Quoted: Quoted: flash suppressors are evil,  BAN THEM.   i've heard of blinking stoplights causing seizures too. Correct. Blinking lights have a very nasty effect on epileptics especially. It does something to the brain pattern and really torments it all to hell. Actually the blinking light effects are used when they perform the EEG tests (electro encephlogram) to test the brain waves. These have been frequently used to judge what the brain waves are doing and how they react to the different light waves and frequencies. Speaking for myself, I'm epileptic and for years I've been subjected to stay away from the high intensity of the flashing lights. I still have to watch certain areas but I know my limits as to where I can and cannot go. It's just something you get used to. Yup thats why people with epilepsy aren't allowed to drive IIRC Just as a side note, after 27 years of drug therapy, seeing many doctors that tried and couldn't find what was going on. I found one in particular team that figured out it was a scar on the left side of my brain that I got when I was an infant from a fever causing these damn things. Who'd of thunk it? So as of April 95 the temporal lobe tip was removed and with recovery and finding the right mix of meds, it was a success. Currently, I've been seizure free for 5 years now and have been given release to drive. I was actually granted the release a few years ago but didn't want to until I felt comfortable with it.  Now I'm actually looking forward to having some independence. His buddy said that he hadn't slept for the past 24 hours...I don't know if that could have anything to do with  it...

Yes, lack of sleep will cause serious problems in anyone if there is a sign of neurological disorders. I'm not a medical doctor but with me having personal experience I think that pretty much speaks for itself.  There still are a lot of unanswered questions as to why the brain reacts the way it does and unfortunately, no one has any solid solution. However, technology has gotten good enough to help others have a better life and it keeps improving.

I've learned a lot looking back on my life then and how it is now. It's hard to put thoughts into words that make sense to others. One thing I can say is that I was blessed by an angel that day to see me through.

Keep us posted on this guy's stats.. I hope he's okay.

Quoted: My oldest son had a siezure right in my dining room. It scarced the living daylights out of my wife. We called 911 and the ambulance FD rescue got here in less than 5 minutes. My son starting coming around while he was in the ambulance. Funny thing is that he doesn't even remember passing out.

Sorry to hear about that Warlord. It's actually not unusual for that to occur. Persons who experience seizures usually have little or no recall that it happened.  The only thing that can really "show" that it occurred is what I like to call "war scars" and heaven knows that I've got plenty of them from the bouts that I've had throughout the years.  I can remember one time falling on my butt flat onto the floor so hard I busted my tailbone. Don't quite remember a whole lot about it, just remember when I came out of it I was sitting on the floorl. Didn't feel anything until I got up then my ass hurt like hell.    Kind of felt like I was slugged with a metal bat a few times, then one more for good measure. When I think about it now and look back at the things that happened I have to laugh and chuckle. Yep, it was scary with all that stuff going on at the time. Even now that I look back on it, it was a learning experience of living with obstacles in life and changing with them to improve. May sound sentimental or corny but it's true. That's how I worked my way through it.  

Anyway,  I hope your son stays in good health.

Quoted: Never place anything in the mouth of someone seizing!  It can become a choking hazard!  Not to mention they could bite down and chop your fingers off!

That is correct. If they are starting to seize, all you can do is clear the area and make sure they are safe (hmm, clear of any objects that they may roll into) A person who is experiencing a seizure has amazing power all of a sudden in their jerks - more than they would if they were not. When they bite down it is 10x's harder than usual because the jaw is clenched with the rest of the body muscles.  Another tip to remember, the last thing you want to do is try to hold them down because it can hurt you and/or them as well.  It is a scary situation because a 30 second seizure can seem like 5 minutes and 2 minutes can seem like a 1/2 hr.  The best possible line of defense is to call for help as soon as possible and the medical team will take care of them from that point on.

Quoted: One way to tell if someone is faking a seizure is if they bite the tip of their tongue; the tongue is retracted during a seizure and is the reason why the sides are bitten.

Not true. I've had a few full blown seizures where the tip of my tongue has been bitten and damaged. Wasn't feeling any pain for about a week or so after I did it and didn't like the taste of dairy products after that for a month.  

It's not a pretty site either, felt like I big blister and looked like one too.  

Quoted: He will probubly loose his drivers license. a doctor's diagnosis is required to do that. After one year on meds (Depekote) and seizure free he can get it back. again, this depends upon a doctor's diagnosis, prognosis and individual state law. depekote, the older depekene and barbituates are generally prescribed to control epileptic seizures. one of the newer drugs is kepra. constant adjustment of the dosage and even a rotation between different drugs seem to an effective strategy for many epileptics. epileptic seizures can be brought on (in an otherwise healthy person) by head injury/brain trauma. like others in this post, i have a wife that is epileptic as the result of a severe head injury (horse riding accident) when she was 14 years old.

This is a very mixed issue as well stated here. Laws do differ from state to state and they are determined by doctor's rule and state guidelines. Second, there are many medications available if needed to be prescribed by a physician. Depakote, and the other Depak's are rather old in comparison to the newer drugs on the market today which can be/are more prominent to improving the way of handling seizure control. Not everyone has the same body characteristics so it will depend upon what works for their structure and their type of situation (seizure capacity). There again, that is only for the doctor to determine when/if the time is right to take that step.  I'm not a physician by any sense of the word but the constant research and reading does help when it comes to knowledge.

So now that you have cleared the area...
Be prepared to defend against all the people that will do heir best to stick something, ANYTHING in the mouth of the person seizing.

Flipping them on their side is a good idea, but remember to wait until their body starts to relax.

WOW.

FS saves lives damn it!

Quoted: Quoted: He will probubly loose his drivers license. a doctor's diagnosis is required to do that. After one year on meds (Depekote) and seizure free he can get it back. again, this depends upon a doctor's diagnosis, prognosis and individual state law. depekote, the older depekene and barbituates are generally prescribed to control epileptic seizures. one of the newer drugs is kepra. constant adjustment of the dosage and even a rotation between different drugs seem to an effective strategy for many epileptics. epileptic seizures can be brought on (in an otherwise healthy person) by head injury/brain trauma. like others in this post, i have a wife that is epileptic as the result of a severe head injury (horse riding accident) when she was 14 years old. This is a very mixed issue as well stated here. Laws do differ from state to state and they are determined by doctor's rule and state guidelines. Second, there are many medications available if needed to be prescribed by a physician. Depakote, and the other Depak's are rather old in comparison to the newer drugs on the market today which can be/are more prominent to improving the way of handling seizure control. Not everyone has the same body characteristics so it will depend upon what works for their structure and their type of situation (seizure capacity). There again, that is only for the doctor to determine when/if the time is right to take that step...

Every state is different I'm sure.  In my state a doctor is required to notify DMV of certain conditions. A seizure is one of those conditions thst triggers an automatic DL suspension. The risk the everyone else is simply too great if someone has a seizure behind the wheel.

Just waiting for the kiddies to come along and ask what super-magic-ultralethal-fragmenting-seizure-inducing-military-high-speed-ammo you were using...

Quoted: Every state is different I'm sure.  In my state a doctor is required to notify DMV of certain conditions. A seizure is one of those conditions thst triggers an automatic DL suspension. The risk the everyone else is simply too great if someone has a seizure behind the wheel.

True, risks are high and those that cannot have their seizures put under control one way or the other shouldn't be driving. States have guidelines that can be from a year to 2 years of being seizure free before they are even considered for something of this nature. Some are longer in length than that.

As far as notification, every doctor is required by law to notify the DMV regardless. If they don't, they will loose their license no questions asked. If someone wants to get a licence that has epilepsy, they have to go through the channels of filling out paper work given to them by the DMV that is forwarded to their neurologist then back to the DMV so it is on file. Keeps everything in check so those who need to know are in the know.  

S.O.

S.O.