Epilepsy Talk
What’s the worst accident you’ve ever had? | February 18, 2020
The worst accident I ever had was the one that caused my seizures.
I was at an ice rink, speed skating, when some jerk put his foot out. (A real funny joke.)
Into the boards I went, flying over the ice.
Only to land up laid out in the lap of the skating coach for who knows how long later.
After that came the falling that became my trademark.
I fell upstairs, downstairs, on the pavement (resulting in some lovely concussions), but my parents refused to recognize them as seizures.
I was just clumsy. And not diagnosed until two years later. (Tonic-Clonic and absence seizures.) And then treated like a leper.
It was a long journey to become who I am today.
What was YOUR worst accident?
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Goodmorning Phylis 😊. Wow!! Accidents lol 😂 shucks I would have to say mine also have to do with falling up or down stairs as well OR USING AN AXE TO CUT WOOD OR KNIFE TO CUT MEAT!!!!! Lol although I think it probably hurt and scared everyone around me more than myself to be honest with you. Even one time (WHAT WAS I THINKING) I actually picked up an iron pot of grease that had been boiling and used to make something we had for supper one day!!!!!!! The funny thing is a normal person probably would have instantly dropped all of the boiling grease all over!! But I didn’t want to burn anyone so I swore and my mother inlaw turned and realized I had that pot in my hand and SHE SCREAMED!!!!! I turned back to the stove and put it down on the stove and everyone else jumped into action!! Or yes SWIMMING IN A CREEK!!!!!!! Turned out my grandma and great grandma could REALLY RUN FAST (apparently I wouldn’t really know), but I always knew they could anyways 😘🙏🏼🦅😇💞😘
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Comment by Kathy S.B — February 18, 2020 @ 10:22 AM
AN AXE! 🙂
What were you doing swimming in a creek?
Oh, our fearless Kathy.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 18, 2020 @ 11:22 AM
Well first of all I was trying to split frozen hamburger patties apart and I stabbed them, but I holding them in my hand when I hit them with the butcher knife and the knife went into my palm. Then I was trying to cut wood for a fire in a barbecue we were having. I knew I hit my finger but I didn’t know where. My best friend realized I hit something and she calmly asked me “did you chop off your finger?”. I looked at her and quietly said “I don’t know?”. She rushed me into emergency and I hit the tip of my thumb (thank god it grew back and is okay now). As for the creek yes it was a creek by where our family barbecues. All I remember is jumping in the tube while the adults were cooking. I came to and a dog and my grandma were holding me giving me mouth to mouth resuscitation and I started coughing. My little brother looked at me and said “HOLY COW SIS!!!!!!! YOU SHOULD OF SEEN THEM RUN!!!!! GRANDMA AND GREAT GRANDMA CAN REALLY RUN FAST HOLY COW!!!!!!! 🙏🏼🦅😇💕😘
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Comment by Kathy S.B — February 18, 2020 @ 11:38 AM
I have a friend, who’s a chef, and in the course of working, he chopped his pinky finger OFF.
Holding the chopped off digit in his hand, he went to the ER where he underwent emergency surgery. They got most of it reattached.
But it’s the first time I heard of a hospital admission without registration!
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 18, 2020 @ 11:44 AM
I BELIEVE IT!! Shucks that must of REALLY HURT!!
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Comment by Kathy S.B — February 18, 2020 @ 9:53 PM
I know is was stupid!! But at the same time I wanted to play and swim and NEVER GIVE ANYONE AN EXCUSE NOT TO AT LEAST TRY AND HAVE FUN!! 😘
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Comment by Kathy S.B — February 18, 2020 @ 11:42 AM
On my way down, I hit the back of my neck on a trash can at the airport (you know, one of those super solid ones), temporarily suffering quadriplegia. It took over 6 months to learn to walk again. Now, 14 years later, I still have visible gait issues, can’t run, and have spotty neuralgia.
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Comment by Alison Zetterquist — February 18, 2020 @ 11:01 AM
OMG, Alison. What a horrible random thing.
Just goes to show, one random act, can change your life forever.
I’m so very sorry.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 18, 2020 @ 11:24 AM
I am SORRY TO HEAR THAT HAPPENED TO YOU!! I HOPE AND PRAY YOUR GETTING BETTER!! Be strong!
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Comment by Kathy S.B — February 18, 2020 @ 11:40 AM
Thank you, Kathy. My wonderful family and friends gave me all the support I needed to remain strong!
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Comment by Alison Zetterquist — February 18, 2020 @ 12:30 PM
THAT IS ALL WE NEED!! 🙏🏼🦅😇😘💞
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Comment by Kathy S.B — February 18, 2020 @ 9:54 PM
Goodevening Allison 😊. At least you STILL TRYING TO BE WELL!! AND LIVE!! That’s all that matters and family and friends ARE THE WORLD!! 😘
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Comment by Kathy S.B — February 18, 2020 @ 9:57 PM
Please clarify – your falling down stairs was related to or because of seizures? A particular kind of seizure? My heart rate is speeding up, writing this.
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Comment by HoDo — February 18, 2020 @ 12:44 PM
I had absence seizures walking both up the stairs and down. The walking up was particularly unpleasant. Not too face-friendly!
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 18, 2020 @ 2:20 PM
Once again, you have explained my past. I spent my childhood falling down stairs; or, rather, finding myself on the way down with no idea how I got there. It was written off as “wanting attention.” So it was not a sin, after all. Amazing!
Thank you.
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Comment by HoDo — February 18, 2020 @ 5:20 PM
You wanted attention. I was clumsy. Hello? We had EPILEPSY, stupid!
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 18, 2020 @ 5:36 PM
In some circles, being a sinner, which can be punished, is preferable to having epilepsy. Or, as Lewis Carroll wrote, “He only does it to annoy.” Thank you for reminding me that Carroll was not writing about me.
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Comment by HoDo — February 18, 2020 @ 6:11 PM
But he might have been writing about himself. He had epilepsy.
Lewis Carroll (1832 – 1898) In his famous stories “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass,” Carroll may have been writing about his own temporal lobe seizures. The very inspiration for Alice’s adventures — that of falling down a hole — is familiar to many people with seizures. Alice often feels that her own body (or the objects around her) are shrinking or growing before her eyes, another seizure symptom.
Epilepsy Hall of Fame https://epilepsytalk.wordpress.com/?p=11852&preview=true
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 18, 2020 @ 6:19 PM
Lewis Carroll and Alice and weirdness. Yes, I’ve done the bit about feeling very tall, but didn’t think of Carroll. Somatic stuff can be very distracting.
And if there are no meds, well, you have to write a classic.
Again, thank you.
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Comment by HoDo — February 18, 2020 @ 6:45 PM
Please don’t worry. It was such a fluke. I didn’t fall down stairs, but, rather, I had a tonic clonic seizure and hit my neck on one of those immovable trash cans in an airport. Yanks for your concern!
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Comment by Alison Zetterquist — February 18, 2020 @ 3:24 PM
Hmm, which one to mention, when i was 5 i fell out of truck since i didn’t close the door correctly and fell out when in a turn onto my head. Woke up in hospital, had a bad concussion.
Once was bicycling with brother when in an argument he pushed me and i somehow i fell on my head. Concussion followed as well as i slowly went out of consciousness.
The first grand mal i had was when they found my baseball size brain tumor, that was my first time i lost consciousness and felt horrible afterwards, worst head ache i had ever had.
Then the grand mal where i fell out of bed and hit the back of my arm against the metal bed frame, in repeated motion. I hit it so much it caused nerve damage in my fingertips. Now that would have been one time someone could of helped me with my seizures, to move me away from hitting the bed frame.
So now to the worst, going home from work on a busy freeway during rush hour i had a grand mal, woke up with like 5 fire trucks around me and the scene i caused. Luckily no one was injured and somehow from the lane closed to the other sided traffic i went and crossed the lanes in my direction and somehow hit a sound wall and came to a stop. I used to love to drive, after this happened my love for driving started to wain.
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Comment by Zolt — February 18, 2020 @ 1:00 PM
I would be terrified to drive ever. But, I’m a wuss anyway.
Do you think your concussions led to seizures? That’s what happened to me.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 18, 2020 @ 2:23 PM
No, but they may have lead to the brain tumor. I started having seizures like a yr before they found brain tumor. At the time i hadn’t a clue what seizures were, other than the grand mal ones, even those i didn’t know much about. The tumor was becoming so big, it was just causing to much pressure on my brain. It also caused a twist/torque on my spinal cord. A yr before the tumor was found i started having seizures, didn’t know what they were at the time. Small ones at first, like numbness in my fingertips in a couple of my fingers, to drop down seizures. I had horrible headaches in the mornings at work, went to see my PCP about them, but that was useless, he didn’t do any tests or anything other than to give me pain relievers. ugh. In hind site i told the doc if someone complains of headaches and they have never before had headaches to make sure he does a ct scan minimum on them. I was 38 when they found my tumor and removed it asap for fear it would put me into a coma. ugh. Mon i went in to the ER Wed i was operated on and Sat i left the hospital. It went like clock work. In the areal where my seizures start, the surgeon said she had a hard time removing the tumor from that area. I had requested all the write up on my surgery, especially the Surgeons writeups.
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Comment by Zolt — February 18, 2020 @ 3:43 PM
Smart person.
My friend had seizures which led to the discovery of a benign brain tumor that was removed. In the process, they nicked her executive functions.
She was in one of the best rehab centers in the East. Used up all of her savings, investments, credit loans and at the end of one year, all she could do was say “dog” and toilet herself.
Accidentally we became friends (it’s a loooong story) on epilepsy.com and the first time I met her, was was wearing prism glasses.
(She could see but she couldn’t read.) All of those PMs and emails had been dictated to her partner who was acting on her behalf.
I asked her what she wanted for lunch and she literally said: “What looks good to you?” I ordered, we visited, and I never knew until months later.
That was 5 years ago. She’s like a Phoenix rising from the ashes.
She’s literally rebuilt her brain. Although, obviously, she can’t be a psychotherapist anymore and lives on social security and disability, she is once again the talented, spirited being that she was. (Brilliant, too!)
She plays the piano, the guitar and the piano. She cooks better than most chefs. She reads voraciously.
She’s a walking miracle and her name is Sally Komar.
To quote her, she once said: “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 18, 2020 @ 5:10 PM
Well, it’s the worst thing and best thing happening to me at the same time. I’m driving to a store just three blocks away from my house, have a seizure just before I get to the store and have the worst accident I ever had.
I cracked my toe, was leaning at a 90-degree angle in the wrong direction which led to the L3 and L4 in my spine being out of place and the front part of my car was inches from crushing my legs. On top of that, I was never able to tell the paramedics not to take me to the hospital because I just blacked out but this time I needed them to take me and I was able to tell them “no” so I was wrong again.
The best thing that came from this is I get a call from my mother-in-law to watch TV which showed me someone having a temporal lobectomy which led to me wanting surgery before I have another accident which led to over 19 years of seizure control. I still have to have shots for my spine every 5-6 years but I’ll take it if it means I don’t have seizures anymore.
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Comment by Ed Lugge — February 18, 2020 @ 4:38 PM
Geeze. It sounds like without the hospital, without the medical intervention and without the surgery, you would have been doomed.
Bless you, for making the “right” decision.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 18, 2020 @ 5:14 PM
I fell from a high diving board when I was 14. I just remember stepping backward and the next thing was darkness, followed by me in an ambulance. I had a concussion. . . Water does feel like cement. My seizures started when I was 15, but it was never decided conclusively if it was due to my concussion a year earlier.
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Comment by Donna Jones — February 18, 2020 @ 5:21 PM
As Zolt observed, if only someone had thought about doing a CT Scan!
Oops.The first clinical CT scanners were installed between 1974 and 1976. That was way too late to help me.
What about you, Zolt?
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 18, 2020 @ 5:41 PM
I had my fall in 1974. I was just given some medication for the intense headache.
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Comment by Donna Jones — February 18, 2020 @ 6:22 PM
😦 😦 😦
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 18, 2020 @ 6:25 PM
Mine was 14 yrs ago, so cat scans were common. Cat scans are xrays but instead of one xray, it takes many xrays to give a 3d effect. Mri uses radio waves to capture it’s images. So even a simple xray could of showed my baseball size tumor. It was after my operation that my seizures started to kick in on a more regular bases, to the point were for many yrs it was like one ever month. Now that i have more control over my life my seizures have also dramatically been reduced. Praise the lord.
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Comment by Zolt — February 18, 2020 @ 7:22 PM
You had the seizures AFTER your surgery? I thought they were BEFORE they detected the tumor.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 18, 2020 @ 7:25 PM
My seizures started like 1 yr before my tumor was found but they were small at first and happened like once every 3 months maybe more. Then the day i went to the ER was when they did a CT on me and found my tumor. After the removal the seizures started to increase to a regular schedule.
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Comment by Zolt — February 18, 2020 @ 7:45 PM
OMG. You couldn’t get a break. First a tumor. Then brain surgery. (Which, I assume, they considered a success). And then seizures. WOW. 😦
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 18, 2020 @ 7:58 PM
My brother and I were INSEPARABLE!! Oddly even in marriage. Him and I grew up across the street from one another our whole lives. Even in marriages (his and mine) we both still lived across the street from one another. All of our children are almost all the same ages. Yes he was with me when I almost drowned and on and on. After he passed away we were walking out my front door (my house was built in the late 1890’s) and I looked up at his house. Turned out I fell down 4 cement stairs and hit my head on all 4 landing at the bottom of the stairs. My husband picked me up and carried me into my house to bed. The next day (after my brothers funeral service) I went into my family doctor. I was given ativan and ibprophen and sent home. I remember telling my family doctor “I’m a hockey coach and the first thing I was taught and learnt because of myself was to TAKE A CT SCAN AND MRI!! Your not doing either and your sending me home with ibprophen and ativan??”. Then I came home and it’s taken me 5 years to this day to KEEP GOING!!!!!!! For the LOVE OF MY HUSBAND, CHILDREN, MYSELF AND FAMILY AND FRIENDS I MAKE MYSELF PAINFULLY KEEP GOING!! Because all we NEED IS EACHOTHER!! And SOMEONE HAS TO GIVE MY BROTHERS CHILDREN AND MY OWN CHILDREN A REASON TO NEVER EVER QUIT!!!!!!! 😘🙏🏼🦅😇🙏🏼😘😘😘😘😘
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Comment by Kathy S.B — February 18, 2020 @ 10:22 PM
You are one resilient lady, Kathy!
The day my favorite auntie died, I drove off the road.
When the police came (to push me and the car out of the small ditch, I created) I just kept sobbing: “My Auntie Died!”
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 18, 2020 @ 10:37 PM
Thank you Phylis, but I believe WE “EPILEPTICS” are ALL RESILIENT ANGELS!! 😘🦅😇🙏🏼😘. Oddly it almost feels like a job to be resilient sometimes 💕. Thank you Phylis 😘
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Comment by Kathy S.B — February 18, 2020 @ 10:40 PM
Here”s one: Coming to face flat in steering wheel airbag, after having seizure on busy city freeway. Lucky there was no guardrail, just grass and trees to stop car. Not injured but slightly dented 2 cars. Unlucky because boy did others involved say that yes, they were injured and cars were damaged. Hello insurance increase, good-bye license, forever.
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Comment by skolly9 — February 19, 2020 @ 7:37 PM
I was in the “high risk pool” once. That was it for me. I didn’t drive for years.
But I was commuting to NYC then — 1 1/2 hours each way by train. So who had time to drive?
My best friends were other commuters. I saw them more than my husband.
(Distance makes the heart grow fonder?!?)
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 19, 2020 @ 7:42 PM
Weren’t you afraid of having a seizure on the train Phylis? I once had one on the bus and nobody noticed (cared)? A person rocking back and forth and talking to themselves isn’t always an oddity on transit.
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Comment by skolly9 — February 19, 2020 @ 8:04 PM
LOL! I was with friends, so it didn’t really matter.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 19, 2020 @ 9:27 PM
Here’s one: 3 days ago have sz while doing dishes. Badly scalded right fingers-2nd and 3rd deg burns. It f*ing never ends……
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Comment by skolly9 — February 23, 2020 @ 1:02 PM
Ouch! How are you feeling now?
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 23, 2020 @ 1:07 PM
Burns are reeeealy painful. But, I am learning how to be more ambidextrous lol.
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Comment by skolly9 — February 23, 2020 @ 1:15 PM
Burns are very painful!! I will back you up 100% on that!! I dont know if you are aware but get vitamin E oil and rub over scarred areas several times a day. It helps conceal the scars, helps them fade away better. I have worked in restaurant industry my whole life. Was doing a double shift one day and as I was walking back to the walk in frigid a person didn’t yell hot pan coming through. Not knowing I continued thru and he came around the corner and dropped a pan of boiling grease on my arm!! Severe second and third degree burns down to the nerves. The burn went from finger tips down my arm to my elbow. Wrapped up for months!! I had to get gauze changed every other day and have it checked out it was so bad. Had to go through physical therapy too. Cannot make a full fist with that hand and it shakes. Still stay strong and put scars behind me!!
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Comment by Nicole — July 9, 2020 @ 10:55 PM
What an awful story, but kudos to you for your bravery, perseverance and can-do attitude. I’m sure your journey must have been painful, to say the least.
Thanks for the Vitamin E oil tip, I’ve heard about it but never tried it.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — July 10, 2020 @ 8:50 AM
Good skill to have, Skolly 🙂
But not this way!
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — February 23, 2020 @ 1:17 PM
It was a month before my wedding I was purchasing my bridesmaids gifts I went to the mall and had my first seizure in eight years. Last thing I remember is going into the store I woke up with a bunch of EMTs around me. I fell face forward right on the concrete.Had a concussion for my wedding two black eyes remember little to none of my wedding.
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Comment by Taylor — July 7, 2020 @ 8:36 PM
Oh Taylor. And I thought my wedding was bad. (Fighting family fractions.) But you…a concussion and two black eyes. And no memories. So sad. My heart goes out to you.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — July 7, 2020 @ 9:18 PM
Fell down a flight of stairs smashed my head on the cement landing. After waking in a puddle of blood I walked up to the street and no one stopped to help .that day I lost at least a pint of blood.
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Comment by Raymond — July 8, 2020 @ 6:49 PM
You must have been the “Invisible Man” if people couldn’t see a puddle of blood walking down the street. WHAT is the matter with them?
I feel really bad for you, Raymond. Although not nearly as bad as YOU must have felt. 😦
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — July 8, 2020 @ 7:56 PM
I was out doing yardwork and I came to with blood coming out of my knee like crazy. I fell on a stone wall and gave myself a pretty deep cut. I needed fifteen stitches. Hurt and the scar is right across my knee, sticks right out.
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Comment by Nicole — July 9, 2020 @ 10:36 PM
I have more scars than I care to count. But the worst was the recurrent concussions.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — July 10, 2020 @ 8:55 AM
Think about 19 yrs ago , sitting in the chair , { rocking chair } had 3 seizures in 1 day .. something on combo of dilatin , and certain BP[ HCTZ } meds , wasnt suppose to mixed with each other THE MEDS lowered the dilatin, { but when the drs gave this to me when i was 8 , it would be either too high readings { toxic to kidneys & liver } or too low .. still have issues with back from accident , even wanted back surgery { still want back surgery } but giving the options of being bed ridden , or in wheel chair , rather , be able to walk ..
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Comment by Cathy Flowers — March 14, 2021 @ 10:32 AM
Did they ever get the blood pressure meds right? I went toxic on ace inhibitors. Then they pumped me up with so many steroids, I got a kidney infection. Lose-lose.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — March 14, 2021 @ 10:41 AM
Of the 5 GRAND MALS that I have had ”alone, all by myself” I did end up with a black eye brow area” over my left eye, with a slight headache later, after I fell off my bed & landed on the floor with just a carpet covering over concrete basement floor. Later as my parents came home, they figured something happened when they saw me with a paper towel soaked with ACV / Apple Cider Vinegar to stop that bruising from forming & the soreness from getting worse. Anyone with any bruising from any physical abuse from a seizure or whatever, ACV will eliminate any bruise. Drinking 1 TBLSP of ACV in water daily, does not hurt brain chemistry either as IT HELPS DIGESTION & THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM, that in return, it helps brain health at the same time.
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Comment by James D — March 14, 2021 @ 1:28 PM
Dumb question. ACV sounds great. But what is it?
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — March 14, 2021 @ 1:58 PM