The Epilepsy Queensland Symposium

Yesterday was a big day out for me.  Mum and I attended The Epilepsy Symposium put on by Epilepsy Queensland at the Princess Alexandra Hospital here in Brisbane.  This is where professors, scientists,

neurologists and researchers can tell us what's been going on in this field of study in one place over a full day of speeches.  It's a great opportunity to talk to other people with this condition and parents who care for children who have this condition as well.  

We had one Mother talk about their own life experiences of how their own young children's lives were changed completely by a particular type of Epilepsy and how the Ketogenic Diet turned their lives around after a few years.  Their child is now

seizure-free and on only one type of medication instead of about three different types.

Another young lady talked about how her life was turned into hell when she had experienced Epilepsy her whole life.  She couldn't finish high school and was bullied because of it.  Surgery was her

only hope left; and it's helped her greatly with completing her education and obtaining the freedom she so badly wanted when she was younger.

We were told about other surgeries where brain surgeons were placing electrodes right onto the brain to help control horrible seizures; and they were successful in doing it.  It was an amazing sight to see the inside of somebody's head and how they were placed.

At lunch, I talked to a professor who had talked about the many medications and the history of them; starting with the very first myths and the first one that came on the market at the turn of last Century.  He had said that Topamax has a lot of negatives; however when he met me, he found that I had encountered only a few of the negatives (such a the dietary

problems of not being able to eat much and sleeping problems) and found a lot of positives.  I told him that when I pushed myself to eat, I felt sick, but if I grazed during the day, I felt okay.  He said it's best if I did that and not forced myself to do what I don't want.  He was amazed at how much I've been able to sit on a computer and work; and he said that it's good that I read and play an instrument (not many Epileptics have the patience).

My neurologist came in after lunch to talk about what Epileptics can do in life; that we can live a very full life without pushing the envelope too much.  Beforehand, though, she walked straight up to me and said hello.  I followed her inside and chatted with her; she hadn't seen me for a long time and I thought to let her know about my learning the piano.  When I told her about it, she was absolutely thrilled that I was learning.  I said that before I was stablised, I couldn't get my left hand to do anything with a keyboard, but once I was, I found I had the patience for it and wanted to learn.

She turned to one of the ladies from EQ and said that I was one of the more creative patients she sees; very creative, that I do a lot of great things.  When she walked away, the lady smiled at me and I said that if it weren't for Dr Lander putting me on Topamax, I wouldn't be stablised.

We had another doctor after Dr Lander who worked with children.  I found his videos a little distressing; but I was very tired from taking in all the information all day.  By the time we left the hospital, it was around 4:30pm and both Mum and I were very tired.  I had a light dinner of noodles with tomato, spinach and soy/oyster sauce; then had an early night of 10pm.  Yep, it was a very full day of learning.

For those who wish to know more about the Ketogenic Diet, I've put in a link on the sidebar that will lead you to a reputable site telling you all need to know.