Community Corner: Do You Track Seizures and Your Health?

Getting the best care at the right time depends so much on you – the person with epilepsy, family, or friend. Since treating seizures successfully depends on knowing the type of seizures, how often they happen, medications, and other health events, information that you give your team is crucial. Epilepsy Foundation My Seizure Diary and Texting 4 Control are two ways to get this information to your healthcare team.

The Epilepsy Foundation My Seizure Diary

 

My Seizure Diary is a comprehensive set of resources to help you manage your seizures/epilepsy and communicate about them more easily to family, caregivers, and your clinicians (doctors, nurses, and other professionals who help you).

New Features Each Month

Each month we are rolling out fixes and new features to make tracking, analyzing, and using information, seizures, and other health events easier.

Coming soon is a return to easier viewing of trends (quick looks and icon viewing of trends) and expanded options for tracking your mood.

Research Ready

The diary is being used in a multi-center study starting soon. New research options are also in the pipeline.

Clinician Portal for Health Care Providers

If you are a doctor, nurse, or other health care professional working with people with epilepsy, you can view someone’s seizure diary if they give you permission. Sign up to use the Clinician Portal in My Seizure Diary. When a person wants you to view their diary, you’ll receive an email invitation. Use this to enhance your practice and care of people with epilepsy.

To get started:

• Visit diary.epilepsy.com or https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/epilepsy-foundation-my-seizure-diary to log in or register
• Visit the iOS or Google Play stores for the companion app.
• Email diary@efa.org with questions or help getting started!

Texting 4 Control

Not ready for a full seizure diary, but need a way to track seizures and remember to take medicines? Try the Epilepsy Foundation's Texting 4 Control.

 

Initially designed for teens, it offers an easy way to remember to take medications and sends motivational messaging to help people of any age manage their epilepsy. Motivational interviewing or messaging is a key strategy in self-management that goes beyond simple reminders. Check it out and see what works for you!

To get started:

• Try out Texting 4 Control
• All you need is a phone or device capable of text messaging.

Thank you for visiting epilepsy.com! Send us your feedback at diary@efa.org.

We will be featuring other resources to help in managing and living with epilepsy each month. Send your ideas and needs to epihelp@efa.org.

Patty Osborne Shafer RN, MN