petit mal

When I was a young girl my sister dropped a brick on my head; we were building the three little pigs house. Years later when I started drinking, and from the beginning I drank alcoholically, petit mal showed up after a couple years. Maybe sooner maybe later. But, it showed up. And I had an EKG and found out I had minor epilepsy; I was a drink till I black out beer guzzler and a cigarette smoker eventually - and I was not disciplined enough to change my lifestyle, which I did later; so at this time I took the meds they prescribed:Tegratol. and that way I could still drink, and not have minor siezures in public, or on stage, as I was an actress at that point in NYC. I read an article about Jimmy Carter's brother who was on the same meds I was, and read the side effects they listed. Blindness, deterioration of the bone marrow..what else? I don't remember. And it scared me. More than my blackouts when I drank beer. I also ran into a girl I had been drinking with in a neighborhood bar and she hugged me and knew my name and I had NO IDEA who she was. My drinking was a problem. So, realizing I had to quit I drank more for the next year, until one wondrous night when there was a black out in NYC and for some reason, after that magic night when we all hung out on the doorsteps of our brownstones and used candles and were like an old fashioned friendly neighborhood, I woke the next day and didn't buy beer or cigarettes. I had the shakes for two weeks. I was twenty eight. I changed everything else, too. I read about diet and exercise and massage work, shiatsu, acupressure, macrobiotics and I aimed for a sugar free diet. Eventually, eventually, I was able to get off the medication Tegratol without having a seizure. and I stayed away from sugar and white flour and caffeine; I had never been a caffeine addict. ah, but that would change later! I found over the next twenty years that stress, sugar caffeine, could all bring on my petit mal. I also found through hatha yoga that shoulder stands were excellent for epilepsy. In the last four years I've received cranial sacral work and I am positive that's been excellent for my petit mal, as well. I've not had a full siezure in years and glimpses of one is a very rare rare occasion.

That's a summation, it's just an outline. Today I can eat some sugar and not have any problems. Except getting fat, of course. I don't drink caffeine; I did get on and off it for a number of years but it's been a year and a few months since I had any chocolate or green tea or decaf, etc. and I am very grateful. Cause it was a long road to get here and I would like to stay here.

BUT, when I was having caffeinated stuff in the last ten years, I did NOT have siezures. I believe the change in diet, becomign gradually more balanced and the yoga and the body work all contribute, and lately I have too much stress, living and being with my mother - but no siezures.

So, I'm grateful.