Explaining Epilepsy and Absences

Many people think Epilepsy is all about seizures. This is an element of the condition, but not the only one. There are several different types of epilepsy, photo sensitive, apathetic etc.

Some type are triggered by certain stimuli, flashing lights, the background flashes from a flourescant light, which are normally invisible. Pain can be a trigger, as can stress, loud noises and also physical illnesses.

The type of Epilepsy i suffer from is Apathetic, which to me means the doctors do not actually know what causes it. My medication prevents me from having seizures now, but absences can be somewhat of a problem.

Seizure : The electrical signals which exist within your brain become confused, as the brain tries to sort out the mass of signals it is receiving, it becomes overloaded. When the signal level reaches a certain point, your brain shuts down. This is the point when you are haveing a seizure or fit. Your muscles spasm, as they have no electrical signals telling them to stay still, and a tthis point you have no sensations at all. You have no senses or even awareness of your position or situation. The longer the seizure the more painful your recovery is. If your muscles are being extended to full capacitiy for several seconds, the recovery can be quite fast, if however the seizure last for minutes, it can take a number of days to recover physically. A long seizure can also be quite painful with cramps being present during the recovery period.

During the seizure the body loses all control, and bladder and bowel signals are also missing, so if you needed to go when you started to seize, there is a strong possibility you will go during the seizure. This is unfortunate and can be extremely embarrasing, but quite normal.

Absences : an absence manifests itself with the sufferer appearing to switch off to outside stimuli. They appear to stare and an object or feature wich could be far away or within touching distance. They do not respond to loud noises or hands waved in front of them. To someone with Epilepsy an absence feels similar to being put on pause. You are not aware of the time lost staring, you are not thinking of anything in particular or even aware of any outside stimuli. You could be stood on a busy road, but be completely unaware of where you are, who you are what you are doing. When the absence passes you just continue with what you were doing. My wife tells me i have had an absence more often then not, as mine last less than 30 seconds each.

She used to think i was being ignorant, untill a doctor explained it to us. This is where a little bit of understanding from others can make a big difference.

The medication i use is called KEPPRA, it has stopped my seizures, and greatly reduced my absences, but it does however cause short term memory loss. This side effect is preferable to seizures and absences.

More information is available on the NHS website.

With the correct medication and some understanding friends and family, Epilepsy does not have to rule your life. Sure it is still challenging at times, but i feel lucky in the fact that my particular condition is manageable.