Definition
Labels Epilepsy
Epilepsy (EP-i-lep-see) is a condition of the nervous system characterized by
recurrent seizures that temporarily affect a person’s awareness, movements,
or sensations. Epileptic seizures occur when powerful, rapid bursts of
electrical energy interrupt the normal electrical patterns of the brain. Some
cases of epilepsy are hereditary, or run in families, but scientists do not
know the cause of epilepsy in most other cases. Epilepsy is not contagious.
Erin’s Story
It happened at her birthday party. Eleven-year-old Erin was ready to blow
out the candles on her cake when she suddenly released a loud cry and
dropped to the carpet and lost consciousness. Her entire body became
rigid, and her girlfriends got scared. They became even more alarmed when
Erin’s arms and legs began to twitch and then to violently thrash about.
Her friends called to her, but she did not respond. Her mother had seen
this before and rushed to Erin’s side, while telling the girls to move away
nearby chairs and the glasses and other items that were near the edge of the
table. She knelt beside her daughter and, to make sure her daughter could
breathe easier, turned Erin onto her side and loosened the top button on
her shirt. She also asked one of the girls to get Erin’s older brother and
another to bring over a pillow from a sofa. She put the pillow under her
daughter’s head to keep it from banging on the floor. The thrashing seemed
to go on for a long time, but it actually lasted less than two minutes. Once
it slowed down and finally stopped, her friends became concerned again
because Erin just laid there. Her mother continued to watch Erin, and
Erin’s brother explained to the girls that his sister had had an epileptic
seizure that caused her to lose consciousness and made her body jerk
around. He said Erin would come around in a minute or two and would
be fine as soon as she had time to rest, and then he asked the girls to follow
him out of the room. Erin regained consciousness just as her brother said
she would. She was exhausted and more than a little embarrassed that her
friends had seen what had happened. She was also frightened, because she
had had a seizure before and now she was concerned that she would have
more in the future. Erin was glad her mother was there to comfort her.
recurrent seizures that temporarily affect a person’s awareness, movements,
or sensations. Epileptic seizures occur when powerful, rapid bursts of
electrical energy interrupt the normal electrical patterns of the brain. Some
cases of epilepsy are hereditary, or run in families, but scientists do not
know the cause of epilepsy in most other cases. Epilepsy is not contagious.
Erin’s Story
It happened at her birthday party. Eleven-year-old Erin was ready to blow
out the candles on her cake when she suddenly released a loud cry and
dropped to the carpet and lost consciousness. Her entire body became
rigid, and her girlfriends got scared. They became even more alarmed when
Erin’s arms and legs began to twitch and then to violently thrash about.
Her friends called to her, but she did not respond. Her mother had seen
this before and rushed to Erin’s side, while telling the girls to move away
nearby chairs and the glasses and other items that were near the edge of the
table. She knelt beside her daughter and, to make sure her daughter could
breathe easier, turned Erin onto her side and loosened the top button on
her shirt. She also asked one of the girls to get Erin’s older brother and
another to bring over a pillow from a sofa. She put the pillow under her
daughter’s head to keep it from banging on the floor. The thrashing seemed
to go on for a long time, but it actually lasted less than two minutes. Once
it slowed down and finally stopped, her friends became concerned again
because Erin just laid there. Her mother continued to watch Erin, and
Erin’s brother explained to the girls that his sister had had an epileptic
seizure that caused her to lose consciousness and made her body jerk
around. He said Erin would come around in a minute or two and would
be fine as soon as she had time to rest, and then he asked the girls to follow
him out of the room. Erin regained consciousness just as her brother said
she would. She was exhausted and more than a little embarrassed that her
friends had seen what had happened. She was also frightened, because she
had had a seizure before and now she was concerned that she would have
more in the future. Erin was glad her mother was there to comfort her.
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