I would like to clarify some information.
As a person with Epilepsy (or the politically correct term) Seizure Disorder, I would like to say, I am able to drive and perform normal activities. I don't suppose I could be approved to fly a jet, however, those are not my aspirations.
I have had only nocturnal (middle of the night) grand mal seizures. These are the bad boys of the seizure world. With proof from my doctors, this has allowed me to drive a car and carry on a semi- normal life.
After a grand mal seizure, I sleep for about 20 hours and cannot remember what happened the night before it occured, nor can I remember my husband trying to calm me down.
I have had memory loss. The doctors are now admitting that when you have a seizure, you are doing damage to your brain. They just don't know how badly.
Epilepsy is like an electrical wiring problem; only in your head. When you have a seizure your brain wires are not connecting like they should and boom, you have one. Medication can control this.
A stroke is a blood vessel in your head malfunctioning. Totally different. However, after having a seizure, one could be inclined to have seizures, hence the anti-seizure meds Amazing was on.
Usually, a seizure disorder does not go away. Doc will put a patient at risk for a seizure on meds to ensure that a seizure does not occur. If you have had a stroke, you are at risk.
In my case, I had head injuries. I have had 7 major concussions since I was a baby. Or the Epilepsy could have been brought on by the doctors using forceps at birth. They have no idea what causes Epilepsy, however, they do have some things down that seem to trigger it. Head trauma is a major cause. Once you have seizures, later in life, they usually do not go away. I was told that since I did not have a brain tumor, I would be off my meds within 2 years. 15 years later, I still have epilepsy. I have 2-3 seizures a year. Apparently the docs did not want to alarm me. It is a life time disorder.
So, I guess it could very well be said that very religous people have brain disorders.
NO. Years ago people were considered possessed by the devil when they had a seizure. People did not understand it was a medical condition. Since the person having a seizure is not going to remember much immediately before the seizure, people watching must have thought they were possessed. This was common.
The issue of aura's before a seizure is very common. People will know when they are going to have one and can get to a safe place when they do. This means that if you are driving you pull over and stop the car. If you are standing, sit or lay down.
The issues of having an ephiphany afterward to make someone more religious is a crock of bull. Perhaps people who already have a belief in God will have a stronger faith, however, I do not think having a seizure disorder makes one happy. It sucks. Your life is turned upside down by the meds, the lack of understanding and the discrimination.
If this makes someone think they saw God during a seizure more power to 'em. However, this is not common.
The following information is from the Epilepsy Foundation website:
Complex partial seizures affect a larger area of the brain and they also affect consciousness.During a complex partial seizure, a person cannot interact normally with other people, is not in control of his movements, speech, or actions; doesn't know what he's doing; and cannot remember afterwards what happened during the seizure.
Although someone may appear to be conscious because he stays on his feet, his eyes are open and he can move about, it will be an altered consciousness, a dreamlike, almost trancelike state.
Typically, a complex partial seizure starts with a blank stare and loss of contact with surroundings.
This is often followed by chewing movements with the mouth, picking at or fumbling with clothing, mumbling, and performing simple, unorganized movements over and over again.
Sometimes people wander around during complex partial seizures. For example, a person might leave a room, go downstairs, and out into the street, completely unaware of what he or she was doing.
In rare cases, someone might try to undress during the seizure, or become very agitated, screaming, running, or making flailing movements with his arms or bicycling movements with his legs.
Other complex partial seizures may cause a person to run in apparent fear, or cry out, or repeat the same phrase, over and over again.
People's actions and movements are typically unorganized, confused, and unfocused during a complex partial seizure.
A person may even be able to speak, but the words are unlikely to make sense and he or she will not be able to respond to others in an appropriate way.
Although complex partial seizures can affect any area of the brain, they often take place in one of the brain's two temporal lobes. Because of this, the condition is sometimes called "temporal lobe epilepsy."
Because someone having a complex partial seizure is unaware of what's going on around him, he won't be able to talk normally with other people during the seizure.Nor will he be able to follow instructions, or obey police commands, or even recognize danger from heat, water, fire, heights or other threatening situations.
However, some people may be able to follow simple requests made in a calm, friendly voice.
Simple and complex partial seizures can produce a very wide range of changed feelings or behavior. However, what each person does or feels during a seizure is likely to be the same and occur in the same order each time.
Doctors call this type of seizure-caused behavior "stereotyped."
Lack of public understanding has led to people with complex partial seizures being unfairly arrested as drunk or disorderly, being accused by others of unlawful activity, indecent exposure, or drug abuse -- all because of actions produced by seizures.Such actions may even be misdiagnosed as symptoms of mental illness, leading to inappropriate treatment and, in some cases, commitment to an institution.
