Writing About Seizures

October 12, 2022September 1, 2022

Where should I start? The first time I experienced a seizure? The first time I was diagnosed with psychogenic seizures by that awful neurologist? What about beginning with my sojourn in the epilepsy monitoring unit, several years into my recovery?
There’s so much to this story, so many twists and turns. Whenever I think about the topic, my emotions dart all over the place—frustration, anger, and resentment, grief and sadness, and finally relief that for the most part, I’ve come to terms with the whole story.

10 Things I Especially Like (In No Particular Order)

July 24, 2021June 21, 2021

Gus’s a funny little thing, a mutt, smarter that I could have imagined. He teases me, changing the rules of games as we play, laughing at me from the top of the steep hill in my back yard, squeaking his toy as he tries to tempt me to clamber up the slippery slope to wrestle the toy away from him.

Crash Cart

August 23, 2022June 8, 2021

I remember that they called for some sort of code. I remember wondering whether the code was for me. I also remember convulsing, and feeling a hand on my shaking leg and a voice saying, “It’s okay.” The next thing I remember was a near death experience, and then waking up to a dark room, puzzled.
According to Cindy, there was a crash cart. How did she know? Was bringing one standard when they called for a code? Did they use it?

Zap

August 1, 2019December 17, 2016

“I’m phoning from the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit.” I gulped and sat up. The scheduler continued in her cheery voice, “It’ll be a three to five day stay in hospital.” Yikes! Three to five days!? At my neurologist’s office they said one to three days, and given my history, they were sure it would only be … Read more

Dancing

August 1, 2019September 11, 2015

I started slowly, but as I gained confidence, I sped up, moving to the left, or was it to the right? Dancing the grapevine, crossing my right foot behind my left, then my left behind my right, again and again, across the gym, fully focused on my feet, barely aware of my surrounding. Keith’s grasp … Read more

Details

August 1, 2019July 7, 2015

EEG exhibiting seizure activity. Dr. Robert said that I only had two angiomas. Dr. Stuart told me that of my multiple angiomas only two had bled. But according to the brain MRI report, there were indications of “hemorrhage scattered throughout the hemispheres and in the right middle cerebellar peduncle.” (The cerebellar peduncle is the part … Read more