Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a very Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year!

I hope 2019 brings more advances in epilepsy treatments and seizure freedom (or at least reduced seizures) to those who suffer from the effects of epilepsy.

With our advocacy, I am optimistic that the outlook will improve.

Holiday Greetings

Wishing everyone a Very Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for a Prosperous New Year!

Announcement: Scholarships for People with Epilepsy

Sponsored by Lundbeck, CURE (Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy) is offering a one-time scholarship of up to $5,000 for people living with epilepsy, family members, and caregivers. It is “to be used toward coursework to advance personal knowledge in research, health education, advocacy and/or awareness in relation to their experiences with epilepsy.”

This is a very good opportunity for people who want to pursue their education in health care or advocacy to make a difference. I recommend that you look at it and apply for a scholarship if you are interested. The deadline is April 15, 2019.

https://www.cureepilepsy.org/get-involved/scholarships/?utm_source=1+-+General+List&utm_campaign=5938f92385-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_12_18_08_45&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_daad723502-5938f92385-258741493

Holiday Stress and Epilepsy

Surprise! We are now in the swing of the holiday season, the most joyous time of the year, or so they say. However, this time of year of family gatherings causes stress and anxiety, if not depression for many. And for people with epilepsy, it can be a very difficult time because the normal routine of life is disrupted.

Thank You President George H.W. Bush

Today, we are celebrating the life of former President George H.W. Bush. I was watching the memorial service on television (which is still ongoing) and hearing all the moving accounts of his life made me realize what an amazing impact he has had on our world.

He treated everyone as a friend, was loyal, but also enjoyed life to the fullest. His early near-death experience as a navy pilot and the loss of his crew taught him to cherish every moment he had.

Epilepsy Blog Relay

Hi everyone!

It's almost the end of November, National Epilepsy Awareness Month, but the Epilepsy Blog Relay run by Living Well With Epilepsy is not over yet.

Please continue to follow along on https://livingwellwithepilepsy.com until the end and join the Twitter Chat on December 6 at Noon ET. (#LivingWellChat)

For the full schedule of bloggers visit https://livingwellwithepilepsy.com/epilepsy-blog-relay/november-2018-participants.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The holidays are upon us. That means family, friends, food, and fun. But it also comes with stress. 

So, while you are planning your activities and spending quality time with your loved ones, don't forget to give yourself a break.

Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Epilepsy Blog Relay—Alternative Treatment Options

This post is part of the Epilepsy Blog Relay™ which will run from November 1^st through November 30^th.

You could say I have evolved in my beliefs about alternative medicine and epilepsy. I used to be dead set against it. I thought it was too dangerous. Since it was unregulated, you didn’t know what effect the chemicals would have on your body and how they would interact with your other medications.

Epilepsy Awareness

It’s the middle of November and I have avoided writing for months. I often wondered why. I think there are many reasons. First, I am a perfectionist and want everything I do to have no mistakes in it. In turn, this takes a lot of work to make sure everything is in order. Even now, when I am writing, I can feel my internal censor at work. However, I know that editing yourself as you write is not the most efficient way of getting something done.

Symposium: Brain Health in Orange County—Why Understanding Epilepsy Should Matter to Everyone

On Tuesday, July 10, 2018, there will be a luncheon/symposium sponsored by the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles about brain health and epilepsy. It will take place in Newport Beach, California. It starts at 12:00 and ends at 2:00 Pacific Time. The cost is $45 per person.

To register or find out more information, call 800-564-0445 or go to https://endepilepsy.org or https://endepilepsy.org/event/brain-health-in-orange-county-why-understanding-epilepsy-should-matter-to-everyone/.

Epilepsy Blog Relay

Just a reminder that the Living Well with Epilepsy Blog Relay for June 2018 is not over yet. You can still follow it until the end of the month or catch up on the blog entries you missed. Also, there will be a Twitter Chat on June 30^th at 7:00 pm ET.

https://livingwellwithepilepsy.com/epilepsy-blog-relay/june-2018-participants

Warning: Photosensitive Epilepsy and Incredibles 2

Just a few days after it came out, word came out that the animated family superhero movie Incredibles 2 causes seizures. This could easily have been avoided if the animators did not use strobe and flashing lights. These stimuli are very damaging for people with photosensitive epilepsy. Flashing lights also impact the nervous system, causing long-lasting fatigue.

Changing the Name to Combat Epilepsy Stigma

We have come a long way in understanding and treating epilepsy. However, there is still a terrible stigma surrounding it, in some countries more than others. The word epilepsy comes from the Greek word meaning to seize. It was considered a “sacred disease,” one with a lot of mystery and was related to religion and spirituality and witchcraft. Although we now know all this to be false, the stigma of epilepsy unfortunately endures.

Epilepsy Blog Relay Post—Technology and Epilepsy

This post is part of the Epilepsy Blog Relay™, which will run from Nov. 1 to Nov. 30, 2017.  Follow along!

We have come a long way in treating people with epilepsy. From crude medications and incantations we now know are useless, we now have an abundance of drugs specifically targeted toward different types of epilepsy. Also, we have various types of surgery as an option as well as implants including the VNS (vagus nerve stimulator) and the RNS (responsive nerve stimulation). Who knows what may be next?

Update

It has been a long time since I have written. For one reason or another, I have not posted here for several months. My life has had its ups and downs. Sometimes it felt like a roller coaster. I’d be riding a wave and then crash down, having terrible days with seizures. Each morning I wake up hoping that this day I would not have any, but then I always almost do. I think this is one reason I am tentative about many things and feel like hiding sometimes when I really should be going out and doing more productive things.

It’s not as if I am doing absolutely nothing. I volunteer, take classes to further my education, and go to interesting places to expand my horizons. However, sometimes I just can’t pick myself up. I don’t know how much of the blame should fall on the several medications I’m taking and how much is really just me and my self-initiative that just needs to be reactivated.

Epilepsy Blog Relay

The Epilepsy Blog relay, run by Jessica Keenan Smith’s Living Well with Epilepsy blog, is underway once more! It will last the whole month of June on the Living Well with Epilepsy website. You can read about the bloggers there and go to their individual stories.

Enjoy!

https://livingwellwithepilepsy.com/

https://livingwellwithepilepsy.com/epilepsy-blog-relay/june-2018-participants