Category: Dealing with epilepsy

Blog · Dealing with epilepsy

How I avoided seizures

Codrin PO

August 5th was an “interesting” day. I went on vacation with the family back home in Romania for about 1 month. You can take a month off when you are unemployed.

The first thing that we had to do is a passport for the baby. With some help from friends and family, we had a quick appointment at the passports service.

Immediately after this, I had a feeling. I started shivering, getting dizzy and it was difficult to stay on my feet. I took control back and avoided a seizure. I mentioned this in another article. It was a simple breathing and relaxation exercise. Continue reading “How I avoided seizures” →

Dealing with epilepsy

Trouble sleeping

Codrin PO

It’s been a few years since I slept without waking up in the middle of the night or without a headache the next day. This excludes the days when I “slept like a baby” because I was extremely tired after working, shopping, travelling and other stuff like that.

It turns out that one of the “secondary effects” of epilepsy (the disorder) is having sleep disorders. What’s odd about this is that the lack of sleep or a really disturbed sleep can cause seizures. This is also my case, my seizures being provoked by fatigue and stress.

The second thing is that anticonvulsants should have a “sleeping” effect on the body, but most of the times it ends up in giving you a constant state of fatigue like you are sleepwalking (or sleep-running the marathon) each night.

Just wondering: are sleeping pills a solution? My neurologist recommended me to take a sleeping pill once in a while, but I didn’t want to. I’ll get back to you on this.

Dealing with epilepsy

My deja-vus and what they really are to me

Codrin PO

Déjà-vu literally means “already seen“. There are moments in life when a person has the impression that what they do, see, hear already happened before. Usually, it’s just an impression.

Scientific explanation for déjà vu: there is a split-second delay in transferring information from one side of the brain to the other. One side of the brain would then get the information twice – once directly, and once from the ‘in charge’ side. So the person would sense that the event had happened before.

Continue reading “My deja-vus and what they really are to me” →

Dealing with epilepsy

My auras and how I’m controlling seizures with them

Codrin PO

I have heard and read about auras about 10 years ago when I really started documenting myself on epilepsy. I saw that, unofficially, it’s considered as a preamble for a seizure.

I never had one (or didn’t notice them) until a couple of years ago. Before a seizure, I suddenly got a shiver and a jerk in my left arm. After that, I woke up on the bathroom floor with my wife holding my head. Continue reading “My auras and how I’m controlling seizures with them” →

Blog · Dealing with epilepsy

Lance Fogan

Codrin PO

A few days ago, I followed Lance Fogan on Twitter (@lance_fogan) and he followed back.

For those that don’t know the name yet, Lance is a neurology professor at UCLA and, most importantly, one of the only authors who publish a novel focusing on epilepsy. The novel is called “Dings“.

I admit, I didn’t read the book. It is a little out of my reach today ($15 on Amazon.com or 15 £) and I don’t use a Kindle. I have an iPad instead.

But going through the excerpts found of Lance Fogan’s website, I have to say that it captures life with epilepsy, but only from the point of view of the parents. It’s still missing that “je ne sais quoi” of an epileptic’s life, but I’m sure that either Dr. Fogan or someone else will capture it more precisely.

Until then, enjoy the read if you decide to buy the book.

P.S.: NO, this is not paid content. I’m expressing my point of view.