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[rowlanhere]

Greetings to all.

My name is Dan Rowlan. I just had my 2nd seizure on 12 Feb 09. I am scared. I have been in the army for 18 years and I did not start having seizures untel I returned from Iraq in 2005. I have PTSD and an mTBI. The VA dose not have any anwsers as of yet why I am having seizures. Is there any other Vets going through the same thing?

[LivingFruity]

Hi Dan Welcome to CWE! It's great to have you here. Having seizures can be a scary thing at first. There's all sorts of information and support here. I hope you will be able to relax, enjoy your time with us, and find some encouragement. We're glad to have you here

P.S. Thank you for your service to our country I know that was a huge sacrifice on your part!

[RobinN]

Hey Dan- Welcome to our friendly home.

My son just left for Boot Camp in San Diego this week. I too want to thank you for your service. So sorry that you are dealing with this on your return.

My daughter's began at the age of 14 out of the blue. No illness, no injuries.
We are controlling them with nutritional changes, supplements for brain and body health, and neurofeedback.

The office we go to for Neurofeedback works with Vets with PTSD for free. I am not sure if you can travel, but you might check it out. They told me that they have had Vets come for a week, and are treated daily and they see an improvement. You might give them a call.

http://www.homecoming4veterans.org/
Please let them know you heard about it from CWE

[rowlanhere]

Right now I am getting treatment at the VA. so cost is not a consern right now. My biggest consern is weather i get to stay in the Army.

Thanks for you words of encouragement.

[Crystal11]

Thank you also for your service to America. A lot of people are thankful for people like you. I hope that you find the approrpiate help or doctos to provide you with specialized care you might need. I have read on another thread here about PTSD and Seizures in the military. I grew up in the military and on post etc.. so lots of memories there hehehe.
Anyways, please take care and hope things get better for you soon.

-CM

[dfwtexas]

Hi, welcome to our home away from home.
There was a discussion a few days ago on here about military fellas with E.
Being the Military and being Diagnosed with Epilepsy
Glad you joined us, and thank you for all you do for our country.

[seizures4ever]

Thank you for your service for our country.

I am so sorry you are dealing with all of this right now.

I hope you have the answers you need soon.

Welcome to our site. We're glad to have you!

Take care and stay safe. -Julie

[skillefer]

Hi Dan! Welcome to CWE. thank you for your service to our country. I am the daughter, niece, cousin, wife, and friend to people who haver served in our armed forces. As for what is causing your seizures...honestly, there is no way to tell for certain. However, I would suggest that you start keeping a daily journal.. Here's what you want to write down.
1. Food and Drink (what, when, how much...)
2. Sleep (how many hours each night, and whether it's interrrupted.)
3. Stress ( any stress, and what you do to deal with it.)
4. OTC meds/herbal supplements/vitamins you might be taking
5. odd feelings (odd feelings/smells/sounds/tastes/feelings, deja vu, headaches, etc..)
6. Seizures (when, how long they last, what they look like, where you have them, how you feel afterward.)

Ok...your keeping track of all this to see if you can find a pattern. Many of us have seizures that are triggered by specific things. For example food allergies, too much stress, not enough sleep, too much caffeine, etc... If you can avoid the triggers, hopefully you can get better control over the seizures. Also, if you give a copy of the journal to your docs, it might give them a better idea of whats going on.

As for causes...honestly, many of us don't know exactly what caused our seizures. But the usual suspects are:
genetics
migraines with auras
head injuries
food allergies
illnesses with high fevers as children
Yes, these causes can happen while children, and then not manifest as seizures till much older.
To help you with seizure control, make sure that you do the following:
1. Make sure you eat 6 small meals a day (small as in will fit on a dessert plate. And for every carb, you need to have protein.) (Your doing this to make sure that your blood sugar level is steady. Low blood sugar can cause seizures. )
2. Get 7 hours of sleep each night.
3. Learn healthy ways to deal with stress (yoga, meditation, exercise, prayer, crafts, etc...)
4. Cut the caffeine out of your diet (coffee, sodas, tea, energy drinks...and if you drink alot of them, then wean off slowly.)
5. Quit drinking alcohol (or at least cut waaay back ...they can trigger seizures too.)
6. Limit how much sugar and processed food you eat.

Hope this helps.

[Bernard]

Hi Dan, welcome to the forum.

Robin already mentioned the free neurofeedback program for veterans. I highly recommend looking into it. It's not limited to Robin's corner of California. The program is offered through a network of neurofeedback providers around the country. They might have a location near you.

[paradise survivor]

Aloha and welcome! Thank you for your serviceI too was a full grown adult when I started having seizures, mine include 'blackouts' as well as a miriad of other special little events. No specific 'reason' lots of speculation. How is really not important in my case as it is very important in yours. I hope you get the help you deserve and whatever happens with the VA, you will always get support here!! Here you will find out that you are not 'odd', unusual, or nuts! I suggest you spend some time reading the different threads on this site as you will learn much and be empowered to effectively live with seizures. Upright is best