Raspberry berets won't keep those seizures away!

Ok reset from a terrible day.  And back to the story about why I am feeling so frustrated.

A little more info.  After the edger/tremor incident there are far more intricate details to the story before I get to the diagnosis of the big word...da...da...da EPILEPSY!

Well, before I even get there I can tell you that I remember the first time I had what someone told me was a "seizure." What the heck is that? I felt like my whole body spasm-ed, I couldn't control myself and the world seemed like one big magic eye puzzle (again for anyone not born in the 80's or 90's - these were books where you kind of crossed your eyes then re-crossed your eyes and then found a little bunny behind a magic hat in all of this trippy-style background, the fun part was hearing people get aggravated and say, "I just can't see it, I don't think it's a real thing.")  It is. Sorry.

You're trying to do it right now aren't you?

It's always about you.

LOL.

Anyway...

Some people who were thought to have had Epilepsy:  (you are totally going to be impressed by the company I keep here...)

• Hercules
• Socrates
• Plato
• Danny Glover (even if he is too old for this)
• Caligula
• Susan Boyle (who brought us all to tears with her voice on Britain's Got Talent)
• Julius Caesar
• Harriet Tubman
• George Gershwin
• Joan of Arc
• Ellen G. White (All you Seventh Day Adventists!)
• And of course as my title reflects, the musical sensation, the artist formerly known as the symbol, formerly known as Prince.

Now what's amazing about this is that there are still people who think that Epilepsy is something that people should be afraid of, not talk about or pretend doesn't exist.  It's epilepsy, not leprosy (not that I want to offend anyone who is a leper.)

So, I'm a month late, (November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month) but here are just a few general facts.  And then here are a few facts about me so when I get asked questions I won't want to scream quite as loud, because once upon a time, I had absolutely no idea what any of this was about.

So here you go: You are welcome...

1. You can’t swallow your tongue during a seizure. It's physically impossible.  (You can be embarrassed, apologize, be confused and lose your memory, and wet your pants, and lots of other unexpected surprises, so please be kind.
2. Epilepsy is NOT contagious. You simply can't catch epilepsy from another person. (However, people with Epilepsy are extremely good looking so you may find yourself very attracted to them - seriously science does not lie, just look at that picture of Prince.)
3. Most people with epilepsy CAN DO the same things that people without epilepsy can do. However, some people with frequent seizures may not be able to work, drive, or may have problems in other parts of their life. (yeah - the 2nd part is me right now...but I'm hoping that won't be forever - that's what I need your good thoughts and prayers for, I need to get a handle on how often my seizures are occurring.)
4. Even with today's medication, epilepsy CANNOT be cured. AT LEAST 1 million people in the United States have uncontrolled epilepsy. (I'm hoping to be one of the people who get meds and move on - quickly, I don't want to sit around, But right now you could say I'm one in a million - of a million...let's not split hairs.)
5. Epilepsy is NOT rare. There are more than twice as many people with epilepsy in the US as the number of people with cerebral palsy (500,000), muscular dystrophy (250,000), multiple sclerosis (350,000), and cystic fibrosis (30,000) combined. Epilepsy can occur as a single condition, or may be seen with other conditions affecting the brain, such as cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, autism, Alzheimer's, and traumatic brain injury.

6. Some people get an "aura" before a seizure. An aura is a distinct perception either visual, motor, sensory or psychological felt around the time a seizure occurs. (I'm lucky, I do get these.  I used to get them only a few minutes to a half an hour before.  Now I can tell you an hour, sometimes hours before a seizure may occur, I'm not really sure if that's lucky, I guess I'd say it's useful.)
7. There are various triggers that impact seizures here are a few: sleep deprivation, at times of fevers or other illnesses, flashing bright lights or patterns, stress, not eating well, specific food triggers, specific sound triggers.

Ok, than's enough for today.  Sorry for all of the facts.  Let's hope this week slows down a bit and I get some kind of good news this week.  This has been a rough start.

Thanks for all of your encouragement and kind words.