WOMEN AND EPILEPSY Women, Epilepsy, Seizures of all kinds, Memory loss, Epilepsy and Headaches, Epilepsy and Depression. Do any of these sound familiar to you as a Woman with Epilepsy? ********************************************* JULIES' story of her life living with Epilepsy and once totally dependant on others to the free woman she is today. Her Seizures under Control and no more living in a daily FOG!!! Written by a most loving and grateful husband. Julie was born a healthy girl and was like that until near teen years.  And many times since I asked myself over and over  ‘was this the way Julies’ life was meant to be? A life of Seizures, Stress, Drugs and memory loss? and if not let’s find a way to do something about it’.    Not only was she suffering, but all those around her felt the stress and concern.  After many GRAND MAL seizures , lots of EEG's and Brain Scans, numerous hospital stays (in fact the hospital became her home-away-from-home), her cabinet became a general pharmacy with  DRUGS,  drugs and more drugs for epilepsy.  For the majority of her life she was in a drugged like state which she prefers to think of as being in a deep fog, or on another planet off in outer space. Just one example of what Epilepsy Drugs can do to you:  During one stay in the hospital at which time the Doctors were changing her Drug combinations to find the proper mix for her she has one experience that is very deeply embedded  in her memory.  Talk about hallucinating!!  As she tells it, she insists they put her in a completely white room, bars on the windows and everyone that entered the room, including herself would be walking on the walls, ceilings, and even in mid air.  She could not recall hearing them speak and she doesn’t even remember my visits.  Memory gone!!  Was this what we were expected to live with?   With most of her memory now gone, doctors even started taking hearing tests.  Apparently she had such a bad inner ear problem that even a somewhat dangerous operation would probably not be able fix it, but they gave her the option of having it done anyway.  To this the answer was a resounding ‘NO’!.  What did supplementing her diet do for her and why did they think she had a hearing problem?  It was not a hearing problem but merely ‘short-term’ memory loss that had been caused by the seizures and drugs.  With every seizure during a life span, a small chip is taken from the memory block, most some never to return.  This would cause Julie, when trying to communicate with people, hear what they said but after they ceased speaking have no memory of what had been said or asked of her.  You can just imagine the responses given.  One sentence would have many different subjects all mixed in one.  In her mind though she had answered correctly.  This caused many problems.  Depression, lack of communication , and the one hardest for her to regain was her self-esteem. Doctors asked Julie if she thought she may have had a Stroke. The after effects that Julie was suffering seemed to have many similarities to a person who had suffered a Stroke. There is the vagueness on remembering in the short term. The difficulty in putting her thoughts into words. Forgetting what day it was and the lethargy in doing every day things. An eeg was done to establish that she had not in fact had a Stroke and more Medications for Seizure Control were offered. After many years of dealing with this I finally took it upon myself to go for help, of any kind.  A second opinion from another Neurologist was suggested.  What a change that made.  The first Doctor was trying desperately to fix the problem but would come back in the end thinking she was ‘putting it all on’.  This new Neurologist took another EEG and even showed us where the problem existed, sat us down and put her on Tegretol and Divalproex. This of course was all done gradually and within a short time she was seizure free, which lasted for 8 years.  But something was still wrong!  The FOG still existed and the daily communication was bad.  The only good thing was that the seizures were for the most part under control.   What was lacking?  During Doctor visits, she was quite often asked, ‘Julie, are you on a good diet?'  Of course from what we knew it all tasted good to us and that was all we were worried about.  This is where Julies ‘System'   came in to play.  In communicating with a good friend we were asked if Julie would like to try some supplements, as maybe they could help.  Why not!! We were willing to try anything at this point.   Rebuilding her immune system was what was necessary.  All those cells needed to be fed with correct nutrients and she wasn’t doing this.  Well as we agreed it wouldn’t hurt but to give it a try?  With the help of a good Doctor she was put onto a simple system  which has had excellent results and if you were to ask either of us today, or to try and take it away from her, the answer would be a resounding NO!  The change was remarkable and both her family doctor, and her Neurologist, insist she continues to follow the System along with her much reduced Medication. To date on her yearly visits to her Neurologist the first thing he does is make sure she is still on her supplements.  Her Neurologist advised us that if she were ever to stop, she would be right back in that terrible fog she was once in, as well as that he would have to be upgrading her Drug regime to 4x per day at least.   We know that Epilepsy and Hormone activity plays a huge part in a woman’s life.  Our observations of her Seizure Triggers showed us that the Epilepsy Seizures often happened at the same time each month. Menopause can also play a large role in seizure activity. To keep strong healthy Bones is another big concern for women with Epilepsy, as in fact it is for most people, but even more so for those who are taking daily Medications. There is a lot to be learned and there will always be much more to learn.  Click here to see how Julie has put her research to good use At the moment Julies' Medication is down to 2x day and that is where she is about to stay.  Hopefully she will even be able to take a lower dose in the near future. We take one step at a time, and one day better than the last is all we ask for.  It is sad for me to watch Julies’ scattered memories of raising our 5 grown children and asking me “that is the way it was, wasn’t it?” We feel though that now a blessing has happened and she can watch her many grandchildren grow and thrive. Missing out on remembering and seeing her own children grow, a good life is now hers to live and gain lovely memories and enjoyment of their little ones. Nothing makes her happier. One of our mottos has always been: 'If you don't get a  response you can feel comfortable with, at least get a second opinion'.  Or even a third. How can it hurt!! Click here to send me an email and let's see if we can find a flexible contact time for both of us.  Julie would love to hear from you. P.S. To find out about Julie's 'System' please feel free to ask her any questions.  We give one-on-on support and also do our best to answer each enquiry as quickly as possible.