Category: Not too personal

Dealing with epilepsy · Misconceptions · Not too personal

The Lifestyle Trap: It’s Not Just “Stress”

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If I had a Euro for every time someone suggested a “lifestyle change” to cure my epilepsy, I could probably fund my own research lab. We’ve all heard it: “Have you tried yoga?” “Maybe you should quit gluten.” “Is it just because you’re stressed?”

While sleep and stress management are vital tools for any chronic condition, there is a dangerous misconception that epilepsy is a failure of discipline. It frames a neurological disorder as a lack of “wellness.” When people offer these tips, they are often trying to be helpful, but they are also trying to make sense of something scary. If it’s just about “stress,” then it’s something they can control. If it’s a random electrical storm in the brain, that’s much more unsettling.

Continue reading “The Lifestyle Trap: It’s Not Just “Stress”” →
Not too personal · Dealing with epilepsy

The “Epilepsy Tax” on Time

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Most people measure their productivity in hours or task lists. For those of us with epilepsy, we have to account for a hidden “tax” on our time that no one else sees. It isn’t just the few minutes a seizure might last; it’s the hours, or sometimes days, that follow.

When a seizure ends, the world expects you to “reset” because you look like yourself again. But internally, the brain is rebooting like an old computer after a crash. There is the post-ictal fog where words feel just out of reach, the crushing fatigue that no amount of coffee can fix, and the mental “re-calibration” required to remember what you were doing before the lights went out.

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Dealing with epilepsy · Misconceptions · Not too personal

Myths debunked #2: epilepsy and a sex life

Codrin PO

There is a common myth that people with epilepsy cannot have a healthy sex life or that engaging in sexual activity can trigger seizures. This misconception is not true and can lead to unnecessary fear and stigma surrounding the topic.

The reality is that epilepsy, in most cases, does not directly affect a person’s ability to have a fulfilling sex life. Epilepsy is primarily a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures, and its impact on sexual function varies from person to person.

Continue reading “Myths debunked #2: epilepsy and a sex life” →
Blog · Dealing with epilepsy · Not too personal

The “No way out” line you get at the beginning

Codrin PO

There are two types of reactions from doctors when you’re newly diagnosed and three types of reactions from people with epilepsy.

People would epilepsy can be split into the “don’t give a f*ck, I’ll do what I want” and the “I need to close myself into a closet made of pillows to not get hurt”. Plus there are those that make Google richer: searching non-stop for info about epilepsy: causes, triggers, treatment, online chats, epilepsy fellowships to colleges (yes, these exist in some countries), etc.

Doctors can either try to comfort you or simply tell you what you have and show you the door.

I would like to speak about the second category. Continue reading “The “No way out” line you get at the beginning” →

Dealing with epilepsy · Not too personal

World Economic Forum, epilepsy and dealing with it

Codrin PO

I was reading this morning one of David Nabarro’s reflections: HERE. It’s about chronic or non-communicable diseases, NCD’s in the eyes of the WHO. I haven’t seen any mention about epilepsy anywhere so I decided to dig deeper.

As the World Economic Forum is taking place these days and the hot subject is the “middle class”, there are many mentions regarding health in the discussions. No mention of idiopathic diseases, neurological disorders and more like this.

I know that epilepsy is not as “cool” like HIV, cancer, diabetes, polio. But really, not even one mention?!? Continue reading “World Economic Forum, epilepsy and dealing with it” →