Before reading this and suggesting further medical intervention, believe me my whole family have tried to no avail to get him to seek help. My Dad has been diagnosed as Epileptic since the age of 13 in Apartheid South Africa. The story goes that as a young boy he contracted Mumps didn't stay in bed and then got Encephalitis which led to Epilepsy. He has never been good at managing medication forgetting to take his Phenytoin some mornings and nights, this has on occasion led to seizures. On average he will have an episode every 3 to 6 months. It's led to a traumatic childhood to say the least. One night I'll always remember he felt ill and I urged him not to drive, I was eight, he didn't and not even 10 minutes after putting the car away, had the worst seizure I've ever witnessed. Over the past few years I have noticed a very steady decline in his cognitive abilities, his reaction times and his emotional maturity. Growing up with a man that has the maturity a 13 year old is not easy and he is in complete denial about it as well, aided by his delusional sister who can't accept anything is wrong. My parents marriage has completely degenerated to the point that it is more like a nurse patient relationship then anything else. He is 56, unemployed for 10 years now and can hardly complete even the most menial of tasks like buying a liter of milk at the supermarket. He displays many commonplace symptoms of Aspergers but he never used to. Once he was a motivated and devoted husband and father, now I sometimes wonder if I even know this person. I'm tired of feeling angry, I'm tired of feeling sad. Is this the normal trajectory for people diagnosed with Epilepsy or is it something else entirely.
What's happening to my Dad?
- Thread starter Pinkerton
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Silat
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If left uncontrolled, it can lead in that direction. It depends on what areas of the brain are being affected though, so it can lead to very different reactions over time as well.
The problem is, seizures follow much the same pathways in the brain, and the more seizures one has, the more likely they are to have more seizures. It's essentially wiring the brain to seize, and it is progressive if the seizures are not controlled.... Repeated seizures can have some pretty serious and strange effects on the brain, especially over time. One seizure doesn't do much, but relatively uncontrolled seizures over 40 years can potentially cause some serious problems... It's an unpleasant reality which isn't often talked about, but it can happen.
Rather than medication or anything like that, is there any possibility he could talk to a counseler or someone who can sit down and talk him through his issues he's experiencing? That could even be you, if you believe you're capable of working through his problems with him...
The best way to handle it, regardless, is to have everyone on the same page, rather than you guys pushing him into doing something, or him pushing your family into doing something. If you can all work together, you'll all make much further progress than if you're in conflict with each other.
The problem is, seizures follow much the same pathways in the brain, and the more seizures one has, the more likely they are to have more seizures. It's essentially wiring the brain to seize, and it is progressive if the seizures are not controlled.... Repeated seizures can have some pretty serious and strange effects on the brain, especially over time. One seizure doesn't do much, but relatively uncontrolled seizures over 40 years can potentially cause some serious problems... It's an unpleasant reality which isn't often talked about, but it can happen.
Rather than medication or anything like that, is there any possibility he could talk to a counseler or someone who can sit down and talk him through his issues he's experiencing? That could even be you, if you believe you're capable of working through his problems with him...
The best way to handle it, regardless, is to have everyone on the same page, rather than you guys pushing him into doing something, or him pushing your family into doing something. If you can all work together, you'll all make much further progress than if you're in conflict with each other.
Hand of Blood
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I know im not much good at giving advice but... You should buy in them wee boxes to put meds in u know with the day and night so he wont forget! does he get to a nero often to help? he should prob be getting alot of tests on his brain see whats happening up there.....
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Hi Pinkerton --
Uncontrolled seizures can affect the brain, though it's unusual for them to lead to extreme cognitive and emotional problems if he's having them at the rate you describe. It's possible that he's having other kinds of seizures called Absences or Complex Partials -- they can manifest as problems with cognition, focus, attention, and emotion. Phenytoin can also have cognitive side effects over the long-term, so even with his inconsistent use of it, it could be taking a toll. The ideal situation would be to have him see his regular doctor to make sure there aren't other medical issues going on, and then to set up an appointment with his neurologist to check medication levels. It may be that the dosage needs to be altered, or that a different med with fewer side effects would be better.
Is there anyone (friend/family member/regular/doctor) that he would trust to help him make better health care decisions? If he has cognitive issues and has a hard time remembering to take his meds, maybe he needs a better system -- perhaps one of those pillboxes with multiple slots for different times or days.
Best,
Nakamova
Uncontrolled seizures can affect the brain, though it's unusual for them to lead to extreme cognitive and emotional problems if he's having them at the rate you describe. It's possible that he's having other kinds of seizures called Absences or Complex Partials -- they can manifest as problems with cognition, focus, attention, and emotion. Phenytoin can also have cognitive side effects over the long-term, so even with his inconsistent use of it, it could be taking a toll. The ideal situation would be to have him see his regular doctor to make sure there aren't other medical issues going on, and then to set up an appointment with his neurologist to check medication levels. It may be that the dosage needs to be altered, or that a different med with fewer side effects would be better.
Is there anyone (friend/family member/regular/doctor) that he would trust to help him make better health care decisions? If he has cognitive issues and has a hard time remembering to take his meds, maybe he needs a better system -- perhaps one of those pillboxes with multiple slots for different times or days.
Best,
Nakamova