OMG..this is so long overdue… As some of you may know, since moving to Calgary, I’ve gotten some tattoos. yes, shocking isn’t it? Don’t ask me why because I don’t know. I’m going to blame my location to the tattoo parlour, it’s only a few steps from my building. All too convenient I’ll say. But.… Continue reading the art of tattoo
Category: PNES
I Just Remembered..
The memory is a funny creature. Sometimes preferring to hide away in its lair, hibernating until it awakens, rising to the surface slowly like a bubble weaving and bobbing its way to the top. Or so it seems to me.The brain stores, somewhere amongst the million or more neurons, thoughts and feelings in neat little… Continue reading I Just Remembered..
Here We go Again…
The mind is a mysterious place. I felt good. Life was moving along. The new support group for the seizure unit given the green light. Another laser surgery to treat my glaucoma booked, my twice weekly volunteer shifts at the hospital going well, the only box not ticked was my sleep. I’d managed a mere… Continue reading Here We go Again…
It’s not Your Fault
It’s been more than 2 years since I received my PNES diagnosis and my reactions when informed said seizure was non-epileptic vs epileptic, is the same today as it was the first time they told me. Even after all the reading and research I’ve done, I still feel disbelief and disappointment. Definitely not relieved. My… Continue reading It’s not Your Fault
Don’t Worry be Happy
Not my most favourite song, to be honest, but the right sentiment is there. That, and Don’t sweat the small stuff. Take it with a grain of salt. Like water running off a duck’s back. Grin and bear it. This piece is dedicated to all my fellow epilepsy and pnes patients and the lives they… Continue reading Don’t Worry be Happy
Is it me?
To Blame or not to Blame? Why is it after every seizure I ask myself, ‘what did I do wrong?’ How did I cause it?’ Each time, I have one, I still assume it was something I did to bring it on, that it’s my fault. Whether it’s epileptic or non, I believe it happened… Continue reading Is it me?
Doctors—My Second Family
When you spend so much time with doctors as I have, it’s a shock when you’re told, ‘you’re doing much better since I last saw you, and I think we can close your file. There’s no need for regular follow-ups, but my door is always open. I’m here if you need me.’ It’s good that… Continue reading Doctors—My Second Family
I GET NO RESPECT
PNES is not a topic the general population is aware of, even less so than epilepsy. Being a psychological disorder, it’s lumped in with all the others and disregarded. At least in my opinion and limited experience with it. Ironically enough, and I may be wrong, there seems to be more books out there by… Continue reading I GET NO RESPECT
Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures [pnes]and Epilepsy
PNES is diagnosed using some of the same technology as epilepsy. Electrodes (tiny discs the size of a dime) glued to the scalp and attached to an EEG (electroencephalogram), are used to confirm any electrical disturbances on the brain, specifically the neurons. Epileptic seizures are a result of misfiring neurons the discharges appear like earthquakes… Continue reading Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures [pnes]and Epilepsy
My Bibliography
Over the last several years I’ve read a number of books on epilepsy and PNES some more scholarly than others, but all interesting in their similarities and differences. I’ve listed them here for your reference, I hope you find them useful. In Our Own Words by Mary Martiros, M.Ed., and Lorna Myers, Ph.D. Psychogenic Non-Epileptic… Continue reading My Bibliography