Rebecca

[dempsey.woman]

My name is Rebecca. I had febral seizures(fine one min then have a fever of 102-104) when I was little,but it went completely away. Then when I was 13, I started having "blackouts." Those blackouts I now know were absence seizures. I had them consistently throughout my life, then when I became pregnant I had a 2 grand mal seizures and have had about 1 grand mal and 6-12 petit mal seizures per month since then. I have tried Keppra, Lamictal, and Pheyntek, and have had adverse reactions to all three. I have no money, no job, and my husband is currently working a job with a commission based salary, I have no health insurance, so I can't afford to see my neurologist or any other doctor for that matter. I'm at a loss as what to do. Every time we think we've found the cure, I have another set of seizures... I'm only 22 and feel like my life is being sucked away from me. I have no energy, and currently a stay-at-home mom... Very scary considering the circumstances. Does anyone have any ideas to help a broke, frustrated, seizure ridden mother?

[RobinN]

Hi Rebecca - Welcome
I love your name. I chose it for my daughter.

All I can say is I am sorry for the situation that you find yourself in.
We tried medication for our Rebecca as well, without luck. In fact the seizures were worse.
My suggestions would be to try nutritional changes. You might even try the raw food diet that is suggested here. You have many options and I think without a doubt you will see a change in how you feel, which will affect your overall health.

It can't hurt, in my opinion.

I am not sure if you are on medication right now, but this info might also be helpful.

[LivingFruity]

Hi Rebecca Welcome to CWE!

I know this must be an extremely overwhelming and scary ordeal. There are several options available for you that are not dependent upon insurance or income.

First, start keeping a journal. Write down what you eat, when you sleep, your stresses, your activities, your seizures, how long they last, etc. Make it very detailed. Try to look for an underlying activity or food that might trigger your seizures. If you can identify a trigger, then you can begin to avoid the seizures.

Second, really consider doing some research regarding nutrition and seizures. We're able to control my son's seizures through a simple diet change. A lot of people are able to control their seizures without medications or at least lower their dosages by making dietary changes.

Third, research other seizure control methods such as yoga, meditation, biofeedback, etc. This forum is full of information regarding alternative treatments. Some of these won't cost you anything but the time that you invest in yourself.

I highly recommend the book "Treating Epilepsy Naturally" by Patricia A Murphy. The information contained in this book is invaluable in my opinion.

Feel free to jump on in and ask questions or just vent. This community is a wonderful place to find information, support, and encouragement

[LuvMyTwins]

I'm going with my friends up above on this one. Nutrition is the key to help with the seizures. I truly believe that seizures are a symptom of something else (remember, anyone can be diagnosed with E. if they have more than one seizure).
I, as well as fruity, follow the raw vegan diet and love it. Along with that I stay away from gluten, soy, and basically anything that doesn't either grow in the ground or on a tree.
Welcome to CWE! You will enjoy learning about all of the alternatives there are to pills!---LMT

[skillefer]

Hi Rebecca! Welcome to CWE. As you can see, a friendly group. I'm gonna agree with all the advice given so far. Just remember, don't stop your meds without at least talking to a doctor first. Definitely put the dietary and lifestyle changes into place. So that means at least 7 hours of sleep a night, and give up the caffeine. Also, no artificial sweeteners. When you've been doing these lifestyle changes for a while, then try contacting the pharmaceutical companies. Many of them have programs for people who cannot afford medication. Or check with the pharmacy to see if they have a special program for generic meds. Hope this helps.

[Bernard]

Hi Rebecca, welcome to the forum.

Robin already mentioned it, but I'll second it. Check out the Proactive Prescription for Epilepsy.

BTW, my wife also used to have multiple, daily absence seizures years ago. Her seizure activity also got progressively worse with each pregnancy.

She is currently using a pseudo-LGIT diet (she only limits simple carbs, not total carbs), a 9 hour/night sleep schedule, Dilantin and EEG neurofeedback and is on her way to putting the genie back in the bottle (knock on wood).