I wish you the gift of health…
I wish you the gift of happiness…
When I was first diagnosed with epilepsy, there were two kinds of seizures. Grand Mal and Petit Mal. (Can you guess how old I am?)
Now, things are much more different and difficult. No more cut and dried.
So, please, if you have any additions, subtractions or corrections, feel free to chime in.
Because I don’t pretend to be an expert. In fact, this has certainly been a learning experience, from start to finish.
Here, to the best of my knowledge, are the 40+ different types of seizures.
Even if you do have epilepsy, it doesn’t necessarily mean you know all the lingo. (I didn’t!) So here are some definitions of medical terms related to epilepsy…
There are many ways that your medical care can go wrong. All of the phases from diagnosis to treatment can have some type of error.
Studies of error types: An Institute of Medical Report attempted to quantify the types of medical errors that occur in healthcare settings.
One cited study lists causes of errors as follows:
Do you have a neurologist? Or is your epilepsy followed by your primary care physician? Should you see an epileptologist?
There is no strict definition of what an epileptologist is. (Although the term was first made popular by William Spratling, now regarded as North America’s first epileptologist.)
Generally speaking, an epileptologist is a neurologist who has a specific interest in, and focuses on, epilepsy.
On Sunday morning, my neighbor Carolyn knocked on my front door holding a basket of carbs and said, “I need to have my gallbladder out. I’ve never had an operation and have no idea how to find a surgeon to do my surgery. I don’t want to die. I brought you some scones.”
Carolyn brings up a valid point — if you’ve been blessed with reasonably good health, you probably don’t have a surgeon’s number on speed dial. Therefore, the bigger question is, in the unfortunate event that you need one, how do you find the best surgeon for your medical condition?
Many women with epilepsy have asked their doctors about the connection between seizures and hormones. But not every woman has seen her concerns given the attention she’d hoped for.
Although it is not very well understood at this point, there are scientifically documented connections between seizures and hormones that not all physicians are educated about.
What are hormones?
Modern medicine can do miraculous things — but every test and treatment has its downside.
And your doctor may not disclose the dangers without prompting, a new survey finds.
Researchers surveyed 2,700 patients who’d recently decided whether or not to have surgery, take a medication, or undergo cancer screening.
Most reported their physician spent far more time talking up the benefits of each choice than explaining the risks.
In fact, with the exception of lower back surgery, less than half the participants reported even some discussion of the cons.
Some patients felt left out of the decision-making process altogether.
In this eye-opening article from the New York Times, a neurologist talks about his own journey with epilepsy: his perceptions, other people’s reactions (not good) and how he decided to become a neurologist.