The brain is chalk full of electrical impulses. Everything we do, can be traced back to electrical impulses from our brain. From breathing, reading this blog, even typing this blog. Your eyes blink; that's an electrical impulse. Your fingers move; that's an electrical impulse. Yet, have you ever had your eye *twitch*, or maybe one of your fingers *twitch*??? Those are not epilepsy. Yet, they might be something you may want to inform your primary care physician about.
To be honest, I may use *out-dated* terminology to describe the types of seizures. I use terms that *I* grew up with, which may not be the current terminology... but, it works. If you have questions, feel free to ask. Hey, I may not be able to answer your questions, but, I might be able to refer you to someone who may be able to answer your questions. I am not a medical professional, so I don't want to give what may be considered "medical advice". I like staying on the outside of a jail cell, thank you very much. I will discuss things that *I* do, before and after a seizure. About the only thing I do *during* the seizure, is fall unconscious and convulse... Therefore, during a seizure, I'm absolutely of no use to anyone.
Grand Mal: These are, in my view, the most serious and life-threatening. Symptoms of a grand mal seizure include, but not limited to: Unconsciousness, convulsions and muscle rigidity. There can be a loss of bowel and bladder control in this type of seizure.
Petit Mal (now they are called "absence seizures", by some neurologists). Symptoms of a petit mal seizure include: a brief loss of consciousness.
Myoclonic: Sporadic (take that to mean isolated) jerking movements.
Clonic: Repetitive jerking movements
Tonic: Muscle stiffness and rigidity
Atonic: Loss of muscle tone
Have you ever watched a thunderstorm, in progress? There is the rolling of the thunder... woo hoo!!! Then you *may* see lightning... electrical discharges. That, is in it's simplest terms what happens in the heads of those of us with have been diagnosed with epilepsy. Consider the "thunder" the "aura" of the seizure. It is what happens just prior to a seizure. Then the *main event*: The seizure itself. The LIGHTNING.
Depending on the "type" of seizure; your life (or that of a loved one, co-worker, neighbor, stranger), can be *mildly* disrupted, or there may be severe life-changing events that happen. If you have a seizure disorder, you may have restrictions on driving a vehicle. You may also have to take medication. It is very important to take your medication as it is prescribed... not when you "feel like it". Just because you are not having a seizure does not mean that the medication should be "shelved". The one thing about anti-convulsants is that it takes a while for the body to get into the "therapeutic" range for it to work. Once there (in the therapeutic range), a seizure can *still* happen. So, why take medication if a seizure can still happen. While, the medication helps lessen the seizures, they do not guarantee *no* seizures. That's an impossibility.
Let's say you have a seizure, would you really want to be behind the wheel of a vehicle? You could injure yourself, lose your life and/or injure or kill others. Simple logic would dictate that if you want to stay alive, you might leave the driving to someone else. Remember what I wrote about "life changing events"... Yeah, the loss of driving privileges sucks. You don't have that freedom to go where you want, when you want.
Epilepsy can affect anyone and anything with a brain. From the yet to be born, to the newborn, to the young and all the way to the very old (over 100).
At times, I can *tell* when I'm about to have a seizure. That's always a good thing. I carry around my medication with me... *Just in case*. Yet, remember me telling you, "it takes up to three days to build up the levels to a therapeutic range". So, why take medication just prior to a seizure? As I stated earlier, it lessens the overall seizure; at least for me. Can it do the same for you, I don't know.
What I do *after* a seizure is important. It may also help you. After a seizure, I have a mix of Gatorade and 7up. That helps replenish the electrolytes lost during a seizure. I also try and have some protein. That usually is a peanut butter sandwich. Some may ask "Why Gatorade and not Powerade". For me, Powerade has too much salt in it. So, you could say "personal preference". What I'm getting at,basically, is that *after* a seizure, you need to replenish electrolytes and get some protein in your body. How you do that, I'll leave up to you. A change of clothes in a backpack is always a thing to consider. That way, if there is a loss of bowel or bladder control, clean clothes can be put on and embarrassment can be minimized.
**VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION**
Seizures, in and of themselves are very frustrating, but they can also be life-threatening. If you (or someone you see) have a seizure that lasts longer than 3-5 minutes, that includes a loss of consciousness, emergency personnel should be contacted. be in 911 in the US, 999 in the UK or if you have to dial a local number... Have that number by the phone (or for ease of use, put it in your cell phone's contact list), or have it as a designated "Speed dial".
If you see someone having a seizure: *DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT put anything in their mouth to try and prevent them from swallowing their tongue. INSTEAD: lay them on their side and place a pillow or blanket or something else that can be reached and put it under their head and also something that would be able to placed behind the back to help prevent them from rolling onto their back and to prevent them from further harming their head and/or brain. Clear an an area of around 3-6 feet so that no sharp or dangerous objects could harm them. During an epileptic seizure, it is rare for someone to stop breathing, but that is a possibility. Emergency personnel need to be made aware of the individual's current conditions so that you can provide adequate help, until they arrive.
Something I want to address that may or may not be of use to those who read this article is the idea of the Ketogenic Diet. A ketogenic diet is high in fat, low in carbs and also has a sufficient amount of protein. It is mostly used as an alternative for those that have what might be considered difficult to control seizures.
I hope the above information is useful.
