epilepsy awareness

Where has the time gone? I was later life diagnosed with epilepsy back in 2012 with partial seizures. I had gone for years and years without knowing. I’ve previously posted my journey at the run up to diagnosis before, but I hadn’t really spoken about how it’s changed and why more awareness is needed. Today I want to explain my kind of epilepsy partial seizures. Many people have no idea there is more than just one kind, and how it feels. I get a combination of complex partial seizures, simple partial seizures and absences.

Struggled with diagnosis

I’ve made it no secret I was didn’t cope well with diagnosis. I became very depressed. It was because I had gone so long with people not taking me seriously, I always remember someone I once knew saying there was always something wrong with me. The thing is, there were lots of things, but it was all epilepsy

No guidance anywhere

There was nothing on the internet about partial seizures, but everything you could possibly want to find about grand mals. Until I was diagnosed I hadn’t a clue there was any more to epilepsy.

What happens with a partial seizure?

Don’t you have fits? No. Are you photosensitive? No. What does it feel likes? Partial seizures are scary. For some it’s extreme fear (what I get) or extreme joy (definitely don’t get that!!!). They last maybe 3 – 30 seconds then they are over, but I can only describe it has falling down black hole and trying desperately to get out whilst a monster is chasing you.

➡️Aura – this is like a warning something is a out to happen. It’s a weird unusual feeling
➡️Rising feeling – this runs up through me from my tummy
➡️Unusual smells or tastes – I have had metal taste before but not always
➡️Deja vu – is normally the next stage. This can be with regard to surroundings, if someone is talking it can start to feel like de ja vu
➡️ Feeling – an intense feeling of fear or joy… I get the fear as previously mention
➡️ Movements – I used to have hand twitching, lip smacking and or swallowing a lot. Now I am motionless or fidgety
➡️ Absense – during absences I will look blank

What are the seizure triggers?

They vary and recently my nocturnal partial seizures have increased. Its very scary…so what are my triggers?
➡️Stress
➡️Anxiety
➡️Lack of sleep

Taking care of yourself is so important, otherwise epilepsy can really impact more than it needs to. With all of the above, it honestly varies from one person to another. The main point of this post is to bring awareness, so if you feel like these are symptoms to what you’ve been getting, please seek medical advise.