here is something about EPILEPSY that YOU probably did NOT know!!!!

In regard to a certain incident that recently took place in one of the shopping malls in Nairobi, social media has been awash with discussions regarding the incident and regarding epilepsy.

Here is what you need to know about epilepsy.

What are some commonly reported triggers?

• Specific time of day or night
• Sleep deprivation – overtired, not sleeping well, not getting enough sleep
• At times of fevers or other illnesses
• Flashing bright lights or patterns
• Alcohol or drug use
• Stress
• Associated with menstrual cycle (women) or other hormonal changes
• Not eating well, low blood sugar
• Specific foods, excess caffeine or other products that may aggravate seizures
• Use of certain medications

What you should know about epileptic seizures..

1. You CANNOT swallow your tongue during a seizure. It's physically impossible.
2. You should NEVER force something into the mouth of someone having a seizure. Absolutely not! Forcing something into the mouth of someone having a seizure is a good way to chip teeth, cut gums, or even break someone's jaw. The correct first aid is simple. Just gently roll the person on one side, support their head, protect from injury, and make sure their breathing is okay.
3. DON'T restrain someone having a seizure. Most seizures end in seconds or a few minutes and will end on their own. You can protect the person from injury by following simple first-aid guidelines.
4. Epilepsy is NOT contagious. You simply can't catch epilepsy from another person.
5. Anyone CAN develop epilepsy.  Seizures start for the first time in people over age 65 almost as often as it does in children. Seizures in the elderly are often the after effect of other health problems like stroke and heart disease.
6. Most people with epilepsy CAN DO the same things that people without epilepsy can do. However, some people with frequent seizures may not be able to work, drive, or may have problems in other parts of their life.
7. People with epilepsy CAN handle jobs with responsibility and stress. People with seizure disorders are found in all walks of life. They may work in business, government, the arts and all sorts of professions. If stress bothers their seizures, they may need to learn ways to manage stress at work. But everyone needs to learn how to cope with stress! There may be some types of jobs that people with epilepsy can’t do because of possible safety problems. Otherwise, having epilepsy should not affect the type of job or responsibility that a person has. 
8. Epilepsy is NOT rare. Epilepsy can occur as a single condition, or may be seen with other conditions affecting the brain, such as cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, autism, Alzheimer's, and traumatic brain injury.

9. You CAN die from epilepsy. While death in epilepsy doesn't happen frequently, epilepsy is a very serious condition and individuals do die from seizures. The most common cause of death is SUDEP or Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy. While there is a lot we still don’t know about SUDEP, experts estimate that one out of every 1000 people with epilepsy die from SUDEP each year. People can also die from prolonged seizures 
10. What happens in a seizure may look different from one person to another. However, seizures are usually stereotypic, which means the same things or behaviors tend to occur in a person each time they have a seizure.  The seizure behavior may be inappropriate for the time and place, but it is unlikely to cause harm to anyone.
11. People with epilepsy are usually NOT physically limited in what they can do. During and after a seizure, a person may have trouble moving or doing their usual activity. Some people may have trouble with physical abilities due to other neurological problems. Aside from these problems, a person who is not having a seizure is usually not limited in what they can do physically.

Information source:

EPILEPSY.COM