becomes disrupted, causing seizures or periods of unusual behavior, sensations and sometimes loss of consciousness (Mayo Clinic, p.1). People with epilepsy seizure symptoms can vary. Some people simply stare blankly for a few seconds while a seizure occurs, while others repeatedly twitch their arms or legs. About 1 in 26 people in the United States will develop a seizure disorder. Nearly 10 percent of individuals may have a single unprovoked seizure. However, a single seizure doesn’t mean you…
a person's consciousness, movement or actions may be alters for a short time, also called a seizure (NICHCY, 2010). A seizure occurs when an abnormal amount of electrical discharge happen in a group of neurons in the brain (Wilner, 2008). Every now and then nerve cells in the brain send out excessive electrical pulses – a sort of electrical storm in the brain. These disturbances cause the seizures in people that have epilepsy (Wyllie, 2010). Prevalence Epilepsy affects people in all nations…
employment; however she is fearful of her safety and problems with her memory during and after a workplace seizure. In ensuring her safety in the workplace she can do things like designate a person to respond to her emergencies, keep her area/aisles clear of clutter, and make a plan of action for others to determine how to respond/react when she has a seizure on the job. After her seizures she experiences brief memory deficits, which could possibly affect her ability to complete tasks, remember…
The disease of Epilepsy has existed for thousands of years but only in the past hundred years or so has it begun to be understood. The recordings of seizures have been recovered as far back as the first days of history and can even be found in the bible. According to these records tend to be highly superstitious and religious though a few of the more scientifically minded have provided more empirical observations. All of them have attempted to explain and cure this strange phenomenon through a…
the brain wiring, an imbalance of nerve signaling chemicals called neurotransmitters. Epilepsy is frequently lead by brain tumors, alcoholism, and Alzheimer's Disease because they alter the normal workings of the brain. There are a couple kinds of seizures having to do with…
Case 3 Sequence 2: Laforin Isoform X4 (EPM2A) Lafora progressive myoclonus epilepsy is a brain disorder which results in frequent seizures along with a degeneration of intellectual function (“What is Lafora,” 2009). This is the worst teenage-onset progressive epilepsy. Progressive epilepsy means a condition that affects the central nervous system and grows increasingly worse over time (“Progressive Myoclonus Epilepsy”). The gene EPM2A, which provides instructions for creating the protein…
the same time. From personal experience, I agree with all of the guidelines and policies set in place for epilepsy patients except monotherapy for AEDs. When I think back to all the times my mother has switched an AED because it did not control her seizures, it frustrates me that her Neurologist did not use more than one AED at a time. Once my mother and I met with the Neurosurgeon, she suggested trying two types of AEDs at the same time and that…
it has become one of the most commonly used antiepileptic medications in North America. An extensive amount of careful scientific trials has been done in a great number of patients (Epilepsy Foundation, n.d). It is best used to treat partial-onset seizures, but has value in treating tonic-clonic…
experienced my first grand mal seizure, and this incident was the beginning of my journey living with epilepsy. I could have died on that cold winter night, but instead, I survived. My life was forever changed after the first grand mal seizure. In a split second, my life was transformed from a typical carefree person to one who had a disability. Since the first seizure, fear of what would happen to me when the next grand mal would occur was a constant worry in my life. The seizures made my…
described as having multiple unprovoked seizures. Seizures are short occurrences of involuntary movement that may include a part of the body (partial) or the entire body (generalized) and are sometimes accompanied by loss of consciousness and control of bowel or bladder function. Seizures are an outcome of excessive electrical discharges in a cluster of brain cells. This can happen in several different portions of the brain. The characteristics of seizures differ and depend on where in the brain…