Epilepsy raison d'être

Epilepsy is a medical condition that originates from the brain. It occurs when the brain, normally a well-ordered organ managing thousands of tasks on a daily basis, suddenly halts and throws the whole system into confusion. (Marshall, 1998, 1). This is, of course, not a precise nor a medical explanation of epilepsy.

Medical practitioners will talk about how the brain’s electrons ’short circuits’, which will then give rise to the symptoms of epilepsy, which range from mild to violent seizures, foaming at the mouth, biting of the tongue, signs of confusion, involuntary movements of the head (typically sideways) accompanied by rolling of the eyes. It is an old disorder and Julius Caesar is suspected of suffering from it.

While much has been studied about this condition, there is no real cure for it, except perhaps surgery to remove that part of the brain that has been identified to be causing the problem. That, sometimes, is a big IF because epilepsy may have no known cause, what is known as idiopathic epilepsy. However, given the advances in diagnostic imaging in recent years, many cases of unexplained epilepsy has been more clearly diagnosed. However, even with the current state of the art in medicine and technology (well, at least as far as I know), the risks from a surgical solution is not inconsiderable, so typically, a person suffering from epilepsy will have to be on medication for the rest of his/her life. Because many epilepsy medicine with little adverse side-effects are available, this form of long term treatment has become more acceptable.

I am not a medical doctor and this blog does not recommend any treatment for the condition. A person who sufferers from epilepsy should consult a qualified medical practitioner to have the condition brought under control and, if possible, remedied. Rather this blog is about living with epilepsy, from the sufferer’s perspective as well as how families, friends, acquaintances and strangers can know how to be comfortable in handling a condition that is, sadly, often misunderstood.

I know because I suffer from epilepsy.