Sick note: Faking illness online

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some people fake it in real life in an effort for diasablity to, which surprises me.

Met one girl it was the one thing that gave her away, she drank too much alcohol, almost everyone here has some sort of an issue with liquor. Or she would get tired of the fact in my city after 7, you have to go to the er if you have a seizure in public to make sure it wasn't alcohol related, and if they think it was they make you stay till you sober up. That would get old quick.
 
C0urt said:
some people fake it in real life in an effort for diasablity to, which surprises me.

Met one girl it was the one thing that gave her away, she drank too much alcohol, almost everyone here has some sort of an issue with liquor. Or she would get tired of the fact in my city after 7, you have to go to the er if you have a seizure in public to make sure it wasn't alcohol related, and if they think it was they make you stay till you sober up. That would get old quick.
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In response to that, I have had a seizure in a strange town when I was doing a course, been taken to A&E and because no one thought to explain ended up with a junior doctor yelling 'What have you taken?', 'What have you taken?'' at me.
Until I came round from my post ictal fog and waved the medic alert bracelet at him that he had overlooked, before puking all over his trousers.

Never done that before or since, wonder why it happened? Karma?
 
Highlander said:
Regards the people who post videos of themselves on line having seizures or faking them. This is my opinion for what it's worth, some people do it and they do it in the hope that someone will say 'yeah that is normal, that's what happens to me'
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I don't know how people can do this, i have absolutely no idea what i look like during a tonic clonic seizure, nor would i wish too. If i'm watching tv and someone is having a seizure, i have to switch over or leave the room, i don't know why, but it really freaks me out.

Worked with adults with learning disabilities for years, many of whom had epilepsy, if i had to deal with a seizure, i would be professional, and do my job well, but it would leave me a shaking mess afterwards, and i'd have to step outside to calm down. Luckily, for both them and me, it didn't come about too often.

From what i've seen of people who do fake them (I know someone personally who i am no longer in contact with because of this), they always seem to go for the dramatic tonic clonic, of the kind they've seen on tv, whereas from my experience at work, very few of my clients had seizures that looked like that.

They would certainly never have the kind where you're having a complex partial and look like you're doing something incredibly strange/stupid, because of course that doesn't get sympathy, just very odd looks unless it's from someone who knows what's going on!
 
One point, I have seen a few seizures in my time, I volunteered for an organisation that supported people with ABI and the Red Cross.
Doing CPR for real was far worse than any seizure.

I also know that my own seizures changed dramatically when my medication was changed. They became far more violent - my husband can testify to that, as can a workplace first aider who insisted I go home in a taxi with her before I had properly recovered with disastrous results.

Given that seizures of any sort don't come made to measure, whilst I appreciate that some fakers are very easy to spot, I don't feel that I have sufficient range of experience in dealing with seizures to point the finger at anyone and cry 'fake'. If you read Susan O'Sullivan's book it appears that even experienced neurologists have trouble picking out PNES over an epileptic seizure in video footage. I assume for them the true fakes are easy meat, but for me?

I'm not sure I would be so confident as to go onto youtube and view the videos saying 'real'...'fake'...'real'...'real'...

It does perplex me as to why anyone wants to do this - go on-line with a real seizure or a fake one.
 
There are certain things which are a dead giveaway for a really bad faker, and a neuro would spot them a mile off. I'm talking about true fakers here, not people with psuedo or non-epileptic seizures.

But someone who's really dedicated to it probably did their research beforehand and nearly perfected it. Over a long period of time however, for example on a forum, they usually can't keep their stories and facts straight and tend to go for more and more dramatic posts to garner the attention they crave.

I would never see someone having a seizure in the street and stop to contemplate whether it was real or fake before seeing if i could help.
 
I don't see how you can fake it,some of nerves in my face go hay wire it is impossible to fake..
I not like see film either unless nuro asked me then I be uncomfortable.Most doc I would thought take you into hospital and try induce one under medical care.I did see a girl fake it when I was a nurse.She been in hospital six weeks everytime discharge was mention she had s but look nothing like one.anyone fakeing it to stay in hospital then one should find the. Reason
 
I only had simple partial seizures until about 17 years ago. Even those weren't properly diagnosed until after I had some Tonic Clonics when I was 14. I recall classmates saying that I was faking it just to get out of doing things.
 
In my local hospital they got area where diabetic epilepsy can come round then go home.With some it happens so often that person and staff on first name terms and some of the people happens so often that they all know each other.
I like you highlander I don't wish go on YouTube study sz.Epilepsy strange thing I could not say if faking it either each person different.you don't always get head aches and aura can be different.for me the aura and head ache worse thing and do debilitate me also constant muscle twitching if it happening all over body the sz is very minor compared to other people.well I assuming it is as I got no wish be filmed and shown it.I know something happens at night I wake up blood bruising on bits of body impossible get to
 
Oh and if doc shouted at me like that then I would fake giving him black eye as part of my condition.i suggest he go back to med school learn how to talk to people.If working in A&E he got get used to epilepsy cos one day someone will give him black eye
 
seagull said:
Oh and if doc shouted at me like that then I would fake giving him black eye as part of my condition.i suggest he go back to med school learn how to talk to people.If working in A&E he got get used to epilepsy cos one day someone will give him black eye
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or worse, I spent a week in next to a guy who trained police officers and was ex-spec ops. took his wife to get him to calm down. yelling at him while he was post tictal might be a poor choice
 
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