Epilepsy & sky diving
 

Hi, everybody:

I have epilepsy, controlled by Keppra and Klonopin.

I love sky diving. It is my "drug". My neurologist does not want me to do this sport and I refuse, I absolutely refuse to abandon this sport I love so much. We are several people to jump, me and my friends, one by one. In the area where I am supposed to land, there are several people waiting with a very large sort of net to catch me when I land and avoid injuries to my head and to the rest of my body, where I have RSD.

I do everything I can to avoid injuries with my epilepsy and RSD when sky diving and landing from sky diving, so I do not understand this neurologist's attitude, especially considering the fact that my orthopedic surgeon said I can sky dive as much as I want.

Thanks for sharing your opinions.

Hi Kitty,

I love to fly even though it's gotten expensive. I know that if I were in your place I would continue to sky dive. Just because a person has epilepsy doesn't mean we can't live a normal every day life like everyone else. Unless the sz. got really severe like a status sz. I would keep sky diving.
Here's wishing you well and May God Bless You!

Sue

Hi, Porkette:

Quote: "Just because a person has epilepsy doesn't mean we can't live a normal every day life like everyone else." This is so true. If only doctors would understand it!

Quote: "Unless the sz. got really severe like a status sz. I would keep sky diving." What do you call a status seizure? I have never heard of it and my neurologists never told me about it.

Thanks for your encouragements and kind words.

Hi Kitty,

A status sz. is when a person has sz. after sz. one right after the other or it can be a sz. of any kind that will last longer than 15 min. I had absence status sz. when my family Dr. put me on the drug "Neurontin" I would be in a sz. from 10 min. to 3 hrs. and sometimes a person has to go to the hospital ER and the Dr. will start an IV with sz. med to stop the sz. This type of sz. is dangerous and can cause more brain damage.
Keep flying high and dive safely. I think it would be a lot of fun.
Wishing You only the best and May God Bless You!

Sue

Hi, Porkette:

Thanks for your information about status seizures. I learned something new about epilepsy today.

I had absence seizures twice, but I did not know these were called absence status seizures. These two absence status seizures, which lasted much longer than 15 minutes, occurred when my primary care physician put me on Gabitril, an epilepsy medication. I thought such medications were supposed to prevent seizures from happening, not make them happen. Maybe this is an allergy an epileptic person has for a particular epilepsy medication.

Thanks also for understanding my desire and pleasure for sky diving. With my generalized internal chronic RSD, epilepsy, asthma, and hypothyroidism, I do not have many people who want to be friends with me, as if I was going to contaminate them with my health conditions. Most of the activities I enjoy fortunately do not require the presence of friends; I say fortunately because I have so few friends. I enjoy sky diving, horseback riding (circus type or not), rock climbing, mountain hiking, water skiing, and reading. Reading is hard because I have trouble concentrating and understanding words even though I know these words. This is a symptom of my hypothyroidism.

Thanks for your kind words.

Hi, Darlene:

Quote: "One of the many things I always taught my kids is that no one is perfect. In today's a person can come up with a medical problem. I feel when someone with the problem have a easier way to assist others." You are obviously a good mother, who educates her children very well. They are lucky to have you. I try to educate my two-year-old baby boy in ways adapted to his age, so that he can love and respect people, including those that are different from us.

Thanks for your kind words and prayers.

Hi Kitty,

I've always enjoyed flying in airplanes and when I was a kid people used to skydive off a hill and end up in a field right by my house I loved to watch them skydive.
I'm glad I could help you understand what a status sz. is I hope and pray that it never happens to you again. If it does be sure to report it to your Dr.
I'm not sure but your hypothyroidism might cause more sz. for you depending on if you have to take a hormone drug of any kind. They have found that taking any meds that could affect a persons hormones can cause sz. for people who have epilepsy so you might want to speak to your pharmacist if you are taking any hormone replacement drug.
As long as you are willing to accept me I would enjoy being your friend. Wishing You the very best and May God Bless You!

Sue

Hi, Porkette:

I always say sky diving is my drug, even to my neurologist, who does not like my sky diving. However, my orthopedic surgeon agrees to my sky diving. I told my neurologist I am not going to sit on a seat for the rest of my life, watching others have fun while I cannot. I refuse to live like that. If sky diving should kill me because I have a seizure in the air (my parachute opens automatically if I have not opened it by a ceratin altitude), at least I will have died while doing something I enjoy and love.

I have no treatment for my hypothyroidism yet because the endocrinologist is waiting for the results of more blood tests. However, when he has these results, I think he will prescribe some type of hormone(s) replacement because the thyroid is not producing the hormone(s).

Thanks for your information, your kind words, and your friendship.

Hi Kitty,

One hormone med you might want to tell your Dr. about is called "Natual Progesterone" You can buy it over the counter in natural food stores. It's a cream you put on your skin that is made from peanut oil and wild yams. If you are allergic to peanuts or yams DO NOT use this cream. I used it when I was having sz. before and after my monthly cycle do to hormones changing. It worked pretty good for awhile but then I decided to try it the pill form called: "Prometrium" This reduced my sz. greatly because the drug would lower my estrogen level which can cause more excitment and trigger sz. and it increased my progesterone level and progesterone helps calm the nerves. Another thing that I did was eat almonds or peanuts with low salt levels and that helped me also. I wish you the best of luck when you go on a hormone replacement med just be sure and tell your Dr. about your sz. meds because the hormone med can sometimes mess up your sz. med and cause more sz. and I don't want that to happen to you. Here's wishing you well and May God Bless You!

Sue

Hi, Porkette:

Thanks for your information. I knew natural progesterone existed in capsule form, but I did not know it existed in cream form. For the cream form, how much of it does a person use and where on his/her body does that person use it? I am not allergic to peanuts or yams, so using this cream would not be a problem for me.

Do you know if natural progesterone, in capsule or in cream form, has contraceptive effects? I hope it does not because I really do not like and do not need to take contraceptives, since I cannot produce children (I am infertile).

Quote: "I used it when I was having sz. before and after my monthly cycle do to hormones changing." The problem with my menstrual cycle is that it is very irregular, always, always late. Sometimes, it does not come for months; I even remember that time when it did not come for 17 months. People thought I was pregnant, even though I told them I was infertile and could not produce children (this was confirmed by a gynecologist). This is why I adopted the baby my best friend wanted to abort; this child is now two-years old.

Oh, I learned something else! I did not know estrogen could cause more excitement and trigger seizures. I also did not know progesterone could help calm nerves. Maybe progesterone calms nerves when it comes to seizures, but also when it comes to chronic pain. It would be great for me, because I have both seizures and chronic pain. This reminds me of what Dr. Smith said about hormone therapy for chronic pain.

Quote: "Another thing that I did was eat almonds or peanuts with low salt levels and that helped me also." Mmmh! I enjoy eating nuts like almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pecans...

Thanks for your information again and for your kind words. I will speak with my primary care physician about progesterone or, if necessary, with a gynecologist. Unfortunately, it is hard to find female gynecologists in my area. I cannot stand to be touched by a male gynecologist because of what happened to me when I was a teenager.

Hi Kitty,

When I was using natural progesterone cream I would just put it on my
arms and it worked great. As I mentioned you can buy natural progestrone is a natural food store and it comes in small containers of cream but if you want to take the pill your Dr. will have to give you the perscription. When using the cream I would only use it 5 days before my period or when I noticed hormones changing because of sz. increasing. the cream does not have any contraceptive effects so you don't need to worry about that.
I hope the cream works well for you for your sz. but I'm not sure if it will help for chronic pain. If you are having back or spinal pain you should mention shots of blue dye to your Dr. this kills spinal pain for 2 yrs.
Heres' wishing you only the best and May God Bless You!

Sue

Hi, Porkette:

What amount of natural progesterone cream would you put on your fingers to rub on your body each time you needed to use the cream?

Quote: "If you want to take the pill your Dr. will have to give you the perscription." In the country in which I live, natural progesterone can be bought in any pharmacy without a prescription. However, without a prescription, the public health insurance company will not cover the medication.

Quote: "When using the cream I would only use it 5 days before my period." This will not work for me because my periods are sooo irregular (they are always late and, sometimes, they would not come for many, many months, even though I cannot be pregnant because of my infertility).

Quote: "... or when I noticed hormones changing because of sz. increasing." When I notice an increase in my seizures, I do not usually know the cause (physical or emotional stress or hormone change).

Thanks for your information and kind words.

Re: keep jumping
 

I have done this sport just a couple of times and had to quit because of my neck and ankles. If you can keep jumping, do so. Maybe the one doctor was afraid you would pass out or something. I don't give up anything I like to do, until this body says no more. I loved jumping while I was able to, and am glad I tried it. What fun, and I was over 50. Enjoy the scenery! ginnie

Hi Kitty,

The amount of natural progesterone cream I put on my arms was
just enough to cover my arms like when a person puts lotion on their skin when it gets dry. I hope th natural progesterone works for you and don't forget to eat the peanuts or almonds they will help you also.
Wishing You Well and May God Bless You!

Sue

For you it is sky diving. For me, it is riding my racing bike on the road.

Like you I do everything I can do to avoid an accident.

While it is your neurologist that is having a cow about what you love to do, for me it is my parents' despite my being 44. While I have been in a couple bike accidents where I have been hit by cars, none of the bike-car collisions has necessitated going to the hospital. When I ride my racing bike(look at the line of bikes at www.specialized.com, specifically the Allez' line, that will give you a picture of my racing bike), I can ride 20-30mph. Which is faster than the regular cyclist.