So, Justice Roberts had a seizure. Why did he have a seizure?
http://mediamatters.org/...
Michael Savagewiener wants to blame Democrats. That's no suprise. It's pretty normal for the less mentally flexible people, like Savagewiener, to believe that seizures are the result of something other than brain chemistry.
Am I to believe that there's no connection between Charles Schumer on Friday saying that he would never appoint, or never, excuse me, approve another Bush appointment to the court, to any court? And then the chief justice suffers a so-called seizure two days later? You're telling me there's no possibility of a conspiracy by the Democrats to have caused this seizure in some manner?
Note the complete absence of any mention of Bill Clinton. He's completely slipping.
Some people want to blame witches for planting eggs or something in people to cause them to have seizures.
Here's the question? How should we classify Justice Roberts's seizure? Does it matter? Is he entitled to his privacy? Should we care?
What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a neurological condition that makes people susceptible to seizures. A seizure is a change in sensation, awareness, or behavior brought about by a brief electrical disturbance in the brain.
In other places I've read that an individual with epilepsy is someone who has had more than one seizure. Lots of people can have a single seizure as a result of a health episode, but it takes more than that to be part of the club. Some people may be sensitive to the word "epileptic." I can't speak for everyone, but I wouldn't be surprised to find out that most of the people who are sensitive to that word are people who don't have epilepsy. Personally, I use that word. It does me no harm.
What does that mean for Chief Justice Roberts?
This Forbes article actually has a great discussion of the definition of epilepsy.
The basic argument for is that he has had two seizures without any discernible outside cause. The basic argument against is that it's been 14 years in between his seizures. I align myself with the former argument. My reasoning is that, in hindsight, I was having seizures long before any diagnosis of epilepsy. I wasn't aware that the seizures I was having were anything other than deja vu, or just some reaction to all the coffee I was drinking. He may be having seizures that he doesn't even know about.
How did I catch epilepsy?
Well, I dated this girl in highschool. It was an unfortunate circumstance, but apparently she had it, and I didn't use protection.
Okay, I didn't catch it. You just don't catch it. However, it could come about as a result of a brain infection.
Most often, the causes are undetermined. The Epilepsy Foundation says that in 7 out of 10 cases the initial cause of the seizures is never determined. However, the causes that are determined include head injuries or lack of oxygen during birth which may damage the delicate electrical system in the brain. Other causes include brain tumors, genetic conditions (such as tuberous sclerosis), lead poisoning, problems in development of the brain before birth, and infections like meningitis or encephalitis.
In my own situation, there has never been a cause determined. It's probably because I'm too intelligent and handsome. Or, it could be my humility. Really, it's anyone's guess.
What kind of seizures are there?
Okay, so now you know that it is difficult to determine a root cause of the epilepsy itself. But how does each individual seizure come about? The seizure is not the affliction, it is a symptom of a problem. It's kind of like diahrrea. Diahrrea can happen for many reasons, it's just the outward sign. Seizures can come in many forms. They can be very benign, or very severe. I didn't know I was having seizures for a couple years.
There used to be two main categories- Grand Mal and Petit Mal. Neither of those categories exists today.
Without going very deep into the types, I'll mention the basics. There are Generalized seizures, and there are partial seizures.
Partial seizures do not include a loss of consciousness. They may be recognized by a strange odor, or some auditory disturbance. When having a partial seizure, the individual will likely remain aware, and be able to continue a conversation. There are two types of partials. The first is a Simple Partial Seizure(SPS) , that is what I have described above. The second type of partial is a Complex Partial Seizure (CPS). The individual may become slightly "automated." She may begin tugging at her clothes, or turning her head, or mumbling.
Some Generalized Seizures are what were once called Grand Mal seizures. There are two types of these seizures. The first is an
Absence Seizure (formerly Petit Mal). It is difficult to determine the difference between an absence seizure and a complex partial. The absence seizures don't often last for more than 10 seconds, and the recovery time is reduced. Finally, we have the Big Kahuna of seizures the Tonic Clonic. I know that sounds like a drink or some invasive alternative health solution, but it's the real name. It used to be called Grand Mal. That's when you get full body involvement. The individual falls and the body can become rigid, he loses consciousness, and a general hubbub ensues as everybody rushes to be the first to extract their wallets from their pockets.
What Does it Feel Like to have a partial?
At first, it was a little strange. I didn't know that I was having Simple Partial Seizures. A SPS can feel different for different people. Before I knew what was going on, I thought I was having some terribly intense Déjà vu. I don't think it's because I actually thought I was experiencing something again, but more likely that when I'm going to have a SPS, I can feel it coming and I know there's nothing I can do about it other than ride it out. Sometimes, I try to talk about it with someone while it's happening. I become a little chatty during the seizure. My friends know that it's no big deal, but I like them to know that it's happening so that they aren't thinking I'm high or just being a prick. Mostly, it's just a comfort. Even having a small seizure like this can be unnerving and make one feel lonesome at the moment.
Everyone with epilepsy has their own unique feelings associated with seizures. It seems to me that each simple partial seizure has its own severity. Some are over quickly and leave no lasting effect, but others last longer (how long, I don't really know) and leave a lasting fatigue that really drags one down for the next hour or so.
I don't believe I have complex partial seizures, so I'm not really able to answer that question.
Intermission: Or why would Justice Roberts be a witch?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/...
The Old Testament prophet Ezekiel could have had the oldest recorded case of a form of epilepsy, an American scientist has concluded.
Dr Eric Altschuler, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Diego, told a meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in the city that the biblical figure had all the classic signs of temporal lobe epilepsy.
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/...
Researchers interested in the connection of the brain and religion have examined the experiences of people suffering from Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. Apparently the increased electrical activity in the brain resulting from seizure activity (abnormal electrical activity within localized portions of the brain), makes sufferers more susceptible to having religious experiences including visions of supernatural beings and near death experiences
Not only is this article a great beginner's guide to epilepsy, but it also contains the following:
a 1494 handbook on witch-hunting, Malleus Maleficarum, written by two Dominican friars under papal authority, said that one of the ways of identifying a witch was by the presence of seizures.
How does it feel to have a generalized seizure?
That's a damn good question. What was it like when my body has tensed up and I've fallen to the ground, or to the floor, or just lay in bed? I don't know. I don't notice anything about it. I'll be sitting there, eating, or counting money, or just, well, sitting there, and then Boom! I'm being belligerent to the person who is attempting to contact me. While I was blissfully kicking the chairs around, waxing the floor in the restaurant, causing a scene next to my wife in bed, or biting the crap out of my tongue, I was completely unconscious. I had no awareness of the event.
When the Tonic Clonic is over, it takes some time for me to be able to get to a point where I have a working memory again. A conversation with me following a seizure would look something like this:
Them: Are you okay? You were just...
Me: Of course I'm okay? What's your problem? Get your hands off me.
Them: But, you were just rolling around on the ground...
Me: Bullshit. Nothing happened to me. Why are you waking me up?
Them: We're not waking you up. You just had a seizure.
Me: Get the hell away from me. I didn't have a seizure. I'm just trying to get you to leave me alone.
Them: We have to take you to the hospital.
Me: I'm not going to the hospital, nothing happened to me.
And so it would continue until I could reach a point of consciousness where I have a working memory and am able to remember that, yes, I do have seizures.
When do They Happen?
That's a good question. This interviewer is keen. He really knows how to ask the insightful questions.
I don't know. For me, there is no particular trigger. A trigger is an event that brings a seizure on. For some people a fluorescent light is a trigger. For others a certain odor may be a trigger. A partial list of triggers might include, animation on computer screens, energy level of the screens, alcohol (the dehydration aspect), dehydration, heavy exercise, food allergies, strobe lights, and inadequate sleep.
Chief Justice Roberts' Future
In my opinion, if he doesn't act as if he does have epilepsy, then he is putting himself in danger. He may injure himself in a fall. He may eventually have a seizure while driving, which puts his family and friends at risk.
If I were in Roberts's shoes, I would follow up on the process as if the seizures will likely continue. As part of this, he needs to look back on the last 14 years, and try to determine if there were times when he was having seizures that he may not have known were seizures.
I'd really like to hear from other Kos members who have epilepsy , or who have been touched in some way by epilepsy. Mostly, I want to demystify the problem. We are among you. Most of us go to work, though there is a 25% unemployment rate among those with epilepsy.
So, tell your stories about where you've had seizures, or any weird things that have happened while you had a seizure. For me, this is just part of life, and it doesn't really cause me that much grief. As a result, it's a humorous event from time to time to talk about it.
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