Holiday Greetings!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Stay safe and healthy, and may we all work toward seizure-freedom in 2015!

EEG Training Lacking

EEG (Electroencephalography) is critical to epilepsy diagnosis.  It is the primary test to determine if someone has epilepsy or not.  If the EEG is misread, it often leads to a misdiagnosis of seizures and epilepsy.  According to the article “EEG Training for Neurologists is Inadequate,” there is a lack of education in EEG reading.  In most medical education programs, it is not required for neurology residencies, but offered

Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS) Update

I have had my VNS for almost one month.  It was activated at the beginning of December.  I have had quite a challenge with it so far.  As I wrote in my previous post, the surgery and recovery are no piece of cake.

After a week back from the surgery, I was finally able to take off the dressings from my neck and chest.  The scars are still there, however.  I’m guessing it will take another two or three weeks until they are completely healed.  In the meantime, I have to be

Death and Epilepsy—Worldwide Candle Lighting Day, 12/14/14

Today is the 18^th Annual Worldwide Candle Lighting Day.  It is sponsored by a group called The Compassionate Friends.

Death and epilepsy is a serious and difficult issue.  There is Sudden Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) (see more: 10/23 post) and death by related causes, including suicide and accidents such as drowning (pool or bath), burns (kitchen accidents), and road accidents.

The grief and anger that come from such a death must be incredibly hard to handle.  Especially during the holiday season when everyone is celebrating, that is when you feel the loss most acutely.  I am impressed by those who take their tragedies and turn them into something positive.  Perhaps this is what they have to do.  There is no choice but to go forward. 

The Worldwide Candle Lighting Day will give a chance to honor the memories of those who have been lost to death by epilepsy.  They will not be forgotten.

Shop and Support the Epilepsy Foundation

We are always looking for ways to support epilepsy awareness and fundraise to find a cure. 

Here is an easy way of doing that without even thinking about it.  When you shop on AmazonSmile (Amazon’s charity website), they will donate 0.5% of your purchase price to the Epilepsy Foundation.   I know it doesn’t sound like much, but when we all pitch in, it adds up to a lot.

Thank you so much!

Embrace—Seizure Recognition Wristband

A friend of mine brought this to my attention.  It may give us another reason for hope.

There is a new device called Embrace created by Empatica.  It is a wristband that detects heightened electrical signals from stress or other factors, and is potentially an indicator of a seizure.  There is an accompanying wristband worn by a family