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The way she sings this song leaves me in such a good mood. Regina Spektor's voice, it is soothing~
The songs on this album, Far, are catchy too. At first I didn't like them as much as the first album, the more I listened to them, the more I wanted to listen to them, over and over. (Reminds me of that chips commercial...you can't eat just one...)
I work in a building that has a little "snack bar" or lunch counter. Not only is it in need of repair and very outdated, but it could use a good scrubbing down from the inside out. As sweet as the operators are, they might could use a makeover from the TLC channel too...
Today a conversation with my co-workers about this snack bar reminded me of a Nickelodeon classic, "You Can't Do That on Television".
From my latest adventures across North Carolina....
So my niece Skylar has two older brothers and has grown up in the harsh Arizona desert. She plays outdoors in a yard full of dust, cactus and stones. Not grass, mud, and trees. Although she is tough enough to run with the boys, she is still a gentle sweetheart.
My sister and her kids are visiting us in North Carolina for a couple weeks. It's so sweet how excited they get over the green lawns and all of our trees, and especially the different animals we have in our backyard. Like toads...and fireflies.
The other night we were outside eating ice cream, and Skylar held her palm out to me to show me the firefly that she had caught. The butt was still lit up, but when I looked closer the little bug wasn't moving. I said, oh, I think it is
They explored our neighbor's pond for frogs last night. Trevor caught a couple and I think Gavin and he spent the evening chasing them down.
I love summer. I would miss the fireflies and the sounds of the toads, and especially the kids playing with them if we lived in another area...oh, and a yard full of grass. But I guess Arizona has coyotes howling at night, and it is fun to see the little quail birds scurrying around, and the joshua trees are special looking too.
I was looking over the 2009 Webby Awards. Here are some websites that I think you should look at and play around with when you get the chance- (I think Altoids was my favorite for entertainment last year.)
FAIL Blog F=Failed. (Be cautious by the way...some good some not so good ie, extra Failed.)
Jason Nelson's Digital Oddities This was under the "weird" category, p.s.
Coraline Website Cool graphics and I got to put button eyes on my baby niece.
1000 Awesome Things no description necessary.
Planet Green Go Green
Netbasics Keeping your computer safe...and fun.
Hello Sour Sally I'm not sure why I like this. I think maybe it reminds me of a very slow version of Sonic the Hedgehog, the way she can bounce on the little springs up into the sky....I like it when she falls into the yogurt.
Kontain Your Life Cool stuff, from cool people, all across this cool world.
Spelling Bee (Times UK) P-H-O-N-I-C-S
Merriam Webster VISUAL I might be admitting just how slow I am....when did Merriam Webster get a VISUAL dictionary? How cool is that?! I am so quick to just type "www.m-w.com" in my explorer bar, I had know idea there was an option!
Smarthistory An online history collection.
Volunteer Teens! Do Something
Music -
http://www.nonesuch.com/
http://www.npr.org/music/
Other -
http://www.thisisgrow.com/awards/thankyou/
http://www.veryshortlist.com/home/index.cfm
http://www.joshuabudich.com/SWCollection/ - This guy has some...Start Wars collection.
http://www.madefordenim.com/ - This guy is from Raleigh.
http://www.marvel.com/create_your_own_superhero - Yep, you can bring that inner superhero to life!
News and Politics -
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
http://www.opensecrets.org/
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I would just like to take a moment to thank Danielle's mama, Danielle, and all the company's out there who manufacture aloe vera and lidocaine products. Thank you. I truly appreciated and continue to appreciate you this week. I admit it. I was a little too excited to get sun. I should have used atleast an 8...ok, at least a 15 for my first appearance at the beach this season. And I also should have reapplied every hour (I did reapply several times though, I did, honest.) I got burned.
While I am at it, I would also like to thank the cosmetic industry for their great powders and shadows that can be used to fill in temporarily, the areas that did not get as much sun and may create a rather silly look....I get to be even more creative with my eye shadow and blush colors this week. And what girl doesn't love playing with make-up. Also, thank you MAC counter girl who sold me the wrong powder months ago (it was a shade too dark) and I was too lazy to take it back. Because now it is perfect.
See, everything really does work out in the end.
So thank you Danielle (and Danielle's mama) because if you wouldn't have had that stronger Aloe with lidocaine when I got home this weekend, I would have been in more pain....and even with it, the sting is still here....so it was a wonderful thing. I love you all.
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For those who might be curious (and for fun): The make-up I used to fill in the space under my eyes that didn't get as much sun was MAC foundation and powder. Then I used just a little bit of my NARS duo eyeshadow (burnt orange/dusty yellow shades appropriately named "Sundance" and also the NARS blush "Madly". I used the tip of my finger to dab, then gently blended along the tan line, and used the powder afterwards to finish. Better than having the bright red reindeer nose to stand out!
On my way home from work yesterday I was listening to NPR's "All Things Considered", a featured story by Brian Unger about the ongoing legal issues of plagiarism against the band Cold Play. (His commentary made me laugh to myself, I think you will like it too.)
So my question: Really, is it possible to claim a copyright to such basic, and sort of universal melodies? I know that artists compile music and take ownership of it as they gain listeners, and this is where they make their living. But isn't there some ruling (or maybe there should be) that there must be a special or unique progression/riff/use of instrument/combination of...something....that truly sets the melody apart and makes it distinct? I don't think this is a crazy thought, is it?
If you haven't listened to the "argument(s)" give a listen below to the accused: Cold Play's "Viva La Vida". Then listen to the 3 accusers who are claiming plagiarism.
From left to right: Cat Stevens "Foreigner Suite"; Joe Satriani "If I Could Fly"; Creaky Boards "The Songs I Didn't Write" (word....I heard that...)
What do you think? Maybe this is so confusing and difficult a case to distinguish because the base melody in question itself is so simple. I do recall writing a tune of my own once. I believe I was 10 years-old, playing "pretend". I wrote the song down on a piece of light green notepad paper. Do you think I have a chance at any legal claims if I find the paper and hum the tune for someone? (Obviously joking.) But seriously, I agree that yes, these tunes all have a likeness, they are similar. But are they the same to the point of copyright infringement or plagiarism? I would have to say definitively - No.
If anyone has a right to this music, it is probably one of our classical forefathers who helped lay the foundations for much of the music we listen to today, like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Talk about a guy who's been ripped off without proper credit (if we are going to get down to the basic scales). Where are his royalties?
Back to the accusers: Different sounds, different genres, even different intonations in each of their voices which makes a big difference.
(I do love that the instruments are so different between each of the accusers. One uses a guitar riff, the other keyboard and bells - or is that a tambourine-like noise??, another piano and woodblock, then Cold Play is like an orchestral and electric sound.)
This is a little delayed. I attended the Full Frame documentary film festival last month in Durham, NC. There is always a new and interesting selection of documentaries at the festival.
This year I saw the film FOOD, Inc. Produced and directed by Robert Kenner, and co-produced by Eric Schlosser, the film was well-made and the issues were well-addressed. I loved it, and I want you to love it too. I left the film viewing and the Q&A afterwards feeling very informed and motivated to make some life changes. (Not just the usual hey that was great now let's forget about what we saw in about a week or a month.) The lead question posed by the filmmakers is "How much do we really know about the food we buy at our local supermarkets and serve to our families?" Well, not much really. I mean, when I think of fruit, I think of a typical state or country, a lady with fruit on her head, but not the hands that pick it or seeds, chemical and legislation that surround its development. Or if I pick up a bag of chips or sausages, I really don't think about all of the grains or farms or animals involved in that one product. (Sometimes I think to pick a "better" choice at the store, but often I'm lucky to plan an actual grocery list.)
Food, Inc covered a lot of issues and really gave the audience a big kick in the butt. We need to care about what we are buying at the supermarket, what we are eating and breathing, we should care about who we are voting for and we need to speak up rather than just hope that someone else will "take care of it".
So....I had several really cool thoughts, but then my entry didn't save. So I will try to type this back up; basically take a look at the trailer and synopsis, and I really think you should see the film when you get a chance! My thoughts range from how ridiculous the meat production industry is to the importance of consciously supporting local farmers. Also, wow, so until I watched this film, I hadn't really understood or stopped to think much about the control and influence a conglomerate like Monsanto has globally...the effect this has on seeds, farmers, politics, ingredients in and pricing of food on the supermarket shelf....wow. Hadn't thought too much about where E. Coli comes from (corn-fed cows are cheaper cows). If the industry would slow down, and if the consumer would exercise a little moderation as well, would we be at risk for such disease and economic problems that we are today?
Living in North Carolina myself, I enjoyed the point from this movie that was made about illegal immigrants and labor law issues as the Smithfield company in NC was highlighted. Most everyone who lives in North Carolina is aware that our state has a large population of illegal immigrants/workers which has not been addressed appropriately by the State and Federal governments. But for the Smithfield company to further abuse this population of people is all the more unethical and appalling.
Source of trailer and synopsis (www.foodincmovie.com)
In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that's been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of e coli--the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.
Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield Farm's Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms' Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising -- and often shocking truths -- about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.
I created this a couple months back for the class that I took this semester. (I know, I could blend it a little more, but I think I did a pretty good job my first time out.) I am working on a Web and Graphic Design certificate. This has been a lot of fun, and I can't wait to start my next class.
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Epilepsy Facts
- Epilepsy affects over 3 million Americans of all ages – more than multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and Parkinson’s disease combined. Almost 500 new cases of epilepsy are diagnosed every day in the United States. Epilepsy affects 50,000,000 people worldwide.
- In two-thirds of patients diagnosed with epilepsy, the cause is unknown.
- Epilepsy can develop at any age and can be a result of genetics, stroke, head injury, and many other factors.
- In over thirty percent of patients, seizures cannot be controlled with treatment. Uncontrolled seizures may lead to brain damage and death. Many more have only partial control of their seizures.
- The severe epilepsy syndromes of childhood can cause developmental delay and brain damage, leading to a lifetime of dependency and continually accruing costs—both medical and societal.
- It is estimated that up to 50,000 deaths occur annually in the U.S. from status epilepticus (prolonged seizures), Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), and other seizure-related causes such as drowning and other accidents.
- The mortality rate among people with epilepsy is two to three times higher than the general population and the risk of sudden death is twenty-four times greater.
- Recurring seizures are also a burden for those living with brain tumors and other disorders such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, tuberous sclerosis, and a variety of genetic syndromes.
- There is a strong association between epilepsy and depression: more than one of every three persons with epilepsy will also be affected by depression, and people with a history of depression have a higher risk of developing epilepsy.
- Historically, epilepsy research has been under-funded. Federal dollars spent on research pale in comparison to those spent on other diseases, many of which affect fewer people than epilepsy.
- For many soldiers suffering traumatic brain injury on the battlefield, epilepsy will be a long-term consequence.
source: http://www.cureepilepsy.org/about/epilepsy_facts.asp - Research to improve anticonvulsant medicines for pregnancy http://www.aedpregnancyregistry.org/
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I received my NewsWeek in the mail yesterday, and the cover read, "The Mystery of Epilepsy: Why We Must Find A Cure".
The following articles were included on the subject:
"A Storm In The Brain" by Jon Meacham http://www.newsweek.com/id/193586
"In The Grip Of The Unknown" by Jerry Adler and Eliza Gray http://www.newsweek.com/id/193484?tid=relatedcl
"Agony, Hope and Resolve: The Axelrod's Battle With Epilepsy" by Susan Axelrod http://www.newsweek.com/id/193587?tid=relatedcl
From The Editor's Desk "Epilepsy In America: What Must Be Done" by Jon Meacham http://www.newsweek.com/id/193480?tid=relatedcl
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SUPPORT
CURE: Citizens for Research in Epilepsy
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My Story
I've never taken the time to write about this in-depth before. But it is important to me. I hope that the length doesn't deter you!
When I was about 4 years old, I was diagnosed with generalized petit-mal (absence) seizures, epilepsy. The cause of my seizure disorder is still unknown; it may have been onset due to an early head trauma I had at the age of 2, or a present condition at birth and through infant development, and there are many other endless possibilities from genetics to vaccinations, etc which we will never be able to rule out for certain. I'm not sure how my parents first noticed my seizures, but ofcourse as a 3 - 4 year old I was at home with my mom playing all day, preparing for kindergarten. I'm sure that when my mom hollared at me to pick something up or jump in the car and I did not respond, but just stood still and stared straight upwards with no response, and didn't even run-off to play instead, that this may have been a tip-off that something was not quite right.
We lived in Southwest Florida at the time of diagnosis, where fortunately we found that there was a good pool of neurological resources. In fact, it turns out that my neurologist happened to live in our neighborhood, Dr. Carlin. His daughter and I met at the same bus stop and were in the same excellerated class in the 3rd grade. (I actually have a strange little memory of a petit mal seizure that I had at that bus stop - a lot of neurologists won't believe you when you say that you remember an occurrence of this seizure type.)
We went through several anticonvulsant medications as well as alternative regimens and diets in hopes of controlling or eliminating my epileptic seizures, however we were unable to find a successful treatment. (Klonipin, Dilantin, Phenobarbatol, Neurontin, Tegretol, Topamax, Depakene/Depakote...nothing worked.) After a few years of visits to specialists offices with nothing but failed attempts, my amazing parents made a decision that was perhaps not quite as difficult as one might think. They saw what these ineffective drugs were doing to my quality of life (side effects vs lack of overwhelming results) and they made decision to take me off all medication through my early teenage years. I believe that our reasoning for this included: 1-no treatments were working, so why continue when the side effects were awful (mood swings/weight gain/tired/risk of liver problems; 2-not all of the neurological medications are compatible, therefore, we found that because we had tried or were currently on a certain med, then we couldn't try another certain med...at least not in the near future. Hence, it may benefit us to give my body a break; 3-maybe there would be advancements over time and we could try again OR maybe we would get lucky and I would be one of those 50% who "grow out" of the adolescent epilepsy.
Well, several years passed by, and my seizures had not become a noticeable problem for me. I did well in school, even better since I was not on medication, never fell off my bike or ran into any walls or people when I was walking. (My brothers and sisters made fun of me, but that is inevitable.) In fact, I had to tell my friends and teachers that I had seizures because they would never know it....Unless ofcourse I was performing on a big stage at a dance recital and all the other little girls stood up and started dancing, while I sat in my pose until my episode had completed and then immediately jumped into the routine, perfect timing, in-sync. Ofcourse, even then, the rest of the kids and parents probably just thought that I had "stage-fright"!
I could usually tell when I had a seizure though, even if the doctor's didn't always believe that I could. Whether it was being able to sense that there was something missed, a moment passed, or just my body telling me that it was turning on and off, I could tell. These "little seizures" as I refer to them, could last up to 30 seconds. That's a big chunk of time if you think about the next 30 seconds you have a conversation with someone. But while I'm sure my mother was always worried about me, I never felt different, or lacked confidence due to this "disease". I never thought for a second that any of my poor performance in school or work could ever be attributed to my seizures (besides, overall, I was an honor roll student). And as for embarrassing moments, these are "absence" seizures, so we don't have to worry about losing complete control, making a scene and falling to the ground. Right?
The day finally came when we decided to reevaluate my situation. What kind of seizure activity am I having, if any? Should we try medication again, alternative therapy, etc? Afterall, I would like to be able to drive a car in a few years. We were living in Columbus, Ohio, home to The Ohio State University, and there are highly reputable hospitals and research centers in the area. The Dr. that I ended up seeing was Dr. Lo at Children's Hospital in Columbus. I think I was about 12 at the time. We scheduled another EEG (electroencephalograph) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). I wasn't nervous. I'm never nervous. I'm the weird kid who spent kindergarten at the doctor's office. One of my favorite things to do is go get an EEG. Have you ever had a lice check where they use the pick to go through your hair, and it feels good to have them lightly scratch your head....it's kindof like that when they are getting you ready for the EEG. I'm pretty sure my mom was nervous though. I love my mom. She and I have sat in so many doctor's offices together, and we have waited for so long together. Too long sometimes. I still can't believe that time we had to wait for nearly 3 hours past our normal visit time! It was awful.
The results of the EEG and MRI showed seizure activity. I'm sure we were all hoping for the miracle, that poof, my brain had just completely mended itself. But it didn't. So we began trial and error with the medications again, and yes there had been some new options to be approved on the market since our last go around, so we were hopeful. we discussed our concerns about our experiences with various medications and decided with the doctor to try Zarontin. (All the while, my mom, whom I know would worry and just wanted a quick solution to this vexing problem, continued to search for ways to experiment as well. She took me to chiropractors, homeopathic chiropractors and therapists, and tried changing up foods in my diet. But again, none of these have been cure-all solutions.)
Zarontin seemed to be a "success". I didn't experience any extreme side effects from the drug, and it appeared to limit my absence or petit-mal seizure activity. Then, during the winter of my freshmen year of highschool when I was 15 years old, I had had a horrible sinus infection and was on several prescriptions. I took an additional over the counter medicine to help "dry me out" and sleep because the other meds didn't seem to be working. Bad idea. That night, as I was falling into deep dreams, I also fell into a huge generalized tonic-clonic or grand-mal seizure! The combination of cold medication ingredients and dosing completely stripped away the effects of my seizure medication leaving me 100% vulnerable. My sister found me as she had come home late that night and was walking past my room. She heard a strange noise, which was my breathing, or wheezing as I was already seizing and not conscious. I was very confused when I came out of the episode, which lasted approximately 5 minutes. I was sore, it took me a preiod of time to understand and retain information about what had occurred....there were EMS men standing at my bed. Awkward. My few episodes since this have not been quite so distressing, more exhausting than anything. SO exhausting.
In hindsight, I don't think that the event just described was my first grand mal seizure. Later I realized that an earlier event had most likely been a seizure, but there had been nobody around to substantiate this. When I was in the 7th grade, I was getting ready for school one morning and running late, ofcourse. (This is pretty sad too, since the middle schoolers start after everyone else and this is why I was home alone; or well, my older brother was home sick and was still asleep.) But I was running late, and actually very excited for school that day because we were going to take a field trip to The Great Serpent Mound in Southern Ohio. So cool, but did I make it? Nope. I passed out cold in the bathroom when I was rushing to get ready. When I awoke I was so confused and disoriented. I had fallen so that I had turned out the light as I went down to the floor. I don't know if I hit my head on the sink or tub, it was so hard to tell because I was sore and tense all over and I had bit my tongue so hard. All I remember before I lost consciousness, was that I was having a hard time doing my hair (I was chunky and NOT cute and my hair never looked stylish in middle school) so my arms were above my head and then I was rushing so my breathing and thought patterns may have been abnormal. What makes me think this was a seizure instead of just passing out? Just how sore my body and head felt after I awoke, like it really got a work out while I was lying there on the floor, that's what. I didn't get to see the Serpent Mound. I still want to. (It's a mound shaped like a serpent, come on!)
So, new problem. After we raised the dosage on my medicine to see if this would help prevent breakthroughs, with no success, we had to find a drug that wouldn't allow either the petit mal or grand mal seizures to break through. That sucked, I won't lie to you. That reality really sucked. But hey, that's life. There have been a few moments here and there when I have become a little bummed about the fact that I have had to go on and off of medicine, or suffer side effects of some of these drugs, and take meds for the rest of my life, but those moments never last too long for me. I am one of the lucky ones who continues to see success through the trials and I also am very greatful that I have this disease rather than another disease that could be much more invasive or limiting or just plain scary. I can do this.
Speaking of complaining and bad side effects though, Depakote is the worst. In order to raise my seizure activity threshhold and control breakthroughs, I began taking Depakote. I took this for a few years. It limited my seizure activity, but I continued to have breakthroughs. At first, I just had about one grand mal every 6 months, then it appeared that they were beginning to come more frequent. It is difficult to say whether they were directly related to stress, sleep deprivation, heat, maybe other factors; but these definitely played a role. I gained a lot of weight on Depakote, I weighed over 200 lbs at one point! I was so moody, and made irrational decisions at times that I didn't recognize to be such or even connect to the medicine until later. The meds actually did make me feel disabled, ironically, as I had never before felt so disabled. There were and are times when I feel and know that there is something that I need to do, and I will plan it over and over and over, and my brain will still execute it another way (or not be able to execute it rather the way that I would like to). I appreciate very much all of the senses and methods of learning - from smell to oral communication and repitition and hands on. It's strange trying to recognize and admit something like this to yourself, because I don't typically think of myself as having any kind of a learning disability, but gradually, overtime, I think I may have developed one due to the powerful medications impacting my brain. I admit it, I'm a slow reader, a slow test-taker, it takes me a little more time to process and think through everything a little more methodically to tie it all together in my memory....I guess I'm just glad to have an extra excuse!?!
Where were we? Oh ya, so Depakote is an awful drug to take. It didn't work for me when I was little, and it didn't work for me now. It just made me feel horrible. (If it works for you, then I truly hope that your side effects are limited and that you can find a way to adjust. To those with friends on seizure meds, please be understanding of their moods and emotions, and try to communicate with them.)
By this time I was living in North Carolina, home of Research Triangle Park, major Pharmaceutical research companies as well as Duke and UNC Chapel Hill Research Hospitals. In search of a new neurologist I made one visit to Duke Hospital where I decided that I was too seasoned a patient to be a "guinea pig" for Lamictal and said 'no thank you' to their head Neurologist. My continued search for a new neurologist ended at Raleigh Neurology & Associates in Raleigh. A practice affiliated with Rex Hospital. I liked that my doctor listened to me and how I was feeling, answered my questions, and could admit to me if he couldn't answer my question. I am taking Zonegran (Zonisamide) currently, and have not had any breakthroughs on this medication, either petit mal or grand mal seizures. In August 2009, it will be 10 years since my last breakthrough! That's a pretty big milestone. It isn't something that I think about everyday, but it is always in the back of my head. I would be pretty down if something happened and I had to start the clock again.
I remember that last seizure very vividly. I was sitting on my parents couch in our family room with David, my boyfriend at the time, who was sitting in front of me on the floor. I starting feeling "weird". (That is my "aura". I feel "weird" and disoriented, begin repeating thoughts and words and within minutes I loose control of my motor skills and go into a full grand mal seizure. Additionally, my aura includes a "blood-curdling" scream at the very moment the grand mal seizure begins.) As I was sitting on the couch and began to sense my aura, David also noted that I was being repititious, and just as I told him I thought I was going to have a seizure, I let out with a scream and dropped. My hands had been resting on his shoulders and they tensed, which ofcourse sprung him to his feet! My dad, not the smallest of men, heard me scream and came with my mom from across the house. They placed a pillow under my head and tilted me to my side to alleviate my tension and clenching of the mouth. I don't shake during a seizure, I tense up and seethe, I barely sound like I am breathing. My mom says that the minutes seem so long that it is difficult for her to breathe as she watches and listens to me. This seizure lasted about 5 minutes. I came out of it and it felt like I had run a marathon, I was so sore and tired. I was told right away that I had had a seizure, but it took at least a half hour for this information to connect. I had to verify it with someone. (Please make sure that if you are ever with someone who has a seizure, stay with them for a solid amount of time to pass, so that they can understand that they have had a seizure and that they are ok. It takes a while for the brain to reboot and restore all of its memory cache full functions....like restarting a computer system after a major system error crash and shutdown.) It takes a few days to recooperate from a seizure but you never forget them, and how your body feels after one. I don't suspect it is very easy to forget a seizure that one has witnessed up close and personal either, the memory of waiting for someone to take a breath.
That was my last seizure to date! I have a very good doctor, I am blessed with a medication and research that have improved my life and the side effects of my current medication are minimal or at least they do not seem to hinder my daily activities and overall health. (Lucky for me, Zonegran has tended to effect me with weight loss rather than the weight gain effects seen in Depakote...and since we tend to be chunky people in my family, shoot....in America!! I guess the weight loss effect is a "wash".) I have had trouble with some circulation or numbness at times, as well as some emotional effects and learning blocks as mentioned before with the drug, however the benefits continue to outweigh those other negative effects experienced. I graduated from highschool taking honors classes, received a bachelor of science degree in accounting from an ACC school and I continue to take online classes for enjoyment, while considering my personal, professional and educational options. Not too bad for a girl who used to "space out" a lot in class.
So what was the point of this long summary of my experience with epileptic seizures? I don't think to discuss it openly very often. Not because I am embarrassed or scared of it, but because I don't think about the fact that I have epilepsy. I am very fortunate that my seizures are currently under control by medication. But it is a reality that I do still have epilepsy. My brain has not miraculously healed itself, and it is possible that I could have a breakthrough at any moment actually, this is a harsh reality although the probability is very low. As I read the articles in NewsWeek yesterday, I realized that perhaps I do take for granted the fact that my seizures are controlled and that there are so many others out there who still have not found a successful medication or treatment. It is very difficult to tell if someone has epilepsy. Typically, they don't wear a cast, they don't lose their hair, they don't sit in a wheel chair or look particularly old. In the last few years, I have had to refer several close friends to my neurologist's office for either epilepsy or just seizures. The occurrence rate of seizures in young people seems to be rising. I feel like I am one of these individuals that the articles are speaking to directly; I'm not vocal enough about this disease or as active in raising awareness and showing my support to others as I should be, because I DO live so close to this topic.
It is important to fund research for epilepsy and neurological disorders, it is important to know how to recognize and respond to someone who is having a seizure, and it is important to be sensitive to those who are going through trial and error on these medications which have some pretty rough side effects. Support your friends and family.
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