Free Republic

For whatever reason, my thoughts about shame and stigma are never far from the surface these days. And, a recent post on Facebook triggered another long and involved look into what those of us with epilepsy experience and what we sometimes inflict on ourselves. The post was from someone with epilepsy who had just received an ice bucket challenge to raise money for ALS. For those of you not in the States, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is an activity to raise money and awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The nominated person has...

When my wife was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy in 2005, the word “epilepsy” was all she heard. “My ears began to buzz and I felt as if I was going to black out,” she says. “It was as if someone had just told me that I was possessed by demons.” Since that diagnosis, Sharon describes her daily struggles as plunging into a medieval world of demonic possession, of medical professionals who did not believe in the diagnosis, and into an arena of social stigmas that she never knew existed. Medical experts (www.epilepsyfoundation.org) agree epilepsy affects between one and two...

Attention, pack rats: science may have figured you out. Researchers say they've found an area of the brain that seems to govern the urge to collect. For most people, collecting is a perfectly healthy behavior. It's an outlet for expressing passion for just about anything, such as stamps, wine, art, shoes, or Elvis memorabilia. Collecting is also common among animals, and not just for food. It's been observed in creatures great and small, from mammals to insects. For instance, some birds can't resist aluminum and bright objects, while hamsters gather glass beads when given the chance. But in rare cases,...

From Surviving Wonderland: My life with temporal lobe epilepsy, by Sharon Powell and John David Powell Looking back, we see that Sharon’s temporal lobe epilepsy has been a manipulative companion throughout our lives together, from our first days at Indiana State University, through the years of unpleasantness and separation, and up to today as we compile this amazing compendium of her survival of Wonderland. How would our lives be different if we had known? Sharon writes of pain as a constant companion today, but it’s always been around for the nearly 40 years we’ve been together. When we first met,...