Like all else in this recovery so far, I was incredibly fortunate within this hardship. I was sitting down, at my dad’s home, for each seizure. Tese (dad) is the perfect person for me to be alongside when anything catastrophic happens (certainly, including seizures). In this case, as in all situations, he remained calm and made sure that I did the same, which is vital when reacting to a person seizing, after ensuring that the individual is sitting ((immobile)) and not lying down ((potential airway obstruction)). Remaining calm & encouraging them to do the same is necessary, as provoked panic wouldn’t have helped me (or anyone else) in the slightest.
I had 3 seizures in my first few years of recovery, which officially medically categorizes me as epileptic. My parents were not at all shocked, and relayed this sentiment to me. I was unaware that this was an expected potential symptom of TBIs (due to my refusal for the first 8 years, to educate myself).
I have a logically supported positive outlook for the future, in this vein. Not only does the likelihood of seizures decrease with time of recovery, but “each year, around 48 in every 100,000 Americans develop the condition”: epilepsy. As a result, there is ample incentive for new treatments to be developed. According to Medical News Today “Michael O. Poulter, Ph.D. of the University of Western Ontario in Canada, and colleagues believe they may have moved a step closer to fulfilling this need.
He knew that they were occurring because my speech became slurred and non-sensible. I, however, was completely unaware that they had transpired, because most seizures ensure a lack of awareness, which was the case for me. I simply came-to exhausted.
Apparently, we were warned before leaving the hospital, by my doctors, of the likelihood that I’d experience seizures. My specialty TBI psychiatrist was not at all shocked when I shared that they transpired either. Again, this symptom is expected for recoveries of moderate to severe TBIs.
I’ve been told by professionals that another will likely not happen, due to the length of my successful recovery thus far (8 years). This is a trend that is true for *most*. Each individual survivor is entirely unique however.
It’s extremely lucky that I have largely regained the peacefulness I’ve imbued lifelong. For the first 5 years, I was seriously concerned that it wouldn’t ever resurface. But, just as my psychiatrist has redundantly stated, all in time.
Due to largely resurrecting my peacefulness, I don’t worry about potential seizures taking place. I figure -> what’s the point?! Worrying about them will not decrease the probability that they’ll occur, in fact needless stress, it’s believed by doctors & scientists alike, may increase the likelihood that I’ll experience another.