When people are told that they have epilepsy or a seizure disorder, they feel somehow "different" and think their lives must change.  They may be told a lot more about what they cannot do than what they can do.  They or their loved ones may worry about the risk of injuries from seizures, brain damage, or even death.

Everyone takes risks.  Taking risks can involve daredevil activities like skydiving, motorcycle riding and bungee jumping, or more ordinary activities like driving a car and riding a bicycle.  People take risks because they feel the benefits will be greater than the risks or dangers.  People with epilepsy have special risks toconsider, and each person will make a different decision about how to handle those risks.  Your decisions will probably be based on factors such as your personality, your age, your responsibilities, and how well your seizures are controlled.  If your seizures are well controlled, you may not have to limit your activities at all.  You have to decide what's right for you and the other important people in your life.

Most seizures don't cause injuries, but people can hurt themselves if their seizures cause them to fall or pass out.  Older adults are more likely to hurt themselves during a seizure because their bones are more fragile.  If you have the kind of seizures that make you fall or lose total control of your muscles, you must take special care so that you don't get hurt.  For example, don't work in places where you could be hurt by heat, electricity, or dangerous machines.  Avoid activities that involve working at heights, such as on ladders or scaffolding. At home, too, it's important to take extra care if your seizures occur frequently.  Think about taking the following safety measures, which will lessen your risk of being injured during a seizure:

1) cook food in a microwave oven, rather than on a stove to avoid the possibility of getting burned
2) use a cart to carry hot food
3) use unbreakable dishes
4) carpet the bathroom floor
5) turn down the temperature on the hot water heater
6) keep the bathroom door unlocked and instead use a "Do Not Disturb" sign
7) have a laundry service do your ironing rather than do it yourself
8) don't use electric knives or other dangerous equipment.

Another important part of safety for people with seizures is how to be well-prepared others are to respond correctly so that they can keep them safe until the seizure ends.  You need to learn about your seizure disorder so that you can talk with your family, close friends and coworkers (who you are with frequently) about what to do and what not to do if you have a seizure.  This involves describing your seizures and perhaps providing educational materials for them to read regarding epilepsy and your seizure type.  People are much less afraid of something when they know something about it, what to expect, and what to do if it happens; that includes epilepsy/seizures disorders.  Discuss seizure first aid with your family and tell them things like when they should call an ambulance and when they should not.  Try to answer their questions as best as you can or have them talk to a family member who knows about and understands your seizure type.

Seizure safety is a very important issue for people with epilepsy and their loved ones.  Please educate yourself and others who you are with on a regular basis about epilepsy and seizure safety.  REMEMBER THAT AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE.

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Please note:  The above article was provided to SupportWorks without any original documentation or dates of original production.  We have removed as many typographical errors (and spelllling errors) as possible.  Please read the article carefully since the prevailing views on various topics may have changed since the article was originally written.  Thank you.
 

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