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Seizure recovery time
Sun, 08/24/2008 - 06:12How long do you take to recover from a seizure?
I have suffered from epilepsy (grand mal) for 40 years - about 1 seizure a year (lucky me!) But over the last 3 years my wonderful work colleagues have expressed increasing anxiety that I'm coming back to work too early following a seizure. When I was young and sprightly (Ha!), I'd have a 3-minute tonic-clonic seizure, regain full consciousness after half an hour, get taken home, sleep it off, and back to work after 1 day's absence. Again - lucky me.
My work is extremely complex, considerative and quasi-judicial. I work for my government trying to justify to tribunals and criminal courts why a particular decision is justified. The legislation involved is extremely complicated, but although I practice law in a specialised field I am not a qualified lawyer. Without blowing my own trumpet I'm very good at my job - or so I'm told. [I don't like saying so, but I think it may be relevant to the question.]
Two years ago my wife finally convinced me that at least one day off was a must. Nevertheless, my colleagues tell me that "when you have had a fit, for several days after, your sharp brain seems slow in response."
I'd be very grateful to hear the views of fellow sufferers (or those close to them). I know that epilepsy varies from individual to individual, but when do you go back to work? When do you feel fully recovered? Does the recovery period increase with age?
Thanks for reading this.
Iain (aged 53 and a bit - <GRIN>)
Re: Seizure recovery time
Submitted by MichaelK on Fri, 2008-11-28 - 09:30
I believe it depends on the type of seizure. When I only suffered from grand mals (aka - Tonic-clonic seizures) I was the same as you, only going home for a day and sleeping it off. My work is also very stressful, for I am a network engineer. Lately, though, that has changed. I have also developed new types of seizures, specifically complex partials, that make me suddenly drop. With these new seizures I have had to undergo a long recovery period and I cannot go back to work right away. It is very frustrating for me because I love to work. However, that is my experience.