Knock Knock

[jonzen]

Hi, it's just me, Jonzen! I've been checking this site for days and there has been no one talking, so I thought I'd knock and see if anyone was home

Things are going fine for me right now. It seems the epilepsy monster has gone back into it's cave or wherever it goes, and things are back to normal again for now. I think my kinesiologist may have been right about the Alkaseltzer Plus Cold Medicine being the cause of my seizure a couple of weeks ago.

A subject I wonder about is dogs for epileptics. I have a standard poodle who is very keen to my energy, she senses when my brain starts mis-firing, and she calms me, just with her presence.

Does anyone else have pets that help keep you centered and calm? Bernard, maybe I should post that as a separate subject? (I hope Stacy is doing well right now......often no news is good news......so I assume everyone is doing very well right now?)

Have a marvelous day everyone!

With Deep Bows To You All,

Jonzen

 

[Nancy]

Hi Jonzen -- I check in all the time too hoping someone has posted something/anything :? so I'm sure glad you've spoken.
I'm glad to hear you're doing OK - that's good news.
I'm doing fine too.
Matter of fact - I'm doing great - lol. I'm really the lucky one because I haven't had a seizure since Feb. 3. I had a brain tumor removed on Feb 14 and the docs tell me that the chances are less than 20% that I'll ever have another sz. But I will be taking meds for the rest of my life

I have a cat and she makes me crazy - :shock: - not calm and collected

 

[jonzen]

Thanks Nancy!

Thanks Nancy! Wow, it is nice to read your words, and especially to hear of your good news!

May I inquire what medication you are taking to control any potential for seizure? I am taking Dilantin (300 mg per day), and have been for probably over 40 years now! Yikes! I still have what might be called petit mal or simple partial seizures, but not very often.

I have a cat too, but she does not calm me! She is the kind of feline that likes to bite when one pets her or holds her. :shock: I prefer my poodle, Phoebe, who seems to know ahead of time when I will experience seizure activity, or is that just some kind of deja vu woo woo thing?

Thanks so much for writing something today. I don't know where everybody went! It got so quiet around here......I thought I was the only epileptic left on the site!

Take care Nancy! Write again soon.

Jonzen

 

[Bernard]

I'm currently working over seas and have had limited access to the internet, so I haven't been posting much of anything anywhere lately. Thanks for posting Jonzen.

Bernard, maybe I should post that as a separate subject?

It's completely up to you. This place is here for everyone to communicate like a dinner party. Some threads need to stay focused on the original topic for the benefit of answering a question, but most are just friendly conversations.

It's great to hear that you both are doing well. Stacy is also doing well and it's a big relief to me because I'm not home right now in case the worst should happen.

Stacy used to have a cat, but she passed away many years ago and we have not adopted another pet since.

 

[Nancy]

Hi again --
Sure I'll talk about meds. Before ~shudder~ brain surgery I was taking 125 mg Topamax and 1200 mg Trileptal. (There aren't many meds I have not been on in any combination in the last 16 years - none helped).

After surgery the epi neuro said they would start reducing meds in 6 months and because of my migraines she preferred keeping the Topamax BUT the dosage was way too small in any case. So we dropped the Trileptal week-by-week and it's 100% gone now and increased the Topamax to 400 mg per day. ~whew~.
I'm having a bit of tingling in my fingertips but otherwise I haven't noticed any side effects.

Dilantin was the very first med I took (Nov. 1990). It gave me fairly severe osteoporosis !!!) More meds ~sigh~ to correct that.

Our cat, Jingle, will turn 19 years old on the 14th of this month. (Somehow the 14th is a big day this year and somehow the 28th has the potential to be a disaster every year, every month). We lost her sister, Belle this spring between my brain surgery and my breast surgery results. Not a good spring at all.

 

[jonzen]

Can I borrow a cup of friendship?

Well Nancy, hopefully this year will be different and the 14th and 28th will be good days for you. I sure hope so.

This is a lovely day here in Central Oregon......many wonderful clouds drifting across the blue sky.......there is a chance that snow may be coming here soon! But here we have sunshine most of the year, even in Winter.

I am working on coordinating a film series here at the Sisters Movie House. A fun project, encouraging community to view a film, in this case, documentary films on artists, then stay and talk about it. We have a lovely new movie theatre, privately owned, state of the art, and so we have the option to get involved and support the arts. I am kind of excited about it.

What films do you remember, what films are your favorites?

I just saw a screening of the new Clint Eastwood film, "Flags Of Our Fathers", very very well done. Very powerful and graphic. About the battle of Iwo Jima in the 40's, and the marines who were photographed in the famous image of the raising of the American flag. This is a true story about those young men and what happened to them after the war. I think this film will be awarded something by the Academy.

Regarding epilepsy, I just read on the my.epilepsy.com site that the area experiencing unusual electrical impulses may be my auditory site, because I often hear things during my seizures........like birds singing!

The brain is certainly a miraculous organ, isn't it?!

Bernard, if you are reading this, where are you (out of the country I know, but where) and will you be returning soon? I am happy that Stacy is doing well right now. I sure learned my lesson about over the counter cold medicines.......and I assume all of you reading this also know that we should stay away from anything with Phenylephrine HCI in it? I think this is what caused me to go into seizure on October 27th....I had taken an Alka-seltzer Plus cold tablet 2 hours before the event happened. That plus the excitement of having 6 new guests pushed me over the top.

Okay, enough of my blabbing huh?

I'm all ears now!

 

[Bernard]

I prefer no to post too many details about my work online. I should be home this weekend though.