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.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It is that time of the year again, when we give thanks for the things we have, and soon we will be in the gift-giving season. In general, this is a time of good cheer and connections with family and friends. However, for people with epilepsy, it can be difficult at times. The hustle and bustle of the holiday is often stressful, which can cause seizures. Things like staying up late to socialize and going shopping among large crowds especially are especially seizure-inducing. Of course drinking alcohol is an obvious one to watch out for.

In order to regulate yourself and try to have as few seizures as possible, try to eliminate as many seizure triggers as you can.

Wishing you all a very Safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Holidays!

It is that time of year once again!  It is hard to believe the holidays are upon us once again!  I hope you are enjoying yourselves with family and friends.  This should be a joyous time of celebration for all.

Thanksgiving

I went to the Epilepsy Walk at the Rose Bowl this past Sunday.  It didn’t turn out as I expected, but the day ended up well.  I truly realized how lucky I am to have such caring and understanding friends.  It was around 10 am when my friends and I were standing

Back-to-School With Epilepsy

It is a new school year, a time of meeting old friends and making new ones.  A new year also means meeting new teachers and perhaps starting at a new school altogether.  It is a challenge for any child, but for children with epilepsy, it is even more so.  As a result, there are many things that parents need to do to prepare their child for school.  According to the Epilepsy Foundation, here are some guidelines to follow.

Seizure Triggers

Pardon my not having posted anything for over ten days.  I went on a family vacation in Hawaii for the past week and just returned a few days ago.

The vacation was very pleasant.  We did many special activities, including seeing an Ulalena show, a history of the Hawaiian people in song and dance.  We also went to a luau and tried out many restaurants, sampling traditional Hawaiian foods.

However, there was one major thing about the stay in Hawaii that was inconvenient at best, and unbearable at its worst.  The weather was nothing like I have experienced in a long time.  Not only was it hot, it was extremely humid!

The heat and humidity got so bad that, during lunch one day, it caused me to have a cluster of seizures.  This made me realize how careful I had to be and to try to keep cool and hydrated.  Obviously, heat is a seizure trigger for me.

SUDEP Awareness Day

Today was the first SUDEP Awareness Day.  That is, Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy.  Death is one of those things that people in the epilepsy community don’t like to talk about.  For decades, it has been hidden.