Seizure disorders carry a plethora of effects dealt with daily by the patient and the caregiver.
As a patient and caregiver I will bring some of these real effects to my readers. Many I manage everyday in my own life, you may have a few to add of your own. Read the entire article and if you have effects you experience caused by your/your patients seizure disorder, you are welcome to add within a comment below.
The effects of seizure disorders, stand alone or induced by AED’s, include but are not limited to:
- sleepiness to the point of exhaustion
- insomnia
- nervousness
- depression, clinical and recurring
- gastric immobility( including severe constipation)
- headaches, mild to severe
- chronic pain( including fibromyalgia)
- chronic inflammatory conditions
- low self esteem
- chronic negative self talk( thoughts)
- weight gain( induced by medication or seizure disorder)
As patients&caregivers, what can we do to ease these effects ?
- Discuss each effect with your doctor and seek futher medical attention if necessary
- Take AED’s and other prescribed medications on a regular basis
- Allow 8-12 hours sleep daily during seizure sensitive days
- Rest during insomnia bouts, do not force sleep
- Eat well, 6 small balanced nutritious meals a day
- Supplement with Omega 3 oils, multivitamins, and B6
- Hydrate properly, throughout the day drink a total half your body weight in ounces of pure water
- Refrain from caffeine, artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial filers
- Seek help from positive strong support systems online and offline
- Enjoy daily exercise(supervised) approved by your doctor
- Write in a daily thoughts journal to ease depression and negative thoughts
- Keep a seizure journal to empower yourself during your own seizure management
Every seizure patient may have different effects and may manage effects in a different manner. The above is intended to be friendly advice from one seizure patient to you. I encourage you to talk about your specific seizure disorder effects with your doctor, your supportive family members, your caregiver, and your supportive friends.
What can you do,as a member of the general public, to ease seizure disorder effects?
Acceptance is key in helping a patient heal through the moment. When you encounter someone you know to be a seizure patient, be kind. Accept the patient, treat the patient as you would any respectable human being. No need to act as if the patient needs you to treat him/her with ‘kid gloves’. Seizure patients are normal people with overactive neuronal wiring in their brains. You may(or may never) witness a patient experiencing a seizure, however if you know of a seizure patient you will be an asset in the patients life as you accept the patient.
As a patient, caregiver, professional, or general public, you voice is heard within National Seizure Disorders Foundation. When you have something to add to this subject matter, please comment below.
Tonya, it’s helpful for me, as a counselor, to understand the relationship and overlap between depression and strokes. Education is one of the best forms of advocacy for the public at large. Thank you for sharing this with us.
It’s been my personal experience depression happens frequently in a seizure patient due to the stigma brought on by societies view of us,our own low self -esteem, and the chemicals fed into our nervous system. It’s in the plan for NSDF to be a big part of bringing order to seizure disorders by transforming the lives of the seizure afflicted( and associated) until a cure is found. A big part is helping patients through their depression one on one. I applaud you for your efforts in this area.
Stay in touch -
Terrific Tonya Heathco
Hi Tonya,
Thank you for this helpful post.
You have laid out many tips here and provided a wealth of information on how we can help.
Keep up the great work you are doing!
Talk soon,
Kevin
Kevin,
I appreciate your words of encouragement and will keep them close to my heart in times of challenge. Thank you my friend.
Ready to talk whenever you are -
Terrific Tonya
Good article. I have friend who has seizures and I think your info is helpful to know in case she has one when I am with her.
good read…
thanks for this, i will definitely share this to my friends, and i hope this helped in your awareness campaign.
Hi Tonya,
This is a great article !
You have given us so much tips on your blog and now I am beginning to ask if some people who has sleeping disorder or insomnia can really treat this problem naturally ? The reason why I ask this is because last time I had a friend who slept for only 2 to 4 hours in 24 hours and that resulted him in losing appetite and looked very haggard for his age. That time he was only 20 years old and he said he was immune to it already because that happened to him when he was 10 years old. I was at that age too at that time and couldn’t helped him in anyway although I wanted to because he was my friend. So, one day I invited him to be my jogging partner every evening from 6pm to 7pm and then over to my friend’s house practiced singing for one and a half hour. I made him be my jogging partner for 1 month and few months down the road, I only came to know that he actually can sleep very well for at least 6 hours in the beginning till about 7 or 8 hours after the third week. This is amazing ! However, I wasn’t sure if the sleeping pattern has changed due to any other reasons or something else but I personally believe it was the jogging and singing part that made him used more energy.
So, I wish to say thank you to you for making me remember this and give me a chance to share my side of story with you.
Cheers
Pearly
Pearly,
Thank you for sharing our experience. Aerobic exercise such as jogging is beneficial to the brain and does help increase quality of sleep as well as decrease seizure activity. He is blessed to have a friend in you.
Terrific Tonya
Tonya,
I found that being a caregiver for my wife, sister and friend has been a challenge. When I met you and found that there a real passionate people who care enough to guide you to were there is support for the giver. This made life so much easier. It’s been over 18 years working with Dr.s and the attitudes of others who just don’t understand from my wife’s and sisters point of view. They are done with being experimented on and want better results. Everything is not taken care of with just managing pills.
I found that there a seasonal times when things get worse. Managing activity in harmonious environments have a good effect on both my wife and sister. I rather go to Sea world than a rock -n- roll concert in the summer. The humidity and surroundings with all the sounds. This triggers different things for both.
Well with all the love and support. My life has gotten easier and more uplifting. We keep it happy and moving in our house.
Tonya, thanks for sharing and having this location which is one of a kind.
Hi Tonya,
I am so excited to have come upon your site! My daughter, age 17 was diagnosed with epilepsy last year and, although it seems to be mostly controlled with her medication, I know that she suffers from many of the other complicating factors you listed above, especially when it comes to feeling different and low self esteem.
She doesn’t talk about it much, but I can only imagine how a teenager, who like others in her age group just want to blend in and be accepted by her peers, has to deal with this disorder in her mind, let alone how it affects her body.
I admire her for her strength and determination in moving forward in her life and not letting anything (including epilepsy) stop her. I am definitely going to tell her about your site!
Thanks, Tonya!
Yes Bob, Please do share the site with her. Let her know she is not alone . National Seizure Disorders Foundation has the blog, an open forum within the blog(NSDF Community) and a seizure support group within FaceBook ( Learning from Others about Various Epilepsies – L.O.V.E.) All of these resources are at her fingertips. I invite your whole family to utilize these resources to better understand seizure disorders and how you can help your daughter and others find their way to successful seizure disorder management. It is our mission to bring order to seizure disorders.
Thank you for sharing -
Terrific Tonya Heathco
Thanks for the info Tonya
I agree, acceptance is the key.
And education, which you provide greatly in your blog.
Thanks
Thank you for chiming in Peter. Your support is appreciated.
Terrific Tonya Heathco
National Seizure Disorders Foundation
Bringing Order to Seizure Disorders
Tonya,
I work in disability services at a local college and see the effects of a seizure condition on the lives of students. Dreams must be altered and their future is less certain. We coach them to look for some line of education and work that will prevent them from affecting others in case they have an event. Your advice is excellent.
RICK
Rick,
If ever NSDF can be of service helping you and your colleagues with ongoing education in serving the seizure disorder community at your college, please let me know. We’re currently working on programs that will allow seizure patients to live out their dreams, work through their chosen education, and find suitable employment or at home work in order to live lives as close to the general public as possible. My view is not to shield the patient from the public ( or visa-versa) but to educate both as to what to do in case of an episode occurring. Education and acceptance are key to seizure disorder freedom!
Hope we’ll talk soon,
Terrific Tonya Heathco
National Seizure Disorders Foundation
Bringing Order to Seizure Disorders
Tonya – Fantastic information here. I really enjoying stopping by you site. You share the information in a way a person like myself can understand. I’ve found your side to be a wonderful resource to share with those who are affected by seizure disorders. Thanks for making it easy – Debi
My goal is to make seizure disorder education easy for all. Education is one of the keys to seizure disorder freedom. National Seizure Disorders Foundation is the place to be to gain such education. Thank you for your compliments. Stop in again soon.
Terrific Tonya Heathco
National Seizure Disorders Foundation
Bringing Order to Seizure Disorders
Great article – you do a wonderful job of explaining the issues and challenges of seizure disorders. I think most people who don’t know anyone who suffers from a seizure disorder would either never think about this, or maybe even be too embarrassed to ask questions. Thanks!
For centuries seizures and seizure disorders have been kept secret. This led to the stigma we face today. If more people would just ask about it and learn about it and talk about it, our world would be an easier place to live while we face our day to day issues with seizure disorders. Thank you for your comment. I do hope others follow in your shoes.
Blessings -
Terrific Tonya Heathco