Epilepsy alert
Living with epilepsy can be a lot better today. Increasing awareness and care of epilepsy patients can restore their self-confidence. DR DHIRAJ KUMAR, MBBS(PMCH), MS (PMCH), Mch(Neurosurgery), Brain and Spine Specialist, Advance Neuro and Spine (ANS) Centre, Patna
pilepsy and seizures carry a stigma that can be frightening to others who do not fully understand the disorder.
Epilepsy is a condition that affects not only the person who is dealing with it, but also has a deeper impact on the family members. It affects the person’s emotional well-being and takes a huge toll on their mental health. The treatment approach to epilepsy needs to consider cognitive problems, psychiatric comorbidities and psychosocial complications. It helps to know the first aid measures to deal with it.
FIRST AID STEPS
Ensure the affected person lies on the floor and turn them gently onto one side. Loosen tie or anything that’s around their neck.
Clear the area for any hard or sharp objects.
Put something soft and flat under their head. Remove eyeglasses, if there. Make note of the time for which the seizure persists. Immediately contact doctors to abort the seizure episode. Living with epilepsy can be a lot better today. Increasing awareness and care can restore patient’s self-confidence and inculcate a feeling of happiness within them. As it is said, ‘We don’t know how strong we are, until being strong is the only choice we have.’ The same applies here too.
There are several different treatment options available for epilepsy ranging from oral medications to surgery. For intractable seizures — those who continue to have seizures with two or more antiepileptic medications — epilepsy brain surgery offers good relief and they can continue to be seizure free with less drugs.
The author of this article is Dr Dhiraj Kumar, brain and spine specialist, Advance Neuro and Spine (ANS) Centre, Patna.
Disclaimer: The veracity of any health claim made in the above article is the responsibility of the concerned doctor /hospital