Letter: March 26: A day to increase awareness about epilepsy
From the letter: It's estimated that 10% of people will have at least one seizure in their lifetimes while epilepsy affects about 1 in 26 people.
To the editor:Wednesday, March 26, is Purple Day! It's the international day for increasing awareness of epilepsy. Around the world, people will be wearing purple to bring much needed attention to the condition and the people who live with it. People like me.So what is epilepsy? Briefly, it's a chronic neurological disorder that causes temporary abnormal electrical discharges called seizures that disrupt brain activity. These disruptions can range from mild, brief seizures to severe ones that can last minutes or even hours. Seizures can be caused by masses such as tumors or there might be no medically discernible cause at all.It's estimated that 10% of people will have at least one seizure in their lifetimes while epilepsy affects about 1 in 26 people. It's likely that you know someone who has epilepsy.Epilepsy is not a disease or mental health condition and it doesn't make people who suffer from it "stupid." Also, there are many types of seizures, not just the grand mal seizures that most people usually think about. I personally suffer from complex partial seizures which disrupt my thinking, perception and ability to communicate for a few seconds.Knowledge and awareness are key to recognizing and understanding epilepsy. When I first started having seizures a few years ago, I had no idea they were seizures. I thought they were just a new symptom of head and neck pain and headaches I tend to have. I never saw a doctor about the events until I ended up in the ER after having a grand mal seizure during my sleep.If you or someone you know starts to have unusual episodes of disrupted thinking, even in the slightest, see a primary health care provider ASAP to get a referral to a neurologist. If an epilepsy diagnosis is determined, don't panic! It's typically treatable with meds or sometimes surgery. Source: echopress.com, Jason Hubred