Understanding Epilepsy
vBy Julie Eickhoff
“Everybody has something.” These three words my husband
once said have always stuck with me. The person next to you might
have a medical, health or mental condition; emotional trauma; an
impairment; anxiety troubles; crooked teeth or even just a quirky
cowlick. Everybody has something that sets them apart. I believe that
it’s nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about; it’s a way for all of us
to learn from each other. It serves as an opportunity for us to practice
understanding, kindness and compassion, something it seems our
world has gravitated away from.
I am one of the 2.9 million Americans that have epilepsy. Epilepsy,
the fourth most common neurological disease in the nation, is a brain
disorder that causes repeated seizures. The condition has been around
for decades, it’s said that the Greek philosopher Hippocrates (460-377
BC) was the first person to consider that epilepsy starts in the brain.
November Epilepsy Awareness Month gives us an opportunity to
educate others about the condition. One in twenty-six people in the
U.S. will have a seizure at some point in their life. Anyone can have a
seizure though most people do not have them under normal settings.
Seizures can happen with or without warning and can last from a
few seconds to several minutes with a variety of symptoms. There are
more than forty types of epilepsy with different causes and different
types of seizures. When most people think of a seizure, thoughts of
a jerking or twitching motion come to mind. Not all seizures involve
this. Some people will seem vacant or distant, wander around, seem
confused or make repetitive movements. Some are fully aware during
their seizure while others might not recall the incident.
Seizures can happen at any age and for various reasons. I talked
with the mothers of two brave adolescents, Kami Lammers and James
Byykkonen, who shared their epilepsy stories with me to better educate
others about the condition.
Kami
Eight-year old Kami Lammers
is a quiet and mellow young lady
who has taken part in gymnastics
and enjoys spending time with
her family and friends. Her mom,
Jackie, tells me about how Kami
began having fibrale seizures at
age one, which doctors predicted
would become less severe as she
got older. Her body temperature
would often spike, oxygen level
would drop and often generated
a seizure that mainly affected the
right side of her body. During her seizure, her body movements would
freeze or twitch slightly.
As Kami got older and continued to have the seizures, she visited
a neurologist, which took her through the long process of testing for
reasons and trying to find the best medicine to control the seizures.
She had her worst seizure about eight months ago, as she was getting
ready for bed. The seizure lasted about 38 minutes and she finally came
out of it as the specialists at the emergency room gave her Valium. As
with most of her seizures, Kami slept for several hours afterward. She
has slept as many as 18-24 hours, called the postictal phase, where her
body and brain recover from the incident.
Throughout her testing, they have found that a wide range of
scenarios can cause her seizures, including loud noises, drastic change
in body temperature, over-exertion and being startled. She has been on
four different medications to determine the right one to control them,
the most recent one appearing to be successful so far. The process
of switching to a new medication for an epileptic often takes several
weeks as they need to be weaned off the old medicine as they are
weaned on to the new one. Kami also carries additional medicine with
her to take in case she begins to have a seizure.
Jackie explains that when Kami begins to have a seizure, her
motherly instinct is to panic but she remains calm so not to alarm
her daughter. At the onset of a seizure, Kami will often be advised
to lie down or rest to give her brain a chance to relax. Jackie and her
boyfriend commend those around her for their compassion and
understanding, including friends, family and the school system.
Though seizures may or may not be genetic, Jackie is unable to find
any family history of epilepsy. Jackie’s family doesn’t have a history
of them and Kami’s dad’s side is unknown as he was adopted. The
precautionary mom closely monitors her daughter to reduce the
seizure’s severity or hopefully even prevent them. She keeps Kami on a
regular routine of getting enough sleep, eating regularly, not becoming
over-exerted or becoming over-heated.
Jackie suggests practicing compassion with others, paying attention
to their surroundings. “You don’t know what their medical history
is. Speak calmly to them if you see something is wrong. Seizures are
something that people sometimes take lightly. Don’t take them lightly.
Unfortunately, it might be life or death for somebody.”
James
James Byykkonen, age fifteen,
has recently been diagnosed with
epilepsy. His mom Melissa Schmidt,
explained to me that while their
family was outside on their farm in
June, James suddenly fell without
a cause or warning, landing facefirst on the ground and shattering
his nose. The incident not only
resulted in a broken nose, but two
broken teeth and a hematoma which
required surgery the next morning.
James has had a variety of seizures
since then, resulting in several
doctor and emergency room visits
over the last three months, trying to
determine a cause and treatment for the seizures.
The family has many irons in the fire right now while helping James
to work through the condition. They have two other children under
the age of three, run a family farm and each parent also runs a side
business. Because James also has high-functioning autism, he’s not
completely able to understand what is happening to him during the
seizures. He’s had as many has five seizures in 24 hours, ranging from
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