On so many occasion I have woken in a strange place. Asking questions to strange people, I’m in the hospital again. I’ve had a seizure I can tell from the worried look in my wife’s eyes. I lay back and try to relax. I wonder for how ling have I been “out of this world” unconscious unable to defend myself. Unable to control my own body and it’s motions. The pain slowly starts to come to life as I try and sit up or move around. The drowsiness slows me back down. My mind which only moments ago short circuited is now working overtime to catch up. Only my body cannot keep the pace. It suffered and will need time to heal itself. The only thing I can do is the only thing I do not want to do, lie there helplessly.

I go in and out of consciousness as the brain kick starts back to life. I ask the same questions over and over again because I don’t remember. The doctor ask me simple questions to test my memory. He asked me once in particular according to my wife; what’s the date?” She said I responded calmly; “It’s either May or December!” After the big daddy, the Grand mal I have to rest anywhere from 2-5 days as my mind and body realign itself. Out of sync would be the best way if any to describe the way I feel during the recovery period. I am helpless as I recuperate. I can only lie there with no means to focus no way to concentrate.

Whatever I was doing before the Grand Mal attacked me I no longer remember. As I have to be reminded basically I am me. Since our society is run on such a tight clock I often miss a lot of important dates, meetings and appointments due strictly to confusion. This is one of the worst after effects of a seizure since. It can never be redone. A lot of onetime chances come and go. Lucky for me for the most part I never know.

I do believe however that each and every seizure I suffer takes a little part of me. How can I remain focused and determined when I cannot even stay upright? The psychological aftereffects weigh in more sooner than later its toll unlike the physical one is much greater.

I live and I learn each day with better understanding comes better acceptance. I plan for the inevitable now instead of dreading the day it comes. I have a condition with after effects that linger. I have to accept and understand the real dangers behind seizures.

Most people understand that there are multiple types of epileptic seizures. The best known variety–and certainly the most spectacular–is often termed “grand mal,” which is French for “major illness.” In these attacks the patients lose consciousness, fall to the ground and experience convulsive jerking of their bodies that lasts for 1-2 minutes before subsiding. These attacks are more properly termed tonic-clonic seizures.

A less dramatic form of epilepsy also involves loss of consciousness, but without a fall to the ground or convulsive movements. These attacks are aptly called “staring spells” because the patients stop what they’re doing, lose eye-contact with other people, and appear to stare into space. If spoken to during attacks, the patients do not respond.

What is often under-appreciated is that more than one kind of epileptic attack can take the form of a staring spell. And the differences between them can be crucial in understanding the underlying causes as well as the best treatments.

Staring-spell seizures are often lumped together in public awareness under the heading of “petit mal” epilepsy. Petit mal is French for “minor illness,” reflecting their more subtle appearance. However, using current terminology, there are two main kinds of staring-spell attacks–absence seizures and partial-complex seizures. Absence attacks correspond to the original “petit mal” designation, while partial-complex seizures were once called “psychomotor seizures” and “temporal lobe epilepsy.” The “temporal lobe” label reflects the fact that most seizures of this kind emanate from one of the two temporal lobes, the portions of the brain nearest the tops of the ears.

Although both absence and partial-complex seizures involve staring and unresponsiveness, that’s where the similarities end. The attacks differ in the following ways: usual ages of onset duration symptoms recalled by the patients movements or behaviors during the attacks after-effects electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns underlying causes most effective treatments

Absence seizures begin in childhood, and often in the pre-school years. They usually disappear by the time the individuals who have them reach their twenties. Partial complex seizures can begin in either childhood or adulthood, including late in life. So if a middle-aged person has staring-spell seizures, they are almost always of the partial-complex type.

The duration of the attacks also separates the two kinds of seizures. Absence seizures are shorter. Most of them end within 10 seconds, and they almost never continue for 30 seconds. In contrast, partial-complex seizures are longer than 30 seconds, and typically last 2-3 minutes.

Most children with absence seizures are unaware of having them, though might notice a loss of time. The relative lack of symptoms in absence seizures, along with their brevity, can cause them to be overlooked. Teachers, noticing episodic loss of eye-contact, are often the first to detect them. But children and adults experiencing partial-complex seizures often recognize them due to specific, recurrent–and often complex–symptoms. One person with partial-complex seizures might notice a sudden, particular odor that no one else can smell. Another patient might experience a sudden sense of familiarity with their surroundings, a perception that they had been there before (also known as “d

Many people all over the globe rely on the use of anti-convulsives to assist epilepsy seizures. Epilepsy is a very serious disease not to be taken lightly. Professional and reliable treatments are necessary to permit patients to lead productive lives without the disease hindering daily proceedings.

The medical world has come up with Dilantin, one of the safer solutions

For many people this drug is outstanding as an anti-convulsant and has, for some, no intrusive side effects whatsoever.

Controls Epilepsy

Seizures relative with epilepsy are in fact caused by super accelerated nervous impulses that occur at the neurological level. Dilantin, which is an anti-convulsive, puts the brakes on those impulses and prevents the onslaught of severe seizure conditions. Only a doctor can prescribe this medicine to you. As this drug is not be used as treatment for other varieties of seizures, irrespective of their nature, your physician will need to help decide which medication is appropriate for you.

The drug promotes effective control of tonic-clonic (grand mal), psychomotor (temporal lobe), myoclonic, and focal seizures.

It is a type of medication that needs to be taken in scrupulous harmony with the governing prescription and treatment plan. Even when a person who suffers from epilepsy feels fine, usage must continue. Stopping the proper dosage of anti-convulsives may raise the risk of seizures, and you should not cease using this drug without first consulting your doctor. If the recommended dosage is not working for you, inform your doctor without delay, as you may encounter little receptiveness.

Epilepsy is a detrimental medical condition that requires much care and additional precautionary steps, though they may seem like science fiction at first. For example, you should always wear a special warning bracelet to alert others that you have epilepsy in case of an emergency.

Moreover, all emergency medical care providers, dentists or doctors must be made aware you
are an anti-convulsive user.

Before starting any drug process you need to meet with your attending physician and discuss whether you have allergies to any drugs or suffer from certain particular health conditions. Depending on the severity of the condition, treatment may be completely prohibited or simply reevaluated to a safe dosage.

Administration And Other Medical Interactions

Anti-convulsives should not be taken haphazardly. Never prolong administration or increase the intake above your doctors prescribed recommendation.

When taking Dilantin orally, refrain from crushing, chewing or breaking the capsules. In it’s oral form, It is for the most part, used in the time-release formula that maintains the gradual assimilation of medication into the blood stream. If the capsule is accidentally broken you should discard the pill, preferably down the toilet.Too much of the drug may pass into the body and adversely affect your health. Sodium phenytoin absorbs moisture and disintegrates easily, so it should be stored in a dark, dry place.

It is also obtainable as a chewable tablet but you should also be careful with the dosage here. For instance, when using the liquid form of the drug, you must use a correct size syringe or measuring spoon to make sure you don’t overdose.

When a woman uses hormonal birth control, she should be aware of the fact that Dilantin may seriously reduce the birth-control effect and lead to unexpected pregnancy.

A plus to its sensational therapeutic properties, It has an unprecedented safety record. Since being discovered in 1938, millions of people have used the drug continuously for years: the equivalent of over 250 million patient years of experience, representing two trillion doses. From this perspective, It is far safer than most drugs on the market.