No I can't swallow my tongue

[valeriedl]

A new friend and I went to a concert last night. She knew I had epilepsy and I let her know that lights have never bothered me. She asked me if I had any sort of triggers and I told her I didn't. She seemed to know a good abut about the different types of seizures there are too.

"I need to grab your tongue so you don't swallow it don't I", she asked. I started to laugh because I though she was joking but when I looked over I saw she was dead serious! I told her I cannot swallow my tongue and she was really surprised because people had told her that a person can while they are having a seizure. I told her not to put anything in my mouth or hold me down if I had a seizure. I showed her my VNS and how to use it. I let her know that she just needed to make sure I don't hurt myself during the seizure, and if she needed to then get someone who works there to help.

I know that there are so many myths, if that's what this one is considered, about epilepsy. I just never thought that she'd ask me, or anyone would, that!

 

[CQ:)]

My nan who was born in the1920s once told me she was brought up in the era where if someone was having a seizure you’d get a ruler or something to put in their mouth. They didn’t know any different back then

When people find out I have epilepsy, majority assume it’s ‘the ones where you thrash on the ground’.
I’m forever explaining I don’t have tonic clonics and explaining what my focal seizures are.

 

[Porkette]

Hi val,

Back in the 1970's there were saying the same thing about holding down my tongue or putting a spoon in my
mouth so my tongue wouldn't roll back. All of that is a bunch of nonsense and I would even tell the school nurse
you don't do that nor do you hold a person down.

A few yrs. ago a co worker at school found a Epilepsy Museum over in Germany if you want to check it out to
find all the history of epilepsy just go online and type in Epilepsy museum and I will tell you it is different, there
are some bright colors also just to let you know to play it safe if you are interested.

Wishing You only the best and May God Bless You,

Sue

 

[Sabbo]

It's hard to believe that some people STILL believe those old myths about a person being able to swallow their tongue!! The tongue is attached to your mouth in the back--there is NO WAY a person could swallow it. I have severely bitten my tongue during a complex partial once, though.

 

[valeriedl]

I have severely bitten my tongue during a complex partial once, though.

Many times I'll chew my tongue or the inside of my mouth during a seizure. This is one way that I know that I've had a seizure during the night when I'm asleep or when there's no one to see me have it.

 

[XxBlaqkxX]

If there's one thing I hate, it's talking about epilepsy/seizures with other people. My social anxiety kicks in.

But anyway, there's soooo many misconceptions about epilepsy. It's not exactly your friend's fault for believing something so silly - these myths have gone on for many years and need to continue to be put to rest and perhaps that's what you were there to do. There are still a lot of silly myths that go around that people are told. I was crazy surprised when I first heard online that some people think epilepsy is contagious...

I'm so glad I never had a seizure around my mother-in-law while she was alive - she believed you always put something in the person's mouth and was a firm believer on sticking to that, but I don't know if she'd recognize a seizure if she saw one, either.

 

[Sabbo]

Believe it or not, I once had a complex partial seizure while in the neurologist's office, & the nurse that was there didn't realize that it was a seizure! I think it wasn't his regular nurse, though anyone working in that environment should be able to recognize seizures.