i need help with my girlfreinds epilepsy

[johnnachos]

hi my names john i am 17 and my girlfreind (who i have been dating for a long time) has epilepsy. i live on my own and she is planning on moving in with me and i need help with what to do. what precautions i should take any preparations i need to make just anything to help. the first time i saw her have a seizure i didnt know what to do and after she stopped and went to bed i wept like a little girl. i have never cared so much about another person. i have lost so much sleep and am soo stressed over worrying about her and i just need help so if you have any tips i would really appreciate it

[Endless]

Hi, John,

Welcome to the forum. I'm so sorry both she and you are going through this. It's a really hard thing to deal with.

It's extra hard on the significant other, who wants to take away their loved one's pain but can't. Feeling helpless is one of the hardest emotions. Take heart. There are things you can do.

First of all, just being there for her is the most important thing. Just by being there for her you've done more than 99% of the men and women out their whose significant others have epilepsy. Most of them run away. Having a man to stand by her side, for her to lean on, is so important and her situation will be better off for the rest of her life. And that's because of you just being there.

What kind of seizures does your girlfriend have? If you can describe them it would help us share ideas that apply best to her situation. Different kinds of seizures need different kinds of safety measures, and different kinds of first aid, different kinds of support.

[epileric]

So glad to see how much you care for your girlfriend. I know a lot of people are scared off by seizures.

I have to ask, what kind of seizures does your girlfriend have? Are they convulsive?

[Nakamova]

Hi johnnachos, welcome to CWE!

It's great that you are being proactive about making your home a safe environment for your girlfriend. It does makes a difference what kind of seizures she has and how often. If she has convulsions and loses consciousness then you may want to try to eliminate sharp corners and breakables where you can (i.e. don't have a glass-topped coffeetable). There's a limit to what you can or should do -- you can't wrap your girlfriend and everything else in bubble-wrap -- but you should talk to her about what seems reasonable, and whether any neighbors might need a heads-up about her condition.

[johnnachos]

she has big seizures that just happen out of nowhere but they happen more frequently when shes stressed

[Endless]

John, are you talking about siezures where she falls on the floor and convulses? Or just drops to the floor? Or doesn't fall but has another kind of seizure? Here's a list of types of seizures. Maybe you recognize what kind she has from the descriptions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seizure_types

http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/types_seizures

[johnnachos]

i believe it is Tonic–clonic seizures she dropps over and starts flopping around

[cp611]

If it is tonic-clonic, I recommend getting rid of all sharp corners. I made the mistake in my own bathroom not doing so and had one while shaving in the morning and hit my forehead on the sharp corner of the toilet roll holder. Needless to say the scariest thing I've been through so far is waking up and your whole bathroom floor and you are covered in blood...that was by far the worst seizure I had - not due to the seizure but due to the injuries.

I do recommend just simply being there for her. That is one of the most important things you can do. I have days where I feel fine, days where I'm depressed, and everything in between.

[johnnachos]

thanks cp611 and thats what ive been tryin to do but she had one earlier today and almost smacked her head on the corner of the wall and i live in an apartment and cant really do much about tht the only reason she didnt was cuz i was huggin her and was able to lay her down carefully so u have any suggestions of what i can do about the corners

[RobinN]

that is the type of seizure my daughter use to have. At the most when on meds she had six a month. After making nutritional changes... over time, she has gained seizure control, and she remains med free.

Be supportive, but don't smother. Encourage her, remind her she can do anything she sets her mind to. Creating a healthy environment has been our answer.. inside and out.

[qtowngirl]

johnnachos,
Welcome sweetie. First off, by seeking support, you've done one of the most important things a significant other can do. What you see and the load you carry is enormous, we know, and educating yourself is key. Brave thing to do at such a young age, hats off to you, so many people really do walk away, or simply just leave one to deal with it on their own.
Curious, is your girlfriend on medication? Have tests been done to figure out a cause? With the frequency as it is I would hope her doctor has her referred to a neurologist if she doesn't already have one? The more you know about every part of her situation will help you understand what she goes through on a physical and emotional level as well as what may lie ahead. Please fill us in a bit more so we can try to help out. (((HUGS))).

As for protection around the house, everyone's right about sharp corners, but I have also read on many forums (and learned this one myself), if it's possible be sure she doesn't have a bath or shower when you're not there. The bath is self-explanatory, and the shower is dangerous too... my bf removed the drain stop from ours after in case it happened again.

Other than that it sounds like she has one hell of a boyfriend johnnachos... again, good for you for asking for advice and wanting to help her.

[johnnachos]

she is on 7 different meds and she sees a neurologist but hes not sure where there coming from yet ik that some of em are probably stress triggered. and as to the comment about me not leaving her its never evn crossed my mind if people truely love then they will go through times of trouble togeter at least thats always been my thing

[survivor]

Really great to know a person like u! Take care of her................she needs u desperately! U will have times in life when her bahavior will be strange due to the cocktail of medicines she is having! John, u be there for her and we all are here for u! Whatever help u need concerned to her! Let me tell u one thing.............love is the best medicines and it heals very soothingly! God bless!
Shagun