I had survived non-Hodgkins Lymphoma! It was time to heal and move on with my life. Inspired by Lance Armstrong and “Livestrong”, I had taken up cycling and was preparing to ride in my first event, the Livestrong Challenge in Seattle in June 2009. I was hoping to start a new career, too, while at the same time getting involved in dogs at the same level that I had enjoyed in the past. But….once again….life did not go as planned……
My first grand mal (tonic-clonic) seizure occured in April 2005. We were on vacation with friends in Las Vegas when I had a seizure in one of the casinos and spent the rest of our vacation in a Las Vegas hospital. No cause for the seizure was ever found and my neurologist said “Go home. Don’t let it happen again”. So I went home….and it didn’t happen again. I got cancer instead and I spent 2008 battling, and defeating, non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
Then, on February 23rd, 2009, I had my second grand mal seizure. I went through extensive testing but, once again, no cause for the seizure was found…all of the tests came back normal. Still…this was my second seizure and my neurologist strongly recommended that I go on anti-seizure medication. I said “No”. I’d had just two seizures, four years apart, both on the day that my period started and all of the tests had come back normal. My body had been through a lot over the past year…chemo and a partial gastrectomy…and I didn’t want to take any more medication. ”If I have another seizure, I’ll go on medication”.
I had my third grand mal seizure on May 24, 2009. I had felt “not quite right”, so I went to bed and while lying down, I had my third seizure. I bit my lip and my tongue and when I came to, I had the familiar disoriented feeling, unable to identify my daughter, the day of the week, the names of my dogs. I was first prescribed Dilantin but had a severe allergic reaction to it. I’m now on Keppra…..and I feel medicated. I can’t drive for six months and once again, as I did with cancer, I’m trying to find my way. Trying to live with and overcome my disease and live the life that I want to live….
Hi Carrie;
I ran across your blog as I am getting myself mentally ready for my 1st infusion of R-VP tomorrow. What I am writing you about is that I have epilepsy also, and have had it since I was 18, I’m now 59. Like you, it was idiopathic, no known reason. So, in college I started that walk. Yes, you have to say goodbye to alcohol, even high dose caffeine sometimes, but the only times I had troulbe was when I steopped my medicine or had my daughter. The reason why the seizure at the second occurance was lack of sleep, poor nutrition (my daughter breast fed like a beast) and stress. Typical new parent stuff. So, decades later, those are the things I watch for now.
Chris