What the heck is Epilepsy?!

Epilepsy: The Facts

 

What:

 

Epilepsy is a medical condition that produces seizures affecting a variety of mental and physical functions. It’s also called a seizure disorder. When a person has two or more unprovoked seizures, they are considered to have epilepsy.

A seizure happens when a brief, strong surge of electrical activity affects part or all of the brain. One in 10 adults will have a seizure sometime during their life.

Source: http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/aboutepilepsy/whatisepilepsy/index.cfm?gclid=CNCumbH98bsCFclcMgodJDAAyg

 

Seizures are a symptom of something going on in the brain. The seizures in epilepsy may be related to a brain injury or a family tendency, but most of the time the cause is unknown. The word "epilepsy" does not indicate anything about the cause of the person's seizures, what type they are, or how severe they are. There are many different types of seizures.

Source: http://www.epilepsy.com/what-is-epilepsy

 

Types and Symptoms:

 

Seizures are divided into two broad categories: partial and generalized.

Partial seizures affect only a specific part of the brain and are further grouped into two types: In simple partial seizures, a person may have jerking movement and abnormal sensations, such as extreme emotion or changes in taste, depending on what part of the brain the seizure affects. In complex partial seizures, a person loses awareness and may have unconscious movements such as lip smacking and fidgeting. Partial seizures that spread and become generalized are called partial seizures secondarily generalized.

Continue reading below...

Generalized seizures affect the entire brain from the beginning of the seizure and are broken down into several types: In generalized tonic-clonic seizures, the entire body stiffens and jerks and a person loses consciousness. This is also known as a grand mal seizure. Myoclonic seizures are lightning jerks of the muscle, usually on both sides of the body. In absence seizures, a person loses awareness and has a blank stare, as if he or she is looking through you. This is also known as a petit mal seizure. Atonic seizures cause the body to lose muscle tone with no warning and fall over.

Source: http://www.webmd.com/epilepsy/features/epilepsy-101

 

(I was given the terms simple seizure, simple-complex seizure, and grand mal seizure from my doctors.  Ultimately they are all similar to the descriptions above and I have had the pleasure of experiencing every single described symptom and a few others at one time or another.) 

 

Overview:

 

Epilepsy is a (literal) pain in the head, body, mind, and soul.  It is a chaos happening inside the mind and shown (on occasion) and felt (horribly) through physical symptoms on the outside.  Seizures suck.  Plain and simple.  They cause a feeling of total loss incontrol.  You are no longer the one determining what your mind and body does or feels.  It’s as if a foreign invader, more precisely, a demon-like being, has entered the body andhas literally taken over.  Perhaps the worst part of the condition is that most seizures happen inside the head.  Words can never completely describe the experience accurately.  

Source: Me

 

As a silver lining, the day I was told I wasn't going to be the next girl to have a movie made about her exorcism was a relieved one, but more on all that later...

Welcome

 Hello and welcome!!  

I don’t know how you ended up here, perhaps by accident or by bribery or by my mothers insistence, but no matter what, I’m excited to have someone, anyone, join me in this journey.

What journey?

Well, that will require some background, which will follow, but here’s a quick overview so you know what you’re getting yourself into.

I am a twenty-seven (holy begeeses that’s old and scary sounding) grad student who is currently working part time, substitute teaching, and who fancies herself a writer.  

This, however, is not why I have chosen to start this blog(I’ve got others that you’re welcome **hint hint** to check out).  This is for a specific purpose, to discuss my ongoing struggle with epilepsy.  I’ll discuss what I’ve been through and the steps I’m taking today to help combat this beast inside my head.  I’ll try to keep it light but be prepared, this blog is going to be the expression of my literal demons and some tough emotions, struggles, and decisions will be described in great detail.  I hope my own experiences will be relatable, informative, and perhaps at moments inspirational.  

 

I have one other warning or perhaps disclaimer; this is my story, my life, and my battle.  I have at times gone rouge in my treatment and do not encourage others to follow in my,at times, damaging footsteps.  I have also chosen some unorthodox methods of treatment (this is something that is new and I don’t know the outcome yet). I plan to keep a pretty detailed account of how it goes for me, but I understand that some of the choices I am making may be against certain (many) medical opinions and I do not want anyone to feel like I am stating anything more than my opinions and experiences here.  

 

So, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s begin!