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Epilepsy Foundation asking everyone to “get seizure smart”

Posted on November 1, 2011 at 1:42 pm

Epilepsy Foundation asking everyone to “get seizure smart”.

According to the Epilepsy Foundation, nearly three million people have epilepsy in the United States

October 26, 2011|Susan Bahorich | Reporter

It’s one of the least understood medical conditions – even though one in three people knows someone who has epilepsy.

According to the Epilepsy Foundation, nearly three million people have epilepsy in the United States, alone. As the foundation kicks off its campaign, it’s asking everyone to “get seizure smart.”

“I would feel disoriented, confused. Like this is not my home. That sort of thing.” For Melissa Bryan, that’s how it started. “The doctor said I was depressed. This is normal. You’re overloaded with things in your life, this is okay. He decided to give me anti-depressants. It didn’t go away. In fact, it got worse.”

Until one day. “I crashed my car in an automobile accident – it’s the first time I had a Grand Mal seizure.”

Bryan was taken to the hospital, where doctors finally discovered she had epilepsy. “I was glad I was going to get a medication that was going to stop all this confusion going on in my head, I wasn’t going crazy.”

These days she controls her epilepsy with medication and hasn’t had a major seizure in years. But she worries about the misconceptions of the disorder. “I think people are afraid or fearful about people who have seizures.”

So, The Epilepsy Foundation is trying to educate the public. “If you saw someone having a seizure would you know what to do? And, in many cases the answer is no,” said Lisa Boylan. “You absolutely, never ever put something in the mouth of a person who is having a seizure. Someone having a seizure will not swallow their tongue it is not possible.”

The Epilepsy Foundation says the best thing to do if someone is having a seizure is to move away any sharp objects or furniture that might be nearby.