November Is National Epilepsy Awareness Month

For those of you who didn't know, November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month. Sort of like how October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Also, similar to how breast cancer is represented by a pink ribbon, epilepsy is represented by a purple (particularly lavender) ribbon.

You can visit these sites for more information:
http://epilepsyfoundation.org/
http://www.epilepsy.com/

A few errors I would like to correct -
1) Tonic-clonic/grand-mal seizures usually last a few minutes, but no more than 5.
2) Absence/petit-mal seizures usually last a few seconds to 1-2 minutes.

First Aid for Seizures:
1) If you have gotten the person to lie down, or if they collapsed during their seizure, remove any dangerous objects that they might strike during the seizure (from convulsions/thrashing) from the area.
2) Take note of how long the seizure lasts. If it lasts for more than 5 minutes, call 911.
3) Try to keep the person comfortable, if possible. Loosen tight clothing around the neck (particularly neckties or collars), and provide support for the head (such as a pillow or folded jacket) Do not hold them down, keep onlookers away, and do NOT put anything in their mouth. It is impossible to swallow the tongue, so there is no need to worry about that. After the seizure ends, be supportive and sensitive.
4) Do not give the person food, drinks, or pills until they are fully alert. They may have post-seizure vomiting, so keep them on their left side after the seizure. Stay with them afterwards for about 5-20 minutes.
5) In addition, you should call 911 if:
~The victim stops breathing after the seizure.
~The victim is pregnant
~The victim is diabetic
~The victim is injured
~There is no way to determine the cause of the seizure (no ID bracelet, etc.) and you think it was the victim's first.
~The seizure occurred in the water.
~The victim's seizure lasted more than 5 minutes, and/or they started having another seizure before regaining consciousness.

You do NOT have to call 911 if:
~The victim is known to have epilepsy (ID bracelet)
~The seizure lasts less than 5 minutes
~The victim awakens
~ The victim does not appear to be pregnant, injured, or in any sort of physical distress.

Myths about seizures:

MYTH: They are caused by flashing lights, like in video games or anime.
FACT: While there are some seizures that are caused by photosensitivity (sensitivity to lights), not all of them are caused by flashing lights.

MYTH: Epilepsy is a sign of low intelligence.
FACT: Epilepsy has nothing to do with your mental abilities.

MYTH: A person having a seizure can swallow their tongue, so you should put something in their mouth.
FACT: It is impossible to swallow the tongue, and putting something in the mouth could do more damage than good.

MYTH: You are born with epilepsy.
FACT: You can develop epilepsy at any time; it may come from a tumor or a head injury, for example.

MYTH: You should hold down a person having a seizure.
FACT: Holding down a person having a seizure may cause injury to them - or even you.

Famous people with epilepsy or seizures:
Napoleon Bonaparte
Socrates
Harriet Tubman
Julius Caesar
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Prince
Danny Glover
(and possibly many more - such as Isaac Newton, Ludwig van Beethoven, Patrick Dempsey, Leonardo da Vinci, Blaise Pascal, and many more)

Yes, I do have seizures - but they are absence seizures, so they aren't as serious as tonic clonic seizures. I am perfectly capable of doing everything that a non-epileptic person can do, such as playing video games, swimming, driving, and attending one of the best universities in the world.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• november
• is
• national
• epilepsy
• awareness
• month
• seizures
• grand
• petit
• mal
• absence
• tonic
• clonic
• seizure
• anxiety
• aura
• medicin

[CrashitGood]

Thanks so much! I havent had time yet to upload my video for this as my Youtube Program takes HOURS to upload and process. I have both petit mal and grand mal seizures. (i hate the old terms as I have myoclonic, absence, simple & complex partial and tonic clonic) I have right temporal lobe and frontal lobe. I take Gabapentin for them. I unfortunatey am photosensitive. My medic alert bracelet is leather and epic. Im rambling because your too awesome for making this video!

[bijoukaiba]

@CrashitGood Thank you. :)

[CrashitGood]

@bijoukaiba

no problem. seriously, it would be nice if we could make a shout out to Youtube to see who of teh "famous" youtubers have epilepsy. who knows, maybe michelle phan or Ray William Johnson do. we should try to raise as much awareness as we can.,

[bijoukaiba]

@jarrettsuhr You had a seizure from seeing a scary graphic image?