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