My Sister has Grand Mal Seizures and I'm Scared

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My name is Andy(25) and my sister Ema(30) had her first grand mal in 2010. She has had more since but recently she's had 3 in 4 or 5 weeks. Right now my whole family is on vacation and when we got back to the hotel, Ema had a seizure on her bed right in front of me. This was the first time I've seen it happen in person and I'm so so scared. I yelled for my mom and we made sure she didn't get hurt. My family is not very emotionally supportive so I'm glad I found this website. I understand that there isn't a lot I can do for Em except wait for the seizure to be over but it's so hard and so scary. She is sleeping with my mom tonight. I guess I really need support from people who know what it's like or something. I just feel so scared and shocked at what the seizure looks like. I'm a very visual person so I know I will have it stuck in my head forever. Her eyes started rolling up and her muscles got tense. Her neck and legs and arms were so tense and she was twitching and spitting. She bit her tongue badly and wasn't breathing for a little bit. I'm terrified. I wish I could just stop them from ever happening again. I know she is on meds but I don't know which ones. Her alarm on her phone that reminds her to take her meds went off a few minutes after she came to. God I really wish I could do more for her. She is doing a lot in her life right now and I really think she should slow down but she doesn't want to and my mom and older sister are encouraging her to keep doing all these things. She is taking 12 online credits, working 3 days per week, and has a bf. And is living with a roommate and not around any family. She also gets stressed out about tons of little things(just like everyone in my family) and doesn't like asking for help or saying what she wants/needs. I don't know how to tell her that it might be a good idea to take things slower. She is wanting to graduate in the winter but I feel like she is putting unnecessary deadlines in her life. Although the rest of my family might not admit it, I'm not ashamed to tell you that I'm riddled with mental illnesses. For a long time I ignored them and pushed them away. Now that I've begun to face them, I've noticed things in Em's behavior that are similar to mine. I think these things are causing her a lot of anxiety and stress but that she is displacing them on school and work(not that school and work aren't stressful). How do I tell her that it might be really helpful for her to see a therapist? How do I help her? Sorry that was so long. And thank you for reading it all!

Comments

OK AndyOn vacation.... Is the

Submitted by just_joe on Mon, 2016-05-23 - 13:52

OK AndyOn vacation.... Is the vacation in a different time zone then the one she normally lives in?? If it is then her seizure might have been a brak through seizure. Seizure medicatins are not like aspirin where once taken it goes away a few hours later. It takes time for the body to build up the therapeutic levels the dosages is set for. Delays happen but yes medications should be taken the same time morning and night. If on a trip to a different time zone for a number of days adjustments need to be made or the medications should be taken at the same time as where she lives. I fly to califirnia from time to time and I keep taking my meds at Dallas time. I have had no peoblems on vacations out there.You might be surprised but people do not always show what their emotions are. I could read Mom's better then my brothers could so I knew but they thought she wasn't emotinally supportive. Hell she worried more them they did. Yes this site has a lot of information you can gleam from.If you got scared and it is hard on you you might not want to be in one. They sure aren't fun. Especially the convulsive ones that a person doesn't lose conciousness in. Those were many of mine. There is very little that you could do other then protect her. Read th section on this site.Ask when her doasges were last changed because if they haven't been recently and she has grownmuch then the dosages my need to be adjusted. As for what she is doing understand that she is no different then you or I. I went to college at night 3 times a week but I also worked a 40 hour work week. I had girl friends or people I wanted to party with. Now family wasn't around but they were close they didn't come by butI stopped by after my college courses an we talked and visited on those nights. Mom knew I wouldn't ask for things but she also knew I would be asking her if she needed anything. So yes we were both aware of each others concerns. At times she picked up my meds because I was busy. At times I left money for gas. Trade offs help in many ways.So it wasn't easy but it can be done. Oh and at that time I had my own apartment and no room mate. Stress can be a big trigger but people can learn how to deal with it and be fine. The work I did was very stressful. Executive appeals for AT&T ain't easy and you have to keep the customers happe and AT&T happy. You also have resove issues with money their services and many other things involved. I learned how to leave that at the door when I left work and I picked it up the next day I went in.How do you help her??? That answer is tricky. How do you help your other brothers and sisters or your parents. Each person is different. Did you always listen and take the advice you were given by your sibs or your parents. I know I didn't. I have a brotherr that didn't listen to Dad and he got a cracked toe because of it. He came home with steel toed shoes on after noon and I knew what had happened before he said anything.I hope this helps and she gets her seizures under controlJoe

OK AndyOn vacation.... Is the vacation in a different time zone then the one she normally lives in?? If it is then her seizure might have been a brak through seizure. Seizure medicatins are not like aspirin where once taken it goes away a few hours later. It takes time for the body to build up the therapeutic levels the dosages is set for. Delays happen but yes medications should be taken the same time morning and night. If on a trip to a different time zone for a number of days adjustments need to be made or the medications should be taken at the same time as where she lives. I fly to califirnia from time to time and I keep taking my meds at Dallas time. I have had no peoblems on vacations out there.You might be surprised but people do not always show what their emotions are. I could read Mom's better then my brothers could so I knew but they thought she wasn't emotinally supportive. Hell she worried more them they did. Yes this site has a lot of information you can gleam from.If you got scared and it is hard on you you might not want to be in one. They sure aren't fun. Especially the convulsive ones that a person doesn't lose conciousness in. Those were many of mine. There is very little that you could do other then protect her. Read th section on this site.Ask when her doasges were last changed because if they haven't been recently and she has grownmuch then the dosages my need to be adjusted.  As for what she is doing understand that she is no different then you or I. I went to college at night 3 times a week but I also worked a 40 hour work week. I had girl friends or people I wanted to party with. Now family wasn't around but they were close they didn't come by butI stopped by after my college courses an we talked and visited on those nights. Mom knew I wouldn't ask for things but she also knew I would be asking her if she needed anything. So yes we were both aware of each others concerns. At times she picked up my meds because I was busy. At times I left money for gas. Trade offs help in many ways.So it wasn't easy but it can be done. Oh and at that time I had my own apartment and no room mate. Stress can be a big trigger but people can learn how to deal with it and be fine. The work I did was very stressful. Executive appeals for AT&T ain't easy and you have to keep the customers happe and AT&T happy. You also have resove issues with money their services and many other things involved. I learned how to leave that at the door when I left work and I picked it up the next day I went in.How do you help her??? That answer is tricky. How do you help your other brothers and sisters or your parents. Each person is different. Did you always listen and take the advice you were given by your sibs or your parents. I know I didn't. I have a brotherr that didn't listen to Dad and he got a cracked toe because of it. He came home with steel toed shoes on after noon and I knew what had happened before he said anything.I hope this helps and she gets her seizures under controlJoe

OK AndyOn vacation.... Is the vacation in a different time zone then the one she normally lives in?? If it is then her seizure might have been a brak through seizure. Seizure medicatins are not like aspirin where once taken it goes away a few hours later. It takes time for the body to build up the therapeutic levels the dosages is set for. Delays happen but yes medications should be taken the same time morning and night. If on a trip to a different time zone for a number of days adjustments need to be made or the medications should be taken at the same time as where she lives. I fly to califirnia from time to time and I keep taking my meds at Dallas time. I have had no peoblems on vacations out there.You might be surprised but people do not always show what their emotions are. I could read Mom's better then my brothers could so I knew but they thought she wasn't emotinally supportive. Hell she worried more them they did. Yes this site has a lot of information you can gleam from.If you got scared and it is hard on you you might not want to be in one. They sure aren't fun. Especially the convulsive ones that a person doesn't lose conciousness in. Those were many of mine. There is very little that you could do other then protect her. Read th section on this site.Ask when her doasges were last changed because if they haven't been recently and she has grownmuch then the dosages my need to be adjusted. As for what she is doing understand that she is no different then you or I. I went to college at night 3 times a week but I also worked a 40 hour work week. I had girl friends or people I wanted to party with. Now family wasn't around but they were close they didn't come by butI stopped by after my college courses an we talked and visited on those nights. Mom knew I wouldn't ask for things but she also knew I would be asking her if she needed anything. So yes we were both aware of each others concerns. At times she picked up my meds because I was busy. At times I left money for gas. Trade offs help in many ways.So it wasn't easy but it can be done. Oh and at that time I had my own apartment and no room mate. Stress can be a big trigger but people can learn how to deal with it and be fine. The work I did was very stressful. Executive appeals for AT&T ain't easy and you have to keep the customers happe and AT&T happy. You also have resove issues with money their services and many other things involved. I learned how to leave that at the door when I left work and I picked it up the next day I went in.How do you help her??? That answer is tricky. How do you help your other brothers and sisters or your parents. Each person is different. Did you always listen and take the advice you were given by your sibs or your parents. I know I didn't. I have a brotherr that didn't listen to Dad and he got a cracked toe because of it. He came home with steel toed shoes on after noon and I knew what had happened before he said anything.I hope this helps and she gets her seizures under controlJoe

You care for your sister and

Submitted by just_joe on Tue, 2016-05-24 - 12:13

You care for your sister and want to help her. Your parents care and love her too. She needs to discuss these issues with her neurologist. Especially if her medications and dosages haven't been changed in some time. As for vacations. If she is in another time zone then she might be having break thru seizzures because her therapeutic levels ahven't been staying at the levels the neurologist wants. When I go to California I still take my meds at the times I take them here in Dallas. She needs to take them at th same time morning and night too.As for what she is doing she is doing what other people are which is getting on with her life like the normal person does. Understand that he is just like everybody else. Your paernts are showing that that is exactly what should be done. 12 credits,working 3 days a week and a BF. Well wat are her friends doing? At the old age of 19 I was taking courses in mechanical drafting engineering and math. Which required 4 night a week. I worked 40 hourd a week and barely had time to get to and from college on the bus. I had a GF and yes spent time with her and went out. I had my own apaertment, So yes I do know the stress and doing thngs while going to college. The room mate was not there for me. I never wanted to ask for things and knew there were times family needed things. I would ask mom to pick up my meds from time to time. I also left her 20 bucks from timr to time. telling her to fill her tank with gass or by a stakes and fix them for her and Pete (step father). As for srtess and everything else you might want to understand that people learn hoe to deal with it and other triggers as they grow and learn how to live and deal with their epilepsy. As for seeing a therrapist I don't know. How do you help her? By researchng on this site and learning more about the different types of epilepsy and seizures. Yoou never know when it might come in handy. I know. I got a call from Larry (older bro) and it wasn't our normal time so I thought something be wrong with someone out there. I was wrong. One of the guys he worded with had a daughter get diagnosed with epilepsy and he wanted information about her seizures and medications since he know I had taken them. I even told Larry to have him call and I would help him and try to give him information. So yes reasearch and learning can help. You never know who you might be standing next to on a corner. Anybody at anytime can get epilepsy.I hope this helpsJoe

Simple stuff gets complicated

Submitted by 9liv3cat on Sun, 2016-06-19 - 12:11

Simple stuff gets complicated if you are disorganized. A day planner helps.there's even apps for that in a android tablet.less stress that way.