Epilepsy Talk
Ode to a Doctor’s Visit…
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They forget that we live 365 days or 8,760 hours a year with our illness…
We see them for four 30 minute visits or 2 hours in that year while we’re struggling…
We spend time planning in anticipation of this precious, important moment…
Tags: doctor's visit, endless tests, fear, hope, hours, minutes, our condition, respond with respect
Inspirational thoughts for the day…
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“If you’re going through hell, keep going…” Winston Churchill
Domestic Violence — When Love Goes Wrong
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Carol found herself in a cycle of violence from the time she was a child. By adulthood, she had already experienced multiple beatings and hospitalizations.
In the most recent attack, her husband beat her with a board, leaving her with permanent brain damage and a life-long disability.
As a result of her injury, she now has frequent seizures, difficulty with balance, and is terrified to leave her home for fear of having a seizure or falling.
Gaslighting — What to Do When It Happens To You
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Is your doctor making you feel crazy? Like it’s all in your head? Could you be a hypochondriac?
You must be imagining your symptoms. Of maybe you’re just in a panic.
“Go home and take two Advil. Or maybe two Xanax. You’ll feel fine when this blows over. I assure you.”
Maybe you should have gone to Google first.
Hope for Drug Resistant Epilepsy
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Drug-resistant epilepsy with uncontrolled severe seizures — despite state-of-the-art medical treatment — continues to be a major problem for up to 30% of patients with epilepsy.
Although drug resistance may fluctuate in the course of treatment, for most patients, drug resistance seems to be continuous.
Unfortunately, traditional antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) don’t seem to prevent or reverse drug resistance in most patients.
However, some new add-on AED therapies have shown as much as 50% in seizure reduction.
This research concerns the structural brain lesions that have been associated with drug resistance in epilepsy.
Tags: brain, chemical, connections, drug, electrical, faulty, lesions, resistance, structural, wiring
An Earbud to Predict Seizures?
32 Comments
Imagine a tiny, unobtrusive brain monitor — like an earbud or a hearing aid — that could read brainwaves through the ear.
Amazing as it sounds, this tiny device could help predict seizures and track daily seizures in people with uncontrolled epilepsy, according to a small pilot study.
Engineers at Imperial College in London have developed exactly that.
An EEG device that can be worn inside the ear, like a hearing aid.
Tags: brainwaves, earbud, EEG readings, PC, recurring seizures, smartphone, tablet
Anger and Epilepsy: WHY ME?
50 Comments
Suddenly, you’re feeling edgy. Lashing out at loved ones for no reason at all. It’s not anybody’s fault. It’s that old familiar enemy. Epilepsy. Again.
Why me? Why now? It’s not fair.
No, it’s not, but it’s part of our physiology. Since the brain is control central, sudden changes – like a seizure – wreak havoc. And you get even angrier, for what seems, like nothing at all. The outbursts, crying, come out of nowhere.
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