Your seizure is a GIANT red flag with a root cause. 

Never, not once, in any Dr. appointment has a neurologist told me my seizures were a warning sign. As I prepared to go to France, in severe pain, I knew I had missed them.

My condition had started slowly and progressed without my understanding. First, I became sick chronically. The hives were next. After that, I achieved petit mal seizure status. And … they continued to progress from there (not my type of progress).

Trying to fix me, Dr.s removed body parts,  gave me various drugs and I became a guinea pig for clinical trials. Then, my seizures got worse. 

I decided I’d do my own research and try my own things and when I took my own path … that’s when my seizures got better. But, by that time … I was already a mess in so many other ways.

Find The Root Cause of Your Seizures:

The root cause of my seizures was never addressed.  Dr.’s couldn’t find a problem with my brain. I’m dealing with something now called status epilepticus (constant state of seizure). Doctors have told me they can’t determine when I’m in status or not. They refuse to listen to my primary caregiver who knows me best. So, my life is in danger each time this occurs. 

My primary caregiver can tell when I’m in status epilepticus, but he’s not a doctor. Sometimes, you just need to know who you’re dealing with.

Root causes aren’t always obvious. When they’re not addressed they will cause more problems. Keep looking. Keep asking your questions.

UTIs – is it a root cause? :

I began asking God to open my eyes to the root causes of my seizures. In my history with epilepsy I saw my struggle with Urinary Tract Infections (UTI’s).  They had been with me since childhood, a red flag of their own.

I couldn’t talk about it as a kid.  This was embarrassing and I didn’t feel comfortable telling anyone. My parents were dealing with their own struggles at the time and I trusted them more than anyone. 

Because it felt shameful, they went untreated. I was given antibiotics for sickness that destroyed my gut health. It has been shown that antibiotics can harm the microbiome and lead to the development of UTIs. This is especially true with overuse.

Every time I’ve been in the hospital for a seizures I have a UTI.  Many anti-convulsives make one susceptible to these pains which, incidentally both men and women can get.

So, I had this piece of information to mull over. It kept me highly concerned. I knew I had a UTI. We were now in France, and we’d forgotten my emergency meds. 

Tired and burdened …

The plane landed. Excitement was ours, as was exhaustion. We were taking the train to Marseille straight away. I was too tired to be concerned about root causes or seizures.

We walked through security, secured our bags and made our official entrance into France. Our train was waiting. 

I was exhausted. Holding a backpack filled with supplements, I reached, once again, for vitamin C. I could feel the pain in my side. The deep ache in my back signaled trouble. I smiled. What else could I do?

3.5 hours later we arrived in Marseilles, the oldest city in France.  We hadn’t had time to book accommodations so our train ride was the perfect spot to get the job done. I had an idea of where I’d like to stay, but it was booked. The hotel we ended up in was better in every way. 

I didn’t know what to expect, but as we walked up to the Intercontinental my breath caught in my chest. This was the hotel? It looked more like a palace.

Views from around the palatial grounds look toward Notre Dame De La Garde Basilica.  The most important feature for our family though, is always the pool. They had a beautiful one with tall stone walls. We had it exclusively to ourselves. This was minus the 5 minutes someone decided to come lounge about. 

What if’s:

And here, I began the very serious struggle with my death. If I didn’t know the root cause to my seizures, how would I heal? Without healing, what was the point of living? If I wasn’t truly alive wasn’t I already dead?

The view there was lovely. The environment, as perfect as anything would be. My family … amazing. My body, breaking. 

I was drinking more water than I had in months and my mind was fighting within me: 

“You should write a letter to your children in case you die. – No, that’s giving up.”  

I penned several letters in my brain and “threw them away.” I decided whatever happened I would live or die in JOY!

We crashed that night and woke – late. 

Jet lag had taken over, but I was thankful for the extra sleep. 

Sometimes we want what we haven’t given our bodies the ability to have. Sometimes, we don’t know what it is that they actually need. 

I was learning daily what those things were. 

Do you know what those things are for you?

You must be your own advocate. No doctor is going to fight for you in the ways you expect that they will. I hope you’ll remember YOU have the ability and the authority to choose the path you heal on. 

Do you have seizures? What are you doing to discover your root causes? Write yourself a list of questions you can ask your doctor next time you see them.