Ted Kennedy had a seizure, news media circus ensues

[nana1]

I WAS WATCHING THE NEWS TODAY.WELL THERE WAS A NEWS FLASH ABOUT SENATOR KENNEDY BEING TAKEN TO HOSPITAL CAUSE OF 2 SEIZURE THEY SAY. IT SEEMS YOU GOT TO BE FAMOUMS TO HAVE ANY NOTICE ON EPILEPSY. THEY SAY HE WILL SURVIE. THEY SAY THIS MAY NOT EFFECT HIM GOING BACK TO WORK. IT JMUST MAKE ME MAD THAT 2 SEIZURE STIRS UP THIS MUCH , WHEN I HAVE 10 A DAY I DON`T GET ANY HOOP LU, I AM NOT ON TV.
I HAVE LIVED WITH THIS EVERYDAY OF MY LIFE AND NEVER GOT NOTICE LIKE THAT. HE GETS 2 IN ONE DAY AND HE ALL OVER TV. WHAT IS THIS GUY GOING TO DIE CAUSE HE HAD 2 SEIZURE (DON`T THINK SO).
MAYBE I AM WRONG TO BE MAD. BUT IT SEEMS ONLY INFORMATION GETS OUT THERE IS IF SOMEONE IMPOTANT HAS A SEIZURE, ( LIKE IT A DIEASE). I GUESS BEING BORN WITH EPILEPSY AND HAVING THEM FOR OVER 50 YEARS AND BEING ON MEDS, AND NOT BEING UNDER CONTROL, MUST NOT MEAN ANYTHING.,,,,,,,,




NANCY

[RobinN]

That must really be maddening.
I agree with you, the rich and famous do get the attention. However, I don't really want my daughter to be on the front page of the paper. My only thought with his seizures would be, perhaps he drank too much. Let his life be dissected. Maybe he had a seizure and memory lapse when he let that poor girl drown. His life has been a disaster in my mind. I don't want his kind of fame.

[Bernard]

It's not clear if the seizures were the result of a stroke or not, but I do think it's newsworthy when the "second-longest serving senator in office, ... an institution on Capitol Hill" has severe health issues:

... Kennedy, the second-longest serving senator in office, has, over the years, become an institution on Capitol Hill. Which is why, when word came on a brilliant Saturday morning that Kennedy had been rushed to the hospital after suffering what was initially described as stroke-like symptoms (and later called a seizure), the news hit Washington like a small earthquake.

The reaction was not due to partisan concern — as when South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson was hospitalized with bleeding in the brain, shortly after the Democrats won control of the Senate in 2006 and the party feared losing his seat and control of the Senate. If anything were to happen to Kennedy, his seat would remain securely in Democratic hands, since a temporary replacement would be appointed by Massachusetts' Democratic Governor Deval Patrick until the next elections. The alarm felt by Democrats had little to do with the Senate's balance of power, but rather from contemplating for the first time the vacuum that Kennedy would leave behind. ...

In the Senate, Ted Kennedy Still Rules

It wasn't that long ago that Chief Justice Roberts had a seizure and the media was talking about epilepsy. I don't see epilepsy mentioned too much in the news coverage for Sen. Kennedy - speculation is it was from a stroke.

[nana1]

Ok so maybe Sen. Kenndy did have seizure cause maybe a stroke ( you got that one Bernard). But i saw the news tonight, now they saying there waiting on test results and how to treat seizures. So to me it sounds like epilpsy. They say he resting talking on phone, and having famil and visitors annd watching tv.
Even if he has epilepsy this is going to be tossed under the rug in a couple weeks or give them months. He will have to go on meds for it, he will have to cut down on booze or better cut it out all together.
Don`t people realize this can happen to any one any where any time.If not taken care of you could hurt your self bad. What would happen if Sen. Kenndy could not drive>
This just get me so mad how they report things that only bring money into them, not to help people.
nancy

[skillefer]

*chuckle* Just think of it this way Nancy, ...if it is seizures, and he's put on meds, it'll make him cut back on the drinking.... That, and maybe, because he now has a vested interest, he'll actually try to help fund epilepsy research.....One can only hope.

[BuckeyeFan]

As far as news coverage goes, yes it is a major story when one of the most powerful men in the country becomes ill.

I do agree that it is awful that is the only way medical disorders get attention and I will leave my political view of the person out of it.

His position gives him power over issues that effect everyone's life and his health is news. Unfortunately, not all senators have equal power in the senate.

[nana1]

ok ,if Ted Kennedy has epilepsy, lets hope now he will help fund epilepsy research I have a feeling that may be just wishing on my part. But all i can do at this point is hope and wish. I am trying to calm down some, talking like this is helping me. thank you so much for this room.


nancy

[Georgiagirl88]

I'm with Robin and Buckeye! I certainly don't wish anyone harm..he has a family etc...but I totally agree with Robin.

[alivenwell]

If he truly has epilepsy, and uses his clout to help those of us with the same disorder, I'd love to see his clout put to our favor in the form of money, research and public education.

This dude could really help us. People like Christopher Reeves (for paralysis), Mary Tyler Moore (for diabetes) and Michael J. Fox (for Parkinson's Disease) have an incredible amount of clout. We need a person up there with a positive image and an honest viewpoint of epilepsy.

Hopefully the Maverick Kennedy will be up to this challenge. Maybe we should write to him?

[RobinN]

Sorry, but he isn't a postive image in my book. I can think of others that would make far better spokesperson.

I agree with you Nancy. No one stood up and demanded answers when my daughter got sick. Maybe we should all just assume he is faking it, like many said Rebecca was. Or maybe it is psychogenic non-epileptic seizures and he needs therapy (he might have a bit of trauma in his past to work out). I really doubt he will allow the stigma of E to tarnish his record. Stroke sounds so much more stoic. I don't expect his medical records to be made public.

Let's find a better spokesperson.

[Georgiagirl88]

Ditto Robin!!!!!!!!!!

: )

Michelle

[skillefer]

Oh good heavens! I don't want him for a spokesperson! But I also know that none of us have lived perfect lives...and I don't think any of us would wish our condition on anybody....I'm just saying...if he does have E, let's see what he does with it. Will he learn, be strengthened, and advocate? Will he hide/deny it? Will he be ashamed? Let's sit back and wait and see.

[Georgiagirl88]

Apparently his seizures were from a left lobe malignant tumor. Dr. Baden on Fox news said it is not good because it involves the cells and spreads quicikly ..but they did figure it our quickly...malignant lioma???Leoma? very serious...Glioma?? I couldn't quite hear that part. Well wishes to his family..even though I don't care for him. No one would want to deal with something like this.

[TexasTravel]

On that note, I am sure many of us have conditions that either caused or were caused by our epilepsy. I have hydrocephalus that was caused by a severe case of the chicken pox. In turn, the hydrocephalus is a direct link to causing my epilepsy. I also have a severe scar on my brain that has been suggested by my doctors to remove it. But, and here is the catch, they said it would be very likely that I would lose memory, some motor function, etc., etc. They also said that it is likely caused by something to do with my seizures. I chose not to remove it.

With that said, while I have heard epilepsy mentioned a feeeew times on the idiotbox it was few and far between. And, it is even fewer when symptoms are diagnosed as to why a person has seizures. Even in this modern age, many people, including the media to some extent, claim that epilepsy is either created by a person just to get attention or that people who do have epilepsy take it to the extremes to get attention also.

Nope, epilepsy, its conditions, it fundamentals (something that really needs to be pushed on the idiotbox so that more people will understand), its causes, medicinal effects and so on...but do not hold your breath, unless a Kennedy has it, it will not get covered.

[Birdbomb]

It's not epilepsy

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080520/ap_on_go_co/kennedy

[TexasTravel]

Ok, let me edit that. Even without the formal classification of being EPILEPSY, many symptoms are the same..in the public eye at least. The same judgements, the same fear, the same ridicule, etc., etc. If someone sees me in a resturaunt lets say and I have a seizure, they do not know if I had one yesterday, last year or ever for that matter but the judgement is still the same. We know better but many do not. Besides that, like I said, my EPILEPSY has caused a scar on my brain which could be misdiagnosed as a tumor. But, seeing as I am not a member of their powerful family, it does not matter.

And, to top it all off, even if his were not the result of epilepsy, the media, the morning shows, the news have all started to focus, for at least a short time, on epilepsy even though, as you say, it was not epilepsy.

[nana1]

Ok so it was not epilepsy, it was a tumor. Bu he did have 2 seizues th day they got him to hospital. Yes i understand that may have been caused cause of tumor. But if he did not have seizures they may never have caught this tumor. So in this case he should be lucky he had them, it was positive for him, at least they found out now. He could of die not nowing about the tumor . I understand he from a wealthy famliy and will take chemo and radiation to try to live longer. He is the last living son of his family. But still i don`t like the tv watching every moe he has made on epilepsy cause he famous, were as we are not famous we don`t deserve to be heard. When i go out with friends to eat and i have a seizure at the table, i am told people look at me like i am a freak. Hey i can`t control the seizures, we take medicine for them and i still can not control them, but i can not stop my life either. People are told what they are so they will stop looking and talking like i am some freak. I should not have to bring a piece of paper with me explaining what seizures are.


nancy