Epilepsy | Epilepsy Talk

Top Seizure Apps For Smartphones…

October 26, 2022
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Smart phone apps for epilepsy have been studied with the results published in the International Journal of Epilepsy

Led by Dr. Lakshmi Narasimhan Ranganathan from the Institute of Neurology, Madras Medical College (Madras, India), researchers surveyed the mobile applications available for the everyday care of epilepsy patients.

Those apps include seizure diaries as well as medication trackers with reminders to take the next pill.

Apps are available to answer any question patients with epilepsy might have and to remind doctors about drug interactions to watch out for.

Most of them are free of charge.

Posted in Epilepsy, Tips
Tags: anti-epileptic drugs, drug interactions, emergency instructions, Epilepsy, free, medication schedule, medication trackers, mobile, monitor, seizure apps, Seizure Disorder Coach, seizure response plan, Seizure Tracker, side effects, smartphones, special sensors

What was your first seizure like?

October 22, 2022
27 Comments

I can remember being in the shower, washing my very long hair.

It was one of those old-fashioned showers with a heavy plate-glass door and a stainless steel handle that you had to turn to get in and get out.

There were 4 water jets…three coming from the side wall…and a shower head in the ceiling.

All of a sudden, it felt like my blood was rushing out of my toes.

As all of my energy drained out of me, I thought: “I’m going to drown.”

Posted in Epilepsy
Tags: die, drown, Epilepsy, first seizure, terrified

How Creative Are YOU?

September 24, 2022
10 Comments

I was born a writer. Just like I was born with brown eyes. In 5th grade when we were assigned to write a poem with an illustration, everyone wrote about the spring, flowers, stars, the city, the country. I wrote about racism. My illustration was a black silhouette pasted against white paper. My teacher promptly sent me home with a note for my parents, accusing me of plagiarism.

Posted in Epilepsy
Tags: electrical storms, enhance creativity, Epilepsy, inspiration, latent artist, spark inspiration

Sleep apnea — it’s not just what you think it is

September 11, 2022
8 Comments

It’s not just snoring. It’s much more dangerous than that. Even deadly.

The estimated prevalence in North America is approximately 15 to 30 percent in males and 10 to 15 percent in females, But, as much as 40 percent of epilepsy patients suffer with undiagnosed sleep apnea. Especially those with refractory epilepsy.

Posted in Epilepsy, Medication Issues, Research, Tips
Tags: breathing, CPAP, dangerous, Epilepsy, oxygen, seizures, sleep apnea, sleep quality, snoring

Epilepsy — a dirty little secret?

August 15, 2022
12 Comments

To be included — or excluded?

To be accepted — or rejected?

To be understood — or misunderstood?

Posted in Epilepsy
Tags: dirty word, Epilepsy, life, secret, shout, speak out, speak up

Seizure-free…a hope or a promise?

August 13, 2022
12 Comments

Is it a reality…a hope…or a promise?

Have you been there once for a visit? And then come back, to the land of falling down, shaking, quaking and blackouts.

We all know, the only thing that remains the same is change.

Everything is in a state of flux. Drugs, science, our bodies, our brains.

From that you can choose hopelessness. Or hope.

Posted in Epilepsy
Tags: angry, courage, drugs, Epilepsy, hope, hopelessness, information, perseverence, possibility, promise?, science, seizure-free, seizures, support, surgery, victim, VNS

Where’s the funding? Epilepsy as an orphan.

August 2, 2022
5 Comments

Here are the facts, unhappy though they may be…

Epilepsy is the 4th most common neurological problem – only migraine, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease occurs more frequently.

Its prevalence is greater than autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease combined.

As many people die from epilepsy as from breast cancer.

There are 150,000 new cases of epilepsy diagnosed each year, and a total of more than 3.4 million Americans are affected by it.

Yet, public and private funding for epilepsy research lags far behind other neurological afflictions, at $35 a patient (compared, for instance, with $129 for Alzheimer’s and $280 for multiple sclerosis).