Epilepsy and Driving

Very few people know this about me, very few indeed, but I am an epileptic. I have not had any symptoms or been on medication since I was 10 years old, but until then, I suffered from Petit Mal (also known as absence seizures). Absence seizures are the loss of consciousness. If a person is speaking, as it was with me, I would stop abruptly mid sentence or mid word, for a number of seconds, and then resume where I left off after the seizure. I would have a blank stare and hear nothing at all during these attacks. They usually last up to 30 seconds. It is known that people eating at the time of an attack, will suddenly stop with the food halfway to their mouth and remain transfixed until it is over. There is no violent seizure as you commonly associate with Grand Mal Epilepsy and there is no lethargy after a petit mal seizure. It is just like nobody is home, staring into space, there is nobody in there. I had it as a baby and was medicated for it. Then when I was about 7 years old, I was lying in front of the television and mum came up to talk to me. I cant remember if I was talking or anything but after a bit I realized mum was talking to me and asking me what happened and what I remember, etc. And again, it was petit mal seizures. I was on medication and had regular testing until age 10. Since then, there has been no signs of a return. This is common with early childhood epilepsy. I don't think that many people realize that Epilepsy comes in many different forms and it is not just the convulsive seizures that most people think. Non-convulsive seizures account for 40% of epileptic seizures.

As is the case with many cases of age dependent epilepsy, the disease is considered resolved once you pass a certain age or you have remained seizure free for 10 years with no medication for the last 5 years. Such as in my case. However, there is absolutely NO GUARANTEE that it will not return later in life, or return as grand mal seizures. You can outgrow it, but there is always that possibility for the rest of your life. That is why, about 10-15 years after, when I was going for my driving licence, I asked for an EEG test to check that it was gone. I did not like the results. They did see signs of the disease and although it is no longer present, they said there is a definitely possibility that it may not remain resolved. Even after all that time had passed.

A couple of months ago, I read in the Belgian newspaper that they were considering a law forbidding people with epilepsy from having a drivers licence. This came after a woman had a fatal crash while suffering from a seizure when driving. This happens all to often. I knew somebody in Australia that was killed in a rally when the driver suffered an epileptic attack while driving. And last year, just around the corner from us, a young man was killed when his car hit a tree because of a seizure while driving. This is all too common an occurrence. I am thinking that forbidding epileptics from having a drivers licence is maybe the best option. They are not only endangering their own lives, but others as well. And in that case, where would I stand? I have not had symptoms or medication for 37 years now but there is always that looming possibility. And it terrifies me!!!!! Especially when driving in the late afternoon and the sun is shining through rows of trees so that the light is flashing. I am very bothered by this (forget about flashing lights or strobe lights). And because it bothers me so immensely, I cannot, for the life of me, understand how somebody who currently suffers from epileptic seizures, is willing to get into a car and take that risk on a daily basis. Are they insane???? Why would you do that if there was a strong chance of a seizure at any time? I am at the stage where I think I should ask for another EEG just to put my mind at ease a little. Even though I have no symptoms and no sign of its return, I do stress about it and I do feel strange when there is flashing lights.

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder. It cannot be cured but 70% can control it with medication. And as mentioned already, many others like myself, can outgrow it. 1% of the worlds population suffers from epilepsy. The most common test used to diagnose epilepsy is an EEG (electroencephalogram). The electrodes attached during this test, record the electrical activity in you brain. For epileptics, it is common to have changes in the normal brain waves, so a seizure during the test is not needed to see if you suffer.

It is never far from my thoughts, especially when driving in late afternoon and the sun is flashing between the trees, or when holding my breath while swimming, or if there is fast flashing lights. Watching my poor furbaby Hardy, suffer from his attacks, brought it all back way too close to home for comfort. It has also impacted on my life at times. I applied for an apprenticeship in the army when I was 16 and was turned down when I was honest about my history with it. I was also forbidden from taking school scuba diving lessons in high school because of it. The threat is always hanging over me, even though it has not shown itself for so many years and it very well, may never show itself again. But there is still that chance. If I decide to have another check in the near future, I will keep you posted on the results. But I do feel it is my responsibility to keep an eye on this, even after all these years.

21 things every Irish person in Australia should know

I just read this online. It comes from the Irish Times website. I just had to share it here for a laugh!!!!
http://www.irishtimes.com
Wed, April 23, 2014

21 things every Irish person in Australia should know

Every year, more than 15,000 Irish people board flights for a new life in Australia, content in the knowledge that they are going somewhere just like Ireland, only with better beaches and more sunshine. 

But sharing a laid-back attitude and a bloodline with 10-30 per cent of Australians is not much practical help when you are called on to converse knowledgeably about thongs, bogans and rorting, or left to dismantle a UV tent in gale-force winds. You don’t have to prove you can do any of these things to qualify for an Australian visa, of course – but it would definitely help.

And so, in honour of Australia’s national holiday, Anzac Day, on Friday, here are 21 things every Irish person in Australia should know. 

1 You’ll never forget your first huntsman spider. But you’ll probably forget your second, fifth and 228th. After the first, only the memorable ones stay in your mind – such as the audacious little fella who scurried across the car dashboard in rush-hour traffic and jumped into your lap.
2 No self-respecting Australian will be impressed by your story of how you managed to get the car to safety before beating the huntsman to death with a rolled-up Harvey Norman catalogue.
3 No self-respecting Australian is frightened of sharks, funnel web spiders or snakes either. They are nervous of the sun though. Wusses.
4 Other things genuine Australians will not admit to: watchingHome and Away ; wearing Ugg boots or using the phrases “fair dinkum” or “bleedin’ galah”.
5 Vegemite, made from leftover brewer’s yeast, is part of the national diet. There’s no point feigning an appreciation of it – unless you have 100 per cent Australian blood, you will only be able to taste crushed multivitamins dipped in salt.
6 Morning tea and afternoon tea are daily events. Disappointingly, neither involves cucumber sandwiches served on silver platters by a chap named Carson. Or even tea.
7 Domestic television is approximately 90 per cent people crying over cooking and home renovations, 10 per cent news programmes about bizarre medical conditions.
8 The streets are busy by 7am on a Sunday morning – and not with people coming home from the night before.
9 Running is a combat sport, especially at lunchtime on weekdays in the city.
10 In many words, the later syllables are considered superfluous. “Kindergarten” (junior infants) is “kindy”. A car registration is a “rego”.
11 The world of confectionery is fraught with opportunities for cross-cultural confusion. “Lollies” are sweets. What we call lollies are lollipops. Ask for an “icy pole” if it’s a Choc Ice you’re after. (Choc Ices don’t exist, but Golden Gaytimes are a glorious alternative.)
12 “Bogans” are uncouth, frequently tattooed types; “snags” are sausages; “rorting” is Australian for the art of stroke-pulling.
13 It does rain here. In fact, Melbourne has 150 rainy days a year – just like Dublin.
14 Sydney’s relationship to Melbourne is like the one between Dublin and Cork. In fact, Canberra was only made the capital because the other two couldn’t stop fighting about it.
15 Property is a national obsession. If you miss Ireland in 2006, you’ll probably feel right at home.
16 You can face six months in jail if you kill, trap or politely ask a possum to move on – worth bearing in mind when you’re woken at 3am by the sound of them partying on your roof.
17 Australians bring a military precision to beach outings. Owning at least three of the following is a sign you’ve gone native: a baby Weber portable barbecue/an “Esky” cooler box/a family-sized UV tent/a “rashie” rash vest/a giant inflatable thong (it’s a flip-flop, but if you have to ask, you clearly haven’t gone native).
18 There are only a few occasions on which Lycra is not an acceptable choice of outerwear.
19 It is illegal to wear hot pink pants on a Sunday afternoon in Victoria. No, really.
20 Anzac day is so called in honour of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, who landed at Gallipoli on April 25th, 1915, during the first World War.
21 More Irish men than New Zealanders died at Gallipoli. Feel free to mention this to your colleagues on Friday.