Living without epileptic seizures

Life with epilepsy can be fulfilling when seizures are not bothering you. Many famous and legendary personalities were diagnosed with epilepsy, which did not prevent them from showing themselves brilliantly and leaving a mark on history.

According to the WHO, proper treatment helps 70% of patients get rid of seizures. And the state of health after remission, that is, when there are no seizures for more than 12 months, allows a person to completely forget that he has epilepsy.

To achieve this result, two important conditions must be met:

• choose a good attending physician;
• strictly follow his recommendations, completely excluding self-medication.

The effectiveness of treatment depends on the type and form of the disease. But a lot is determined by the patient himself. Epilepsy is not a sentence – it is controlled.

The main thing is that the selected therapy, a healthy lifestyle and a daily routine developed together with a doctor become a habit.

Food

Choosing an appropriate diet can help alleviate the condition and reduce the frequency of attacks. The desired diet is related to the age group of the patient. So, the attending physician may recommend a diet with a large amount of fat, but with such a diet you need to be careful, especially for older patients, because when there are a lot of them in the diet of a mature person, there is a risk of disruption of some internal organs or cause a relapse of a chronic disease. 

Sport

If there is no objection on the part of the attending physician, people with epilepsy can practice almost any sport. Also, disciplines related to climbing to a height, such as mountaineering or rock climbing, are not excluded, but only if the attacks are under control, otherwise such activities are prohibited. Only the attending physician can authorize such sports. In general, the participation of relatives and friends of patients is very welcome in sports training. If necessary, they will back up and support.

You also need to remember that in any sports where there is a risk of injury, protection is required.

Rest

Taking a break in time does not bother everyone. People with epilepsy should be especially attentive to this natural need: it often happens that an attack provokes a sleep disorder. When planning a trip with a meaningful jet lag, talk to your doctor about your plans. It is possible that you will have to adjust the time of admission on the recommendation of the doctor.

Don’t forget simple tips:

• get enough sleep before the road;
• stock up on antiepileptic drugs, having previously discussed the regimen with your doctor;
• take an insurance policy, a doctor’s opinion (if the trip is abroad – with an English translation), a prescription for the purchase of antiepileptic drugs.

Read about how to control epilepsy in each specific situation in our articles.