menopausebarbees
... the tales of two sisters

Dana lives in Seattle, and Tracie lives in Germany. We are businesswomen, writers and humorists. We write about life, dating, and today's modern women.

The Menopausebarbee Monday Spotlight on the voice of Valerie Patton and Seizures Suck!

I am happy to shine The Menopausebarbee Monday Spotlight on the voice of my very dear friend Valerie Patton (aka as Beans). More than a friend, she is like a sister to me and I’m thrilled that she wants to share some important information with us on a topic that affects her personally.

Love you Beans. Thank you.

In concurrence with your Glitter and Gold post Tracie, November is emblazoned with the rich jewel tone, PURPLE! The purpleness denotes November as, Epilepsy Awareness Month!

I am a certified mentor of H.O.P.E (Helping Other People with Epilepsy) with Epilepsy Foundation Northwest. This foundation leads the fight to stop seizures, find a cure and overcome challenges created by epilepsy.

My goal is to educate and hopefully inspire people with and without epilepsy about the disorder. I hope you all take the time to think about someone you know who has epilepsy….

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures. A seizure is a brief disruption of electrical activity in the brain firing uncontrollable messages. Epilepsy is sometimes called a “seizure disorder.” Both terms have the same meaning.

An idea easily to relate to when speaking to children about seizures is using the analogy of a computer. All adults and most children know that when too many windows or programs are open and running a computer can all of a sudden shut down…then needs to be rebooted. This is much like what happens in the brain when having a seizure.

The onset of my seizures began nearly 33 years ago due to an automobile accident where I suffered a traumatic head injury.My first seizure developed in a delayed fashion showing up several months to a year after the initial trauma.
People who have head trauma are twelve times as likely as the general population to suffer seizures.

Most people with epilepsy wonder what is the cause of their disorder, yet in as many as 7 out of 10 people with epilepsy, no specific cause can be found.

My seizures are tonic clonic also known as Grand mal. They have been nocturnal. I remember to this day my first seizure. . .

I awoke and felt that the strangling darkness I felt creeping up my left leg and taking over my entire body was the stronghold of death.
I had no control as I fought against the magnitude of dark current that had jolted me awake before the black out had taken me. When the death force had lifted and I was brought back to the light of day I trembled with confusion and fright as my tongue tasted the faint remains of the bloody battle. My muscles ached from the force they had fought and then I slept for hours. Recovery beckoned for tomorrow.

I have recently learned that seizures have an unaided life inside of my life. Although my seizures have always been nocturnal, they may decide at some point to show up out side of my bed. That would be really scary. I pray that never happens.

Generalized seizures involve the whole brain and loss of consciousness. These could be either
-Absence: characterized by brief loss of consciousness
-Tonic-clonic characterized by rhymthic jerking of muscles

Partial Seizure involve only part of the brain: may or may not include loss of consciousness.

Although I am in the group of people with epilepsy that is responding to treatment, I realize the importance of cutting-edge epilepsy research. Epilepsy research falls far behind that for other neurological diseases. My hope is a cure for epilepsy. Until that time, the more data-driven research we have, the better our chances of having more effective epilepsy treatments and fewer side effects from antiepileptic medications. I also realize that even though I am in the group that is responding to medication, at any point I can move to the group that is not responding to antiepileptic medication

I call epilepsy a “stealth” disease, but its difficult to imagine how so few people can know about a disease that affects so many.

I am one of 65 million people with Epilepsy

Epilepsy affects over 3 million Americans of all ages – more than Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, and Parkinson’s Disease combined.

In America, Epilepsy is as common as Breast Cancer, and takes as many lives.

Almost 500 new cases of Epilepsy are diagnosed every day in the United States.

One in 100 people will develop Epilepsy.

One in 10 people will suffer a seizure in their lifetime.

This year another 200,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with Epilepsy.

Each year over 125,000 to 150,000 are newly diagnosed with Epilepsy. 30% of those diagnosed are children.

Epilepsy can develop at any age and can be a result of genetics, stroke, head injury, and many other factors.

For many soldiers suffering traumatic brain injury on the battlefield, Epilepsy will be a long-term consequence.

In two-thirds of patients diagnosed with Epilepsy, the cause is unknown.

In over 30% of patients, seizures cannot be controlled with treatmen

Uncontrolled seizures may lead to brain damage and death.

Up to 50,000 Americans die each year from seizures and related causes.

The mortality rate among people with Epilepsy is two to three times higher than he general population.

Risk of sudden death among those with Epilepsy is twenty-four times greater.

Epilepsy results in an estimated annual cost of $15.5 billion in medical costs and lost or reduced earnings and production.

Historically, epilepsy research has been underfunded. Each year NIH spends $30 billion of medical research, but just ½ of 1% is spent on epilepsy

The Federal government spends much less on Epilepsy research compared to other diseases, many which affect fewer people.

St Valentine is the patron saint of people with epilepsy!

What to do if someone has an epileptic seizure
During the seizure:
• Loosen any tight clothing around the neck so that they can
Breathe freely
• Do not place anything in their mouth as this is likely to cause more
Harm than good
• Place the person on their side with something soft under their head.
Do not move them any more than this, unless they are lying in a
Dangerous place
It is not usually necessary to send a person who is having a seizure to hospital.
However, medical help should be sought if the seizures show no sign of
Stopping after a few minutes, or if the individual suffers a series of seizures or
Suffers physical injury.
After the seizure:
• Do not give the person anything to eat or drink until they have fully
Recovered
• Allow them to sleep if they wish
• The person may experience a headache or a period of confusion,
Which could last for hours? If this happens the person should be allowed
To sit or lie quietly until this improves.
People liable to seizures sometimes carry a card Association, or a note saying what should be done if there is a seizure. It Is a good idea to look for such a card or note as it might give some helpful
Instructions.

NATIONAL COMMUNITY RESOURCES

The Epilepsy Foundation
Local affiliates
Website: www.epilepsyfoundation.org