#managing epilepsy

[corpsecoochie]

I’m having a nervous breakdown today but I’m gonna turn off my phone notifications and play my silly little dinosaur games instead of paying attention to any of it ✌🏻😎

#I have a whole laundry list of things going wrong! #and people calling and messaging and texting me about all of them! #my doctor said #hey you should manage your stress more so that your autoimmune disease and epilepsy chill out #HA #H A #foolish man #personal #me #selfie #my face #dyed hair #piercings

[marleemutt]

please remember that tomorrow is not promised, and make the most of the time you have now

#earlier this week my sister passed away suddenly #this has been incredibly difficult for me to process but im trying to manage #she was the eldest of all my siblings. im the youngest #she was only 30. she was healthy #didnt do any drugs or live recklessly. but she had epilepsy #i had just saw her a week before she passed. my mom was making plans for use to take a family vacation #never forget that we have no say in how our stories end. even when they end too soon

[bonefall]

Herb Guide for Warrior Cats: Epilepsy

Requested by an Anon!

A guide to providing treatment to a Warrior Cat OC with epilepsy. Still requires a bit of a leap in logic as nothing can replace our friend phenobarbital, BUT, if you would like herbs and strategies for managing a Warrior’s epilepsy, this guide is for you.

I researched herbs historically used for epilepsy, chose plants growing wild in a ‘common’ clan biome (temperate Europe and North America), and removed things that a cat could not use. Because of the nature of epilepsy, I also delved into some other treatments and strategies your medics can use!

So, keep in mind, this guide is written for a Clan doctor treating an epileptic cat. NOT from the perspective of a patient who has it.

I would recommend doing extra research into first-hand accounts of what it’s like to live with epilepsy when creating your patient character.

Disclaimer Time! I tried to filter out as much ‘quackery’ as possible, but remember that I am not a vet nor do I have formal training in pharmacognacy. You are also not a vet. This is for fake battle cats. LOOK AT ME. YOU WILL NOT USE THIS ON YOURSELF OR A REAL ANIMAL.

Below the cut is:

What is epilepsy?

Diagnostics

Non-herbal treatments

Managing the different types of seizures

Preventative herbs

What is epilepsy?

‘Epilepsy‘ is the broad term for dozens of different disorders, resulting in recurring epileptic seizures. A warrior could be born with it, develop it over time, or get it after recovering from brain injury (stroke, infection, head trauma, etc).

Epilepsy also varies wildly, and can be so mild it’s hard to detect, or so severe it could put the cat in too much danger to do warrior duties at all. For most cases, however, the warrior would still be able to do normal tasks* as long as they don’t hunt or patrol alone.

* = Head injury and stress from fighting can worsen epilepsy. Going on battle patrols is a risk the warrior must be made aware of.

Diagnostics

So before anything else, your medic will want to identify what triggers the seizures, if anything. There isn’t always an identifiable trigger such as a flashing light/quickly moving object, but seizures can be made worse by stress, lack of sleep, or hunger. Taking note of the warrior’s state preceding a seizure would be extremely helpful for treatment.

Does Wheatwhisker seem to have more seizures when she’s doing certain activities? When she has one, did she sleep well the night before? What has she been eating lately? She may be able to feel it coming-- including sudden intense emotion, an oncoming headache, hot or cold sensations, so on.

Like dogs, cats can detect oncoming seizures. A good medicine cat would take note of all the behavior before its onset to reduce their frequency.

NON-herbal treatments

Once correlation and causes have been identified, the medicine cat should have some lifestyle changes to suggest.

For example, Wheatwhisker has more seizures when she is tired, so the medic prevents her from going on dawn patrol. They’re sometimes triggered by the fluttering of bird wings, so she’s been told to hunt small mammals instead.

A change in diet can also reduce the frequency of seizures. Fatty foods specifically, such as red meat, eggs, and large fish. Trout and carp would be the two easiest* things for a warrior to hunt on a regular basis-- though if the given Clan can’t catch those, it may be worth it to consider trade with another group.

* = If your warriors can cook with fire, fat drippings can be cooked back into the epileptic warrior’s meals. This would make the special diet much easier to prepare than always catching specific prey.

Managing the Different Types of Seizures

Generally there are three types of seizures- ones localized to a specific body part, ones that may seem like “daydreaming”, and ones that cause the well-known convulsions. Less severe seizures are more common.

Seizures do not usually cause pain on their own, except for fatigue in the muscle or headaches. Injury is sometimes caused by external forces, such as slamming against something during a convulsion, falls, tongue biting, or hitting sharp objects.

After any seizure, nausea or a headache may develop-- feverfew will soothe headaches, mallow or fennel will soothe stomachaches. Even if the Epileptic warrior does not take regular medication, the cannabis and valerian root mentioned in the ‘preventative herbs‘ section can be taken on occasion to help the warrior relax post-seizure.

-Localized

One part of the body (leg, head) seizes or convulses. Can usually be self-managed by the warrior, loss of conscious is uncommon. Rest in a quiet area would be the best treatment afterwards. If the muscle fatigue is bad, kneading the limb will help.

-Daydream

The warrior will seem suddenly ‘absent,‘ like they’ve left their body, for typically less than 15 seconds. They may simply wobble and stare ahead (even pausing mid-sentence), or seem to ‘faint‘ and fall over, but in any case they will not remember the seizure. Prevent them from falling on something dangerous, if this seems likely.

In many cases the warrior will just be able to keep going about their day in a few minutes, or even immediately. If not, just like before, let them rest in a quiet area.

-Convulsions

A panicked cat may make convulsions worse by fearfully running around as a seizure starts-- if a warrior MUST be prevented from doing this, it’s VERY important that they are not completely pinned or restrained. JUST kept laying down. Do NOT attempt to stop the convulsions themselves.

Such a circumstance will be extremely rare in a Warrior Cat setting, where the cats are capable of reasoning like a human. There may be a situation where an epileptic cat needs to be brought out of harm’s way-- that’s fine.

Clear the area of anything sharp or hard that the convulsing warrior could hurt themselves on, like stones, or brambles. Roll them onto their side, if they aren’t already. Lastly, cushion their head with something soft, like moss, if possible.

After the seizure is over, the warrior will probably be disoriented and confused. Don’t overwhelm them or offer food or water until they’re fully alert again. Once they do, they might have partial paralysis, nausea, muscle soreness, a bitten tongue, or any variety of symptoms. Just like before, bring them to a quiet area to rest.

If your warriors wear restrictive accessories, such as belts or collars, the medicine cat will remove or loosen them during a seizure if possible.

-what NOT to do

There’s some harmful ideas out there you may have encountered, so here’s some things to keep in mind your medics would NOT do to treat a cat having convulsions:

They would NOT pin them down (this even happened in the books once yikes) Why: This could cause injury to both the restrained, and the restrainer.

They would NOT put anything in their mouth Why: Could damage their teeth or jaw, it does not prevent them from biting their tongue. (also; while tongue biting is common, it is a total myth that an epileptic will choke on/swallow it)

They would NOT start firing out questions as soon as the seizure is over Why: The warrior will likely be disoriented, and not in a state to answer properly. Give them a minute.

Preventative Herbs

Once a seizure is happening, it will have to play out. Warrior cats do not have the medical capability to stop one once started. The anticonvulsant herbs here will help to reduce the frequency and severity of seizures... but they can’t eliminate them entirely.

Anticonvulsants will need to be taken on a regular basis. Stopping these suddenly will cause dangerous side effects; if the warrior’s epilepsy isn’t severe, or herbs are a scarcity for your Clan, it may not be the best choice to medicate them.

Chamomile

Common, and naturalized all over the world. In high doses, this herb will poison a cat. Careful preparation is required to make it safe for the epileptic warrior-- it needs to be steeped in water, like tea*. The leaves should not be eaten.

* = If your cats don’t have fire to brew tea, that’s fine, it can be soaked cold.

This herb also has a side effect of drowsiness. It may make the warrior lethargic and less responsive.

Cannabis

Cannabis is a golden herb for a thousand reasons, it can be made into rope, paper, cloth, oil... but, the thing of note here is CBD oil. Cannabis grows wild all over the world, but ESPECIALLY in North America-based Clans (where it’s called Ditchweed)

Ditchweed has high CBD content, and low THC content. This makes it safe for your warriors (and also prevents them from getting high). Your cats will NOT smoke it, which will damage their sensitive respiratory systems, they will eat it like a standard herb.

Because cannabis is a depressant, this treatment is best for warriors not involved in active tasks. Epileptic warriors that prefer calm, camp-related activities will use this herb. Den-building, tunnel digging, helping the medics, crafting if your Clan makes accessories, so on.

Valerian Root

Known as a sleep aid in humans, Valerian has VERY interesting effects on cats; this is the only Epilepsy treatment that can avoid lethargy entirely. However, in contrast to cannabis, valerian will mostly be found in Europe-based Clans.

(with both, however, it is possible to find each in the other continent.)

Valerian Root has catnip-like effects, perking a warrior up and often filling them with energy. There are some cats for whom this herb will act like cannabis, calming them down, but if there’s a choice, the Epileptic warriors who enjoy active tasks will prefer this herb. Hunting, fighting, patrolling, so on.

#If you know something about epilepsy that I missed please let me know! #I'll add it right away #Especially if you have epilepsy or help someone else manage it #I don't have anyone epileptic in my life so I just tried to do good research #I also tried to boil it down to the simplest terms possible with the idea it's a practical OC writing guide in mind #So that's the reason I didn't explain cluster seizures or what a grand mal is; or primary vs #-secondary epilepsy. I tried to avoid putting too many terms into it. #Focused on treatment alone #Clan Culture #Clan Herbs #Warrior cats #Herb guide #Seizures #Epilepsy

[forsty]

x

#balto had another seizure again but this time he managed to roll all over his v*mit and now HE REEKS #he's okay and all that BUT BOY DOES HE STINK #so i gotta drive the harrowing *5 minutes* to my dad's house to get the doggie shampoo cause im all out of the one I had so I can wash him #my poor sweet baby boy #for those who don't know - Balto has epilepsy so once in a blue moon he'll have a seizure. He's doing okay now though!

[kangals]

Husky or Beagle lol

hmm i see do i want LOUD or LOUD. honestly i do like both of these breeds! huskies are funny in that drama-queen way and i'm not scared by the hair, and beagles are also very charming and cute as hell (i have a co-worker who breeds/shows beagles and i loooove her dogs). i think my preference just based on general aesthetics would be husky, but if i had to live with one i'd probably go beagle.

#huskies main downside is ofc the prey drive and high energy #beagles can get that RANK hound dog stank too #and both are relatively frequent fliers at my works neurology for epilepsy and IVDD respectively #they both tend to be nice dogs though if you can manage the quirks

[silver-stargazing]

Gosh, I don’t know why The Idiot has been on my brain recently but it’s been almost 3 years since I read that book and I am still in awe that Dostoyevsky really went to unexpected places when talking about epilepsy.

He very directly talks about how, for some folks with epilepsy, they experience what is essentially a high before a seizure. Like a brief moment where you experience an on-rush of ecstasy that feels like the single greatest moment in your entire life before slipping off into the void.

Speaking as someone who regularly had that experience, it’s really difficult to talk to others about it because seizures are obviously bad for you. It’s weird to talk about anything other than negative experiences with seizures and yet I still have to make sense of these strange positive experiences that are often the only moments I can actually remember from the seizure.

IDK what I’m rambling to but it feels like there are still some taboo subjects when talking about epilepsy and it’s wild to me that someone from the 1860s just approached a lot of these subjects head-on and, for the most part, addressed them in a way that’s still approachable to modern readers. 

#actually epileptic #epilepsy #the idiot #stargazer rambles #epilepsy representation #again though: nothing inherently wrong with not wanting to talk about these subjects #processing the experience of a seizure is going to be different for everyone #i just have personally found these subjects are not normally dicussed in epilepsy communities or in media depictions of epilepsy #and i get that too. no one wants to accidentally romanticize the act of having seizure #but the experience of a seizure is complex and there should always be a space for people to manage these difficult emotions

[waitingforminjae]

this guitar solo was sick as FUCK thanks kanghyun

#epilepsy warning #tw eye strain #tw//flashing #ask to tag #truly everyone needs to talk to him real nicely bc how did he manage to put this in this song and have it feel so natural and perfect #also his guitar work in bg of the last part of the song after this is soooooooo sexy too #m: onewe #kanghyun #feel that way abt all of them actually like truly as musicians as instrumentalists and composers/producers they are SO underrated #considering how talented they are

[saybiwithme]

You know what sucks? I could be on top of taking my meds, be avoiding things I shouldn’t watch or play because it’ll set off my epilepsy and the one thing that gets me in a state where I have to sit on the bathroom floor until I feel good again is an outside light flickering through my bathroom window. I hate it here.

#fuck epilepsy #fuck everything I do to try to manage it bc outside shit is gonna make it hard anyway! #actually epileptic #actually epilepsy #update: I had a seizure :/

[epilepsyculture-is]

epilepsy culture is having a glaring headache all day and feeling out of it for hours, but being proud that you managed to scrape enough energy to clean the house

#epilepsy culture is #epilepsy problems #epilepsy #actually epileptic #based off admin's experience #this was me today #i was sleeping constantly #i only just managed to get myself to a semi-functional state #my head's still killing me

[mossytrashcan]

The horrors are relentless

#If I drink coffee I get super anxious #but if I don’t drink coffee I’m super fatigued #but also because I drank coffee at noon #I won’t be able to sleep #which means the epilepsy will strike #which means my already crumbling body will be violently shaking #why do I do this #how have I even managed to survive for 18 years #I don’t even want to be alive

[sometimesdesperate]

Not to be all hot take about it but being anti diet is great as long as you're willing to recognize that the anti diet community is full of just as much misinformation as the pro diet community.

And to be clear: this is not in support of the pro diet community. Just an observation that both extremes have got their shit messed up.

#*resists urge to rant about how fad diets almost without exception were created to manage specific medical conditions* #weightloss was a side effect the diet community exploited #so of youre gonna tell me all about how keto is gonna kill me without acknowledging the link between adhd and epilepsy #then fuck off #yes im mad at my doctor again 😂

[femme-malewife]

If I can stop getting scolded at work over my refusal to ask for help that would be fantastic

#im working with pals and theyre not expressing outright anger #just....frustration and concern lmao #i have muscle cramps on my leg rn and i went up a ladder #im not allowed up ladders bc of my epilepsy #one of my coworkers screeched at me and had me get down and saw i was keeping weight off a leg #she lit into me and my manager told me that she has no idea where the incident forms are #so to stop doing everything on my own #its called independence 😔😔😔

[mashkaroom]

They need to add a "discovering a new kink" to the stages of grief

#ever since i learned that the stages of grief were designed for discovering you have a disability #rather than a death #they've made a lot more sense. nobody i know grieves like that #but at least some of those stages are recognizable even from my (very manageable tho i couldn't know that at the time) epilepsy diagnosis #here's where the tmi begins so skip if you don't want to know these things about me! #long story short i was prescribed an emergency rectal medication which barukh hashem was never used #bc in real life that would probably be really traumatizing! #but that didn't stop me from constructing increasingly elaborate scenarios in my head where it'd have to be used #and reciting them to my best friend like 'wouldn't that be terrible?' and shed be like 'gosh. yeah' (same kink) #(also i was diagnosed when i was like 11/12 which is why like. this was my primary reaction lol)

[petnews2day]

Service Dogs Lead to Fewer Seizures in Resistant Epilepsy

New Post has been published on https://petn.ws/j5cN2

Service Dogs Lead to Fewer Seizures in Resistant Epilepsy

Working with medically trained service dogs is associated with a 31% reduction in seizures compared with usual care in treatment-resistant epilepsya new study showed. Investigators speculate that the dogs may ease participants’ stress, leading to a decrease in seizure frequency, although they note this relationship warrants more study. “Despite the development of numerous antiseizure medications […]

See full article at https://petn.ws/j5cN2 #DogNews #AnxietyDisorder, #Electrophysiology, #Epilepsy, #HealthRelatedQualityOfLife, #Hrqol, #MedicalLife, #MedicalLifestyle, #MedicalStudentLifestyle, #NurseLifestyle, #PhysicianLifestyle, #QOL, #QualityOfLife, #ResidentLifestyle, #SeizureDisorder, #Seizure, #Stress, #WoundCare, #WoundManagement

#anxiety disorder #electrophysiology #epilepsy #health related quality of life #hrqol #medical life #medical lifestyle #medical student lifestyle #nurse lifestyle #physician lifestyle #QOL #quality of life #resident lifestyle #seizure disorder #seizure. #stress #wound care #wound management #Dog News

[tedoded]

Compliments v. Complaints

I was ready to complain to my CVS pharmacy, its company, and on social media. For six days, I tried getting an extremely important medication. On the sixth day, I would be out of my med, and therefore I was determined to switch my pharmacy and register my complaint with all of CVS. My medicine treated my epileptic seizures, and there is one thing I fear more than anything are my seizures.  I…

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#anger #anger management #complaints #compliments #CVS #depression #Emotions #epilepsy #feelings #medicines #mental health #pharmacy #seizures

[officialcheesecakefactory]

so. today i had the worst seizure i have ever had, with memory loss before and after. ngl i am worried this is related to the covid infection i just got over. really hoping that this isn't going to be my new normal.

#my jaw aches so bad i can barely open it #my tongue is bloody and swollen from being bitten #i managed to bend my big toenail backwards while i was seizing so my toe hurts and is bloody #usually i don't even seize i just pass out #so this is scary #personal #epilepsy diaries