We All Have A Purpose
As we all know…kids are people, too. (Didn’t Wonderama say that?) When the time comes, and I hope it will start to materialize while reading this book, I want to ask you to look in the mirror and know that you, too, are an important member of society. We were all put here on Earth for a reason. Whether it’s to show everyone around us how fortunate they are in comparison to the next guy or to help assist others with their affliction. My dad used to say…and he is one hundred percent correct “If we all put our troubles in a bag marked with our name on it and were given the opportunity to take someone else’s bag of troubles in exchange for our own, we would all take our own bag back!” You’d probably agree. This is for one simple reason. We’ve dealt with our own afflictions our entire life and know what we are dealing with.
Look deep inside yourself and ask what your gifts and talents are that you would like to put into action in order to help others in need. If you are the one afflicted with epilepsy reading this book, I urge you to take much time to yourself and see if you would like to do the same thing I’m doing...or anything else that can enhance the lives of others. This is not going to materialize over night. That I can promise you. There are many more ways to support our cause.
Join epilepsy chat groups where you can discuss the subject with others. Join organizations that are geared to finding a cure for epilepsy. Join or plan charitable events and fund raisers for epilepsy either on your front yard to collect money for worthy causes, run a bake-sale or anything else you can come up with.
Something that is also worth looking at is giving back to other communities that you hold near and dear to your heart that have absolutely nothing to do with epilepsy. Remember…even though we are getting the word out as far as epilepsy is concerned, we can support other groups as well. The universe knows what is in our hearts and feels the energy we give off when we help others in need no matter what the cause. That's the beauty of the univerThere is nothing better than giving back.
Find Your God Given Talents
Before I lived on my own, my late mother always prepared dinner for us. I, for the most part, watched my mom cook. Unlike myself at this stage of my life where I eat a very healthy diet, she always fried everything we ate. From cutlets to eggplant to veal. Great Italian food but bad for the arteries! Anyway, I was a pretty good cook when I ventured out on my own and managed to come up with some pretty good dishes as described with my ex girlfriend. The internet became my best friend and I always acquired new and different recipes off of there. My problem, as I am sure a lot of my readers can to relate to is that I could never, to this day, memorize a recipe so I always had to refer back every time I wanted to prepare a given dish again.
Fast forward to the present. After getting back from South Carolina, I became very health conscious and began drinking half of my body weight in alkaline ionized water and cooking all of my meals in a very healthy way. I cut out meat, fried foods, anything that had preservatives, etc. Now this is what I am really getting at when it comes to finding our hidden talents. I never ever baked in my entire life until becoming home bound due to epilepsy. I did not intend on baking but due to myself being health conscious, I did not like what I was reading on the boxes of store-bought cookies and cakes (Or any other foods on the shelves of a grocery store) so I began to bake my own pies, cakes and cookies. They have not-so-good for the body ingredients as all baked goods do. But the one thing they do not have is any kind of preservatives. I might just be a snob, but it turned out that I am a very good baker as well as cook. This activity also allowed me to concentrate on something that took my mind off of my epilepsy and acted as my mental drug.
Support From Family & Friends
Get Educated
It’s very important to sit down with family and friends including the afflicted and discuss the happenings of that person’s specific category of epilepsy and the types of seizures that are acquired. This is not only important to put the awareness out to other people on the topic in and of itself. It’s specifically important because family members as well as friends need to know what type of first aid to administer in case of a serious seizure. Especially with children. The vast majority of people in my family including my immediate family cannot even begin to tell us what epilepsy is other than scary.
Join on line groups and organizations that will not only give statistics on epilepsy. But those of us who collectively share our knowledge with each other will be educating us on things we do not already know about epilepsy. On line organizations are a great place to start as it is the easiest and fastest way to connect with like-individuals in large numbers who are either afflicted with epilepsy or have friends or family that have the disorder.
Epilepsy does not discriminate. No matter what age, race or gender. Epilepsy strikes two hundred thousand people each year and over three million Americans will experience a seizure for some reason or another not related to epilepsy. Ten percent of the American population will experience a seizure in there lifetime. To clarify...that means ten percent will experience a seizure. Not be diagnosed with epilepsy. There is a difference.
Unconditional Love, Friendship & Acceptance
Always be a shoulder to lean on for children or adults fighting the ignorance with epilepsy. Children in school will be pushed to the maximum. Either they may be labeled as a loaner or as a “freak” from there peers. It’s the nature of the beast with children. They are mean, cruel and relentless when someone is not willing to fight back. (Physically and emotionally) It is very critical to know what’s in your child’s mind, especially if they have a weak mindset and feel like everyone hates them.
As a parent, you can set up “play dates” for your children with others. A friend of the parent who also has children is a very good way to go since there is mutuality between both parties. I used to do this with my second cousin as she lived in my neighborhood. My mom and I would go to her aunt’s house and have coffee with each other while my cousin and I would go outside to her stream and either catch frogs or search for earth worms. Just as I mentioned in chapter one; that was like a place of peace because I knew everyone around myself accepted me for who I was.
This goes out to children fighting our affliction:
Become your own advocate by supporting others in your inner-circle that’s fighting some other affliction. Something that has absolutely nothing to do with epilepsy. Do this without divulging that you have epilepsy until you both realize that you are mutual friends that give unconditional support towards one another. (Better known as testing the waters) Afterwords, tell your buddy about your epilepsy. If they have no negative action towards you afterwords I guarantee you will have a friend for life. The two of you will be able to connect on a level that no other person can. It’s instinctual. Everybody has a thousand acquaintances; but it’s a diamond in the rough to find that special guy or gal that is a true friend. The bond will be inseparable. An angel once wrote: “Many people will walk in and out of your life but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.”
We Are Not Alone!
Back in my youth, I had a second uncle (Father of my second cousin I used to catch frogs with. He is now deceased) who was also stricken with seizures. As a youth, he was playing at the bottom of a hill and someone rolled a wheel-barrow down the hill which struck him in the head. Shortly thereafter, he developed seizures...some of which I recollect him telling me were grand-mal...that occurred until his early twenties. Then they just went away on there own after he suffered a severe grand-mal. He also had a noticeable dent on his head from the injury.
I have a really close friend whose son has multiple disabilities; one of which is epilepsy. He, too, has been on multiple prescription drugs and nothing seemed to calm his seizures until she started him on Vimpat. She told me that he would, over time, build up a tolerance to all drugs that worked a bit. But over a given span of time, they just had no positive effect anymore. I can relate, as I’m sure many of you readers can on this very subject. The worse part about this entire scenario is that, and I feel so bad about this issue, his mom has no way of communicating with him to ask what side effects he may be getting from the medication he is presently taking. He is such a loving little boy. I’ll never forget, and it brings tears to my eyes, when she said to me in no uncertain terms that she just wished she could hear him say, I love you, mom!
Sometimes she will get very upset with certain happenings due to her Childs affliction with epilepsy. One example is when my family and some friends gathered one holiday season to celebrate together. My dad found her crying on the porch outside and asked her what was wrong. She explained to him that her son had bumped into a Christmas fixture and accidentally broke it so she felt bad. I did not know about this until after the fact or I would have comforted her as well since I, too, can relate to some of her frustrations.
I firmly believe that God creates no accidents in this life. We are all put here on this earth to make a difference to mankind. That little boy brings constant love to his family and friends. The most precious thing he brings is unconditional love as I stated about my late dog, Sam, and does not ever prejudge anyone. He screeches at the top of his voice as if he wants to speak to you. Priceless!
I became a member of epilepsy.com a little while after having come back to New York to see what other people were saying about there experiences and how they were dealing with Epilepsy. People, new and old to the subject, always had a lot of advice and questions on epilepsy in regards to how we can improve our lives both socially and mentally. Soon afterwords, on December 1st, 2008, I came across a ladies profile asking if anyone had any advice for her on epilepsy as she had just acquired it at the age of forty six and felt alone on the subject. I immediately wrote her back and offered her as much advice as I could at the present time of inquiry. Soon afterwords, we started to exchange personal Emails on a daily basis and have been supporting each other ever since. Support from family and friends are very important. However, support from others afflicted with the same disorder is priceless when we can directly relate to exactly what we are all experiencing.
In late August of 2010, I was searching for information on epilepsy from others who are afflicted with the disorder. I came across a ladies personal web site. She resides in Canada and had one of the most horrific experiences with epilepsy that I have ever heard. From short-term memory loss within five minutes of speaking to someone to not even knowing who her family members were. And please take note: I am talking about while she was not having a seizure. Her memory, from her seizures being so severe, was being torn apart. I immediately called her up and we instantaneously became good friends because of our strong connection. She was very helpful at introducing me to other natural forms of nourishment for the assistance of treating seizures. This form of natural treatment is what put an end to her seizures. I am so happy for her. I introduced my friend in Delaware to her and they, too, became friends.
Advice For Anyone Afflicted With Epilepsy
Do not ever let anyone steal your aspirations and dreams. Not your parents or any other member of your family. It’s very hard to “let go”…especially a mother. However, you have every right to and can accomplish anything you wish to do. From your choice of career to who you would like to “give back” to in this vast community we live in.
Advice For Parents With Children Afflicted With Epilepsy
Seizure Triggers
Not all epileptics have the same reactions to certain triggers. We all have certain thresholds that can sustain more or less of a certain trigger than other epileptics do. Depending on a persons sex will also determine what may or may not induce a seizure. Here a some examples of what can induce seizures in epileptics:
As we all know…kids are people, too. (Didn’t Wonderama say that?) When the time comes, and I hope it will start to materialize while reading this book, I want to ask you to look in the mirror and know that you, too, are an important member of society. We were all put here on Earth for a reason. Whether it’s to show everyone around us how fortunate they are in comparison to the next guy or to help assist others with their affliction. My dad used to say…and he is one hundred percent correct “If we all put our troubles in a bag marked with our name on it and were given the opportunity to take someone else’s bag of troubles in exchange for our own, we would all take our own bag back!” You’d probably agree. This is for one simple reason. We’ve dealt with our own afflictions our entire life and know what we are dealing with.
Look deep inside yourself and ask what your gifts and talents are that you would like to put into action in order to help others in need. If you are the one afflicted with epilepsy reading this book, I urge you to take much time to yourself and see if you would like to do the same thing I’m doing...or anything else that can enhance the lives of others. This is not going to materialize over night. That I can promise you. There are many more ways to support our cause.
Join epilepsy chat groups where you can discuss the subject with others. Join organizations that are geared to finding a cure for epilepsy. Join or plan charitable events and fund raisers for epilepsy either on your front yard to collect money for worthy causes, run a bake-sale or anything else you can come up with.
Something that is also worth looking at is giving back to other communities that you hold near and dear to your heart that have absolutely nothing to do with epilepsy. Remember…even though we are getting the word out as far as epilepsy is concerned, we can support other groups as well. The universe knows what is in our hearts and feels the energy we give off when we help others in need no matter what the cause. That's the beauty of the univerThere is nothing better than giving back.
Find Your God Given Talents
Before I lived on my own, my late mother always prepared dinner for us. I, for the most part, watched my mom cook. Unlike myself at this stage of my life where I eat a very healthy diet, she always fried everything we ate. From cutlets to eggplant to veal. Great Italian food but bad for the arteries! Anyway, I was a pretty good cook when I ventured out on my own and managed to come up with some pretty good dishes as described with my ex girlfriend. The internet became my best friend and I always acquired new and different recipes off of there. My problem, as I am sure a lot of my readers can to relate to is that I could never, to this day, memorize a recipe so I always had to refer back every time I wanted to prepare a given dish again.
Fast forward to the present. After getting back from South Carolina, I became very health conscious and began drinking half of my body weight in alkaline ionized water and cooking all of my meals in a very healthy way. I cut out meat, fried foods, anything that had preservatives, etc. Now this is what I am really getting at when it comes to finding our hidden talents. I never ever baked in my entire life until becoming home bound due to epilepsy. I did not intend on baking but due to myself being health conscious, I did not like what I was reading on the boxes of store-bought cookies and cakes (Or any other foods on the shelves of a grocery store) so I began to bake my own pies, cakes and cookies. They have not-so-good for the body ingredients as all baked goods do. But the one thing they do not have is any kind of preservatives. I might just be a snob, but it turned out that I am a very good baker as well as cook. This activity also allowed me to concentrate on something that took my mind off of my epilepsy and acted as my mental drug.
Support From Family & Friends
Get Educated
It’s very important to sit down with family and friends including the afflicted and discuss the happenings of that person’s specific category of epilepsy and the types of seizures that are acquired. This is not only important to put the awareness out to other people on the topic in and of itself. It’s specifically important because family members as well as friends need to know what type of first aid to administer in case of a serious seizure. Especially with children. The vast majority of people in my family including my immediate family cannot even begin to tell us what epilepsy is other than scary.
Join on line groups and organizations that will not only give statistics on epilepsy. But those of us who collectively share our knowledge with each other will be educating us on things we do not already know about epilepsy. On line organizations are a great place to start as it is the easiest and fastest way to connect with like-individuals in large numbers who are either afflicted with epilepsy or have friends or family that have the disorder.
Epilepsy does not discriminate. No matter what age, race or gender. Epilepsy strikes two hundred thousand people each year and over three million Americans will experience a seizure for some reason or another not related to epilepsy. Ten percent of the American population will experience a seizure in there lifetime. To clarify...that means ten percent will experience a seizure. Not be diagnosed with epilepsy. There is a difference.
Unconditional Love, Friendship & Acceptance
Always be a shoulder to lean on for children or adults fighting the ignorance with epilepsy. Children in school will be pushed to the maximum. Either they may be labeled as a loaner or as a “freak” from there peers. It’s the nature of the beast with children. They are mean, cruel and relentless when someone is not willing to fight back. (Physically and emotionally) It is very critical to know what’s in your child’s mind, especially if they have a weak mindset and feel like everyone hates them.
As a parent, you can set up “play dates” for your children with others. A friend of the parent who also has children is a very good way to go since there is mutuality between both parties. I used to do this with my second cousin as she lived in my neighborhood. My mom and I would go to her aunt’s house and have coffee with each other while my cousin and I would go outside to her stream and either catch frogs or search for earth worms. Just as I mentioned in chapter one; that was like a place of peace because I knew everyone around myself accepted me for who I was.
This goes out to children fighting our affliction:
Become your own advocate by supporting others in your inner-circle that’s fighting some other affliction. Something that has absolutely nothing to do with epilepsy. Do this without divulging that you have epilepsy until you both realize that you are mutual friends that give unconditional support towards one another. (Better known as testing the waters) Afterwords, tell your buddy about your epilepsy. If they have no negative action towards you afterwords I guarantee you will have a friend for life. The two of you will be able to connect on a level that no other person can. It’s instinctual. Everybody has a thousand acquaintances; but it’s a diamond in the rough to find that special guy or gal that is a true friend. The bond will be inseparable. An angel once wrote: “Many people will walk in and out of your life but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.”
We Are Not Alone!
Back in my youth, I had a second uncle (Father of my second cousin I used to catch frogs with. He is now deceased) who was also stricken with seizures. As a youth, he was playing at the bottom of a hill and someone rolled a wheel-barrow down the hill which struck him in the head. Shortly thereafter, he developed seizures...some of which I recollect him telling me were grand-mal...that occurred until his early twenties. Then they just went away on there own after he suffered a severe grand-mal. He also had a noticeable dent on his head from the injury.
I have a really close friend whose son has multiple disabilities; one of which is epilepsy. He, too, has been on multiple prescription drugs and nothing seemed to calm his seizures until she started him on Vimpat. She told me that he would, over time, build up a tolerance to all drugs that worked a bit. But over a given span of time, they just had no positive effect anymore. I can relate, as I’m sure many of you readers can on this very subject. The worse part about this entire scenario is that, and I feel so bad about this issue, his mom has no way of communicating with him to ask what side effects he may be getting from the medication he is presently taking. He is such a loving little boy. I’ll never forget, and it brings tears to my eyes, when she said to me in no uncertain terms that she just wished she could hear him say, I love you, mom!
Sometimes she will get very upset with certain happenings due to her Childs affliction with epilepsy. One example is when my family and some friends gathered one holiday season to celebrate together. My dad found her crying on the porch outside and asked her what was wrong. She explained to him that her son had bumped into a Christmas fixture and accidentally broke it so she felt bad. I did not know about this until after the fact or I would have comforted her as well since I, too, can relate to some of her frustrations.
I firmly believe that God creates no accidents in this life. We are all put here on this earth to make a difference to mankind. That little boy brings constant love to his family and friends. The most precious thing he brings is unconditional love as I stated about my late dog, Sam, and does not ever prejudge anyone. He screeches at the top of his voice as if he wants to speak to you. Priceless!
I became a member of epilepsy.com a little while after having come back to New York to see what other people were saying about there experiences and how they were dealing with Epilepsy. People, new and old to the subject, always had a lot of advice and questions on epilepsy in regards to how we can improve our lives both socially and mentally. Soon afterwords, on December 1st, 2008, I came across a ladies profile asking if anyone had any advice for her on epilepsy as she had just acquired it at the age of forty six and felt alone on the subject. I immediately wrote her back and offered her as much advice as I could at the present time of inquiry. Soon afterwords, we started to exchange personal Emails on a daily basis and have been supporting each other ever since. Support from family and friends are very important. However, support from others afflicted with the same disorder is priceless when we can directly relate to exactly what we are all experiencing.
In late August of 2010, I was searching for information on epilepsy from others who are afflicted with the disorder. I came across a ladies personal web site. She resides in Canada and had one of the most horrific experiences with epilepsy that I have ever heard. From short-term memory loss within five minutes of speaking to someone to not even knowing who her family members were. And please take note: I am talking about while she was not having a seizure. Her memory, from her seizures being so severe, was being torn apart. I immediately called her up and we instantaneously became good friends because of our strong connection. She was very helpful at introducing me to other natural forms of nourishment for the assistance of treating seizures. This form of natural treatment is what put an end to her seizures. I am so happy for her. I introduced my friend in Delaware to her and they, too, became friends.
Advice For Anyone Afflicted With Epilepsy
Do not ever let anyone steal your aspirations and dreams. Not your parents or any other member of your family. It’s very hard to “let go”…especially a mother. However, you have every right to and can accomplish anything you wish to do. From your choice of career to who you would like to “give back” to in this vast community we live in.
- Be a goal-setter. Buy books, DVD’s and audio CD’s that will develop your mind and allow you to brainstorm ideas and become a more educated person. Set up a vision board by cutting out pictures of things you want to do, tape them to a cork-board and look at them every day.
- Do some soul-searching, whether you work a full time job or not, and find your gift that God gave you. We all have that specific talent that we were put on earth to utilize which helps people become a better, more productive member of society. And more often than not, it is within our affliction or talent that this gift lies in. Remember, just like a good friend and family…the best things in life are free!
- Get the word out on epilepsy. Yes this is easier said than done, especially by children at a very young age. I will not lie to you as it took me forty one years as previously mentioned. However, it is very important for the education of people to know about our disorder. Especially our families who it’s fallen on deaf ears because of the lack of communication. Epilepsy is not taboo. It’s an affliction.
- If you cook / have a passion to cook and bake like myself, be cognizant of your signals that you may acquire before the episode actually kicks in. When this does occur, immediately turn your stove / oven off and move to a safe area to be sure you do not burn yourself. This can be challenging for a couple of reasons. And I do not want to put ideas in your head if you’ve never thought of them before. However, we epileptics want to be as normal as everyone else so we neglect to take that extra step to keep ourselves safe. The other reason is that seizures, depending on what type of epilepsy afflicts us, have a tendency to “ sneak up on us” so we do not get a chance to safely react.
- Eat a natural and nutritional diet. Keep far and away from anything in a box that contains preservatives and food dyes. People do not realize, for example, that cheese snacks contain food dyes that make them look like they contain real cheese. They do not. In fact, if you watched what the process is to create those products, you’d never eat them again! I draw this parallel for people when it is asked of me what a good and healthy diet is. I explain it like this: Look outside your window and observe all wildlife. We as human beings are given a signal as to what nature intended us to eat. Natural fruits, vegetables, meat, fish and water that are untouched (no preservatives, no hormone injections, no pesticides, etc.) Even our water is unstructured (fancy terminology that takes more explaining than the term itself) and treated with chlorine.
- If you drive a dirt bike (off road) or a bicycle, always wear a helmet. This is a golden rule for everyone but some people, especially little boys as they like to be show-offs and think that they are invincible.
- Join your favorite charities. Giving back to the community regardless as to whether or not you are afflicted with epilepsy will lift your spirits. Helping charities such as wildlife, domestic animals via animal organizations like the ASPCA or people with other disabilities will give you more self esteem than you will know what to do with. If you cannot locate a specific organization that you are passionate about because it does not reside in your state or immediate area, do not be afraid of donating to them monetarily or by sending them something like toys for animals and children at holiday time. Every organization can use money to fund there medications, vehicle maintenance, facilities and so forth.
- Never take your doctors recommendation as gospel. Go to other resources such as the Internet, books and your parents to study each and every medication you are put on by your neurologist. Research surgical procedures to study there risks. (weigh the pros and cons)
- Keep a seizure diary as this may help your neurologist or epileptologist better diagnose your case.
- Meditate. Meditation is a very good way to calm the mind and re-set the check valve…if you will. I listen to Reike which works really well for my self. You can go to www.amazon.com or virtually any music store to purchase the audio CD’s. I use them all the time, even while I am working. You will see on the case that Reike calms the mind by vibrations that are not picked up on even while listening to the music. That is the sole function behind Reike.
- Never ever take your doctors, neurologists or epileptologists word as gospel. They can be wrong with your diagnosis and – or your medications. I almost had heart failure due to medications!
- Always be selective about your neurologist. You can sense if they are genuine or are just interested in getting you out of the office in order to see the next patient so they can get more cash in there pockets and be on time for the next lunch date. I experienced this and the only reason I stay with him is so my dad does not have to travel forty five minutes each way to another neurologist.
- Do NOT rush into brain surgery or any type of invasive device. Neurologists are quick to cut into you as it puts more money into their pockets. Do your research with your parents and get all ideas on the table and come to a rational decision about which step is best to take next.
- Research and find out about naturopathic remedies that may enhance your quality of life. Research vitamins, oils such as fish oil (Don’t worry, they are flavored!), Nerofeedback and the like. (See references)
- Always ask for name-brand medications. There are “generic” medications out there on the market that the insurance tries to force on you so they do not have to pay more out of pocket. I advise you to take all brand-name medications. Think of it this way. If brand and generic were the same chemical make-up, why would one be more expensive than the other?
- Go on web sites and exchange ideas and experiences with other epileptics. (See references) Take comfort in knowing that there are more epileptics in society than we assume there are. We are not alone.
- Take full responsibility for all of your life. Be your own boss, take advice from people that know, love and care about you. Once you become more educated on the topic, give back. Help others so they are not lost in a world that they think they have no way of getting help with.
- Please don’t do what I did by driving if your seizures take your attention away from what you are doing. As you grow and mature, you will realize that taking the time to get your epilepsy under control before doing anything that could ultimately change your life forever and leave a void in some families life will be one thing that you will not regret. Don’t do what I did just to acquire a little freedom. I almost killed someone in the process as well as destroy my life emotionally forever.
Advice For Parents With Children Afflicted With Epilepsy
- Get your child, especially if they are young, a pet. Specifically a dog. Dogs have a way about them that they can sense something being wrong and can be very protective. I believe it is a sort of ammonia that comes off of the person having the seizure along with the obvious physical actions such as twitching and jerking that a dog picks up in advance. They are also more interactive and playful which allows the child’s mind to focus on the positive. My advice…Don’t buy a Terrier as they tend to be high-strung. Try a Retriever of some sort…Golden Retriever, Yellow or a Black Labrador Retriever. A service dog specifically trained for seizure detection is also an option but some find them too expensive.
- If your child wishes to go to epilepsy events that support the cause; especially children they can interact with, find them in your area for epileptics who have a get together with one another about epilepsy. Take your child (drive them to and from the event but be cognizant as to whether or not they want you to attend with them) to be with friends regardless whether or not their friend is afflicted. We want normalcy in our children’s lives. This is not a pity party. Children need and want independence, too and there are many ways to support other epileptics.
- Be careful when your child reaches adolescence and the age to drive that depression does not become a factor. Seeing other kids the same age driving and doing things whenever they wish can and will need you to lend more support and time towards your child.
- It is my advice to inform your child’s school teachers / principal of there situation so they can be closely monitored. I also advise you to have all staff keep it confidential from other students. Class mates can and will be cruel. They are cruel enough as it is. Remember, however, that no child…including yours is an angel by any stretch of the imagination!
- Always assist your child, no matter if they are that age of “independence,” into the doctors office as you will most definitely be able to give their doctor clearer information on their epilepsy especially if it was acquired either from birth or at an early stage of their life. Severity of the affliction plays a significant role in this as well as some epileptics can forget very easily what has happened including in there everyday lives without the onset of a seizure.
- As a parent, always reinforce to your child…regardless of their age, that they can accomplish anything they choose to do. Remember, everyone is graced with a gift from God.
- If feasible, put an alarm system on all exterior doors especially ones leading to an in-ground swimming pool. Some of the most horrid accidental deaths happen via drowning. Please take this extra precaution.
- Depending on the type of seizures…especially if you are a parent reading this book, never let your child swim alone even with a life preserver. If the child inverts from there back, it could very possibly lead to drowning.
- Always leave bathroom doors unlocked. I know of epileptics with severe cases that have almost drowned in a bathtub and until this very day fear taking a bath. And let’s face it…As an adult, who wants to be supervised? So avoid this possibility at all costs with children by taking this simple step.
- Always use electrical outlet guards and stair guards for toddlers. Also, monitor your child around oscillating fans. There is an alternative fan that can be used that has absolutely no propellers what-so-ever. (See references)
- Put your child on a proper food diet. Feed them food that has absolutely no preservatives at all. You should virtually live in the produce isle and buy as much organics as you can get your hands on. Yes, there are other products on the market that are “natural and organic” but if it takes a factory to produce them, they are not your best choice to feed your child. Also, keep away from foods / snacks that contain food dyes, all forms of dairy, soy, corn and wheat. A lot of meat packaging will say "all natural" and "grain fed" but they are fed with soy and corn which is bad for the body. Not just epileptics. But for all of us. (See references)
- Find natural and beneficial supplements for your child to take in addition to eating properly. Bottled water is better than tap water as it contains no chlorine. But just short of those facts, bottled water is not so good, either. The best bet is alkaline ionized water generated from a machine that is hooked up to your sink. This goes a step beyond the filters you will see in stores as alkaline water is not only filtered but it is electrically charged making it alkaline. The only natural, untouched water that is alkaline is up in the Rocky Mountains where it has been untouched. No holding tanks, no chlorine, no BPA’s. (Bisphenol) There is also an alternative that you can look into called Neurofeedback. This is a non-evasive therapy that may prove beneficial but should be looked into very carefully before spending the money to proceed as most insurance will not cover it.
Seizure Triggers
Not all epileptics have the same reactions to certain triggers. We all have certain thresholds that can sustain more or less of a certain trigger than other epileptics do. Depending on a persons sex will also determine what may or may not induce a seizure. Here a some examples of what can induce seizures in epileptics:
- Flashing Lights
- Stress
- Not Enough Sleep
- Menstrual Cycle (Women)
- Poor Eating and Drinking Habits (Preservatives, Food Dyes, Sugar, Raw Flour, Soy, Corn, Dairy of Any Kind, Wheat as a Few Examples)
- Alcohol Consumption
- Missing Prescription Drug Dosages as Recommended by Physician
- Purposely Stopping Medication
- Use of Illegal Drugs
- Direct Sunlight (Hats and sunglasses seem to be very helpful to some)
