#MomsGotEpilepsy

Posted: February 22, 2019

I had my first seizure at the tender age of 33 (statistically, the most uncommon time in your life to present, but I'm special that way), I was also 37.5 weeks pregnant with our second child. 

I was taken by ambulance to the hospital, only becoming conscious to notice exit changes on Mopac (a local highway) and to hear them do the "Grey's Anatomy", the transfer of information from the first responders to the hospital staff. After a very scary and intense couple of hours, we had a healthy second son. We were all sent home with a clean bill of health after the standard stay in the hospital. The seizure was considered connected to the pregnancy and a "one-off."

Eighteen days later, seizure #2. This time I only remember seeing the lights of the hospital ceiling as they wheeled me through, they're very distinct. I left that hospital visit with my first seizure meds and the decision to get a tattoo. It was around this time that I was told, "everyone gets one seizure, after two you've got epilepsy."  My seizures continued, giving any new med cocktails the finger. Also taking from me the ability to carry our newborn, drive, or be alone.

I have Generalized Primary Epilepsy. In short, it comes from both sides of my brain with no known cause. I have tonic-clonic seizures (formerly known as grand mal seizures). They are the kind you see on TV because they're the most dramatic. Who wants the see the "boring" kind? It took somewhere around a year and a half to two years to get my medication right. Justin can answer most questions better than I can because there are a lot of holes in my memory. Thank you nuerological disorder!

At the beginning of this, Justin and I didn't know how to navigate this diagnosis without Googling it and bracing for the absolute worse. That is where the Epilepsy Foundation of Central & South Texas saved us. The Adult Support Group meetings became an invaluable way for us to get information and support (bet you didn't see that one coming). We met amazing people who understood what we were going through, were a lot of fun, and could put away some pizza.  

Living with epilepsy is a daily challenge, however with the help of amazing doctors, friends, family, and a plethora of pills I've been seizure-free for a long stretch now. Every case is different and others are still trying to find a way to manage their Epilepsy, you can help change that.

Posted: March 5, 2019

June 2015.

This is me with my head tied to a wall in the hospital. You can tell this is the first day I was there because I look cute and my looks slid quickly downhill, according to Justin. I was tethered in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit somewhere between five and seven days for a video EEG. A video EEG is a fun little experiment where they shove strobe lights in your face, deprive you of sleep, and take away all your meds until you start having seizures so they can record what’s going on in your brain. I don’t remember how long I was there because I forgot everything after day two-ish when I had the first seizure of my stay. I also don’t remember the entire week after.

Silver lining—this test played a huge part in understanding what was going on in my brain during the seizures. When the results of the EEG were studied and my medications were adjusted, I became fairly stable pretty quickly. So some weird captivities are worth the final result?

Okay, gotta go take some meds. Truth. #MomsGotEpilepsy