#epilepsy resources

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Seizure First Aid | Epilepsy Awareness Month Part 3

This is what you should do when someone has a seizure – remember stay, safe, side:

STAY with the person and start timing the seizure. Stay with them until they are awake and alert after the seizure.

Keep the person SAFE (if it's safe to do so, put something soft under their head).

Turn the person onto their SIDE ("recovery position") if they are not awake and aware.

Call emergency services if the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes, if they have repeated seizures, if they have difficulty breathing, if the seizure occurs in water, if the person does not return to their usual state, if it's their first seizure, if they ask for medical help, or if the person is injured, pregnant, or sick.

What you should NOT do:

Do NOT put anything in their mouth. Forcing something in their mouth may chip their teeth, cut their gums, or even break someone's jaw.

Do NOT restrain them (don't hold them down).

Facts About Seizures and Epilepsy | Epilepsy Foundation

Understanding the basic facts about epilepsy and seizures can make all the difference. Epilepsy is not a rare disorder. Find quick epilepsy

Check back in tomorrow for more about epilepsy ✌️

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Collections of Resources by Condition

I'm still building up the collection for some conditions but I have quite a few items collected for the following...

Ankylosing Spondylitis

Arthritis (includes rheumatoid, osteoarthritis, psoriatic, etc.)

Chronic pain in general

Dysautonomia

EDS (includes hEDS and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder)

Endometriosis

Epilepsy

Fibromyalgia

ME/CFS

POTS

As always, prompts and requests are welcome, and asks are open ✌️

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Epilepsy Info, Support, and Resources by Country

🇳🇿 Aotearoa New Zealand – Epilepsy New Zealand (plus check out this page on Starship's website: Guidelines And Pathways For Children And Young People)

🇦🇺 Australia – Epilepsy Australia and Epilepsy Action Australia

🇨🇦 Canada – Epilepsy Canada and Canadian Epilepsy Alliance

🇮🇪 Ireland – Epilepsy Ireland (AKA Brainwave)

🇬🇧 United Kingdom – Epilepsy Action and Epilepsy Society, as well as Epilepsy Scotland, Epilepsy Wales and Epilepsy Action Cymru, and Epilepsy Action Northern Ireland, plus the NHS website has a page on epilepsy

🇺🇸 USA – Epilepsy Alliance America and Epilepsy Foundation (helpline)

Please feel free to reblog and add on to this ✌️

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Busting Epilepsy Myths | Epilepsy Awareness Month Part 2

Taken from this informative webpage by the Epilepsy Foundation, here are a few myths and facts about epilepsy that everyone should know:

❌ Myth: Someone having a seizure might swallow their tongue.

"It is physically impossible to swallow your tongue during a seizure."

✅ Fact: If someone is having a seizure, you should NOT force something into their mouth.

"Forcing something in their mouth may chip their teeth, cut their gums, or even break someone's jaw."

✅ Fact: You should NOT restrain someone who is having a seizure either.

"Most seizures end in seconds or a few minutes and will end on their own.

... STAY with the person and start timing the seizure. Keep the person SAFE. Turn the person onto their SIDE if they are not awake and aware... Call [emergency services] if the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes; they have repeated seizures; they have difficulty breathing; the seizure occurs in water; the person is injured, pregnant, or sick; the person does not return to their usual state, it's their first seizure; or the person asks for medical help."

❌ Myth: Epilepsy is contagious.

"Epilepsy is a neurological disorder; it cannot be transferred to another person like a cold or flu."

✅ Fact: Anyone can develop epilepsy.

"Seizures start for the first time in people over age 65 almost as often as it does in children. Seizures in the elderly are often the after effect of other health problems like a stroke or heart disease."

✅ Fact: Epilepsy is not rare.

"Epilepsy is not a rare disorder, 1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy during their lifetime. It can occur on its own or alongside other health conditions..."

Facts About Seizures and Epilepsy | Epilepsy Foundation

Understanding the basic facts about epilepsy and seizures can make all the difference. Epilepsy is not a rare disorder. Find quick epilepsy

Check back in tomorrow for more info on epilepsy ✌️

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What is Epilepsy? | Epilepsy Awareness Month Part 1

Epilepsy is "a brain disorder that causes recurring, unprovoked seizures" due to "surges of electrical activity in your brain".

What Is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy, the fourth most common neurological disorder, affects people of all ages and can cause unpredictable seizures. Learn more from the

Some quick facts about epilepsy:

A doctor may diagnose you with epilepsy if you have two unprovoked seizures or one unprovoked seizure with a high risk of more.

Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder in the world.

Not all seizures are the result of epilepsy.

Seizures may be due to a brain injury or a family trait, but often the cause is completely unknown.

Many people with epilepsy have more than one type of seizure and may have other symptoms of neurological problems as well.

If someone is having a seizure, you should NOT force something into their mouth.

Check back in tomorrow for more about epilepsy ✌️

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Epilepsy Syndromes | Epilepsy Awareness Month Part 4

"An epilepsy syndrome is a type of epilepsy that is identified by a specific seizure type or types and by the findings on an EEG. Not everyone with epilepsy will have an epilepsy syndrome. They can be defined in over half of epilepsy starting before 2 years of age but are much less common in epilepsy starting in adulthood. Identification of a specific epilepsy syndrome can give information about the best treatment, the likelihood of seizure control and remission, and the possibility of other conditions like intellectual disability. In some cases, discovery of a specific epilepsy syndrome can provide clues of what may be the cause."

Epilepsy Syndromes | Syndromes by Age | Epilepsy Foundation

Epilepsy syndromes are identified by specific seizure type(s) & by EEGs. Not everyone with epilepsy will have a syndrome but knowing can hel