to stop it or force anything into the person’s mouth or you’ll break their limbs or teeth.
Some people may become incontinent but this happens in a rare cases.
2. (Simple) Partial Seizures: This type are called “focal” seizures and they affect just part of the brain not like the Tonic-Clonic (Petit Mal) seizures are similar to the “Absence” ones, where the person loses their concentration for a few seconds or moment, but they are unlike the Tonic-Clonic seizures, as the individual doesn’t always know that they’ve happened. Another familiar description might be like a daydreamer.
3. Atonic Seizures: Sudden loss of muscle control can make the person fall quickly to the ground and recovery is quick. This type of seizure is mainly begins as a childhood condition, but adults can have it and some where helmets to protect their heads. I have only seen people like this a long time ago.
4. Absence Seizures: (Petit Mal) This type of seizure/fits are like just staring into space for up to 10 – 20 seconds. People do not get injured here. But sometimes warnings beforehand can be that they are rubbing their fingers together.
5. Narcolepsy: you may have heard of this condition and it is not strictly one of the Epilepsy conditions but sounds like it. Which makes the individual feel very sleepy in the daytime or their eyes, cheeks and face just go all droopy then they fall asleep and one of several things that they shouldn’t do is to drive, work with machines and get overtired.
Symptoms:
Epilepsy can affect 1 in 50 people in the UK, (sorry I don’t know the US statistics) it begin as a baby and as they grow older in some cases, the children tend to grow out of this condition.
Or in other cases it can start when people get to their teens and hormones changes. But also as it’s been documented that Epilepsy can begin at about 65, it started for me in the middle one.
But it is mainly the Temporal lobe of the brain that’s affected in any sort of seizure. This is used for many different things in our lives such as spatial awareness, including some of the main 5 senses, hearing, speech, smell, memory and emotions.
The Frontal lobes are responsible and used for many things, including movements, emotion, memory and language, social and sexual behaviour. For some scientists they are also considered to hone our personalities.
The Parietal Lobes are used for bodily sensations, such as touch, pain etc.
The Occipital Lobes are mainly used for our sight and visual senses.
First Aid for Epilepsy: Only UK tips:
Make sure that the person, who’s going to have a Seizure or Fit, is not near anything that might harm them and if they are in the middle of the road then guide them to the pavement, then lie them down on the right-hand side of their body,
With their head to one side and the right arm put at the back of their body but the left arm should be at the front of the body to stabilise them.
Always make sure that the head is put onto a soft surface e.g. a rolled up coat, cushion or carpeted floor.
Do look for a medical identity bracelet or medical identity card to see if you can find out the individual’s name or details. That is unless they are already known to you.
But do not restrain the person during the fit/seizure or shout at them as they will not be aware of you being unconscious. Also do not give any food or drink until they’ve completely recovered.
But do stay with the person until they have recovered from the seizure/fit as there might be problems.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Call for an ambulance if...
• You know it is the person’s first seizure
• The seizure continues for more than five minutes
• One tonic-clonic seizure follows another without the person regaining consciousness between seizures
• The person is injured during the seizure
• You believe the person needs urgent medical attention if they have had fits/seizures running one into the other or for longer than that it’s called “Status epilepticus”:
http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/firstaid.html
http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/750/
Thanks