Ever wondered what life feels like for someone with Epilepsy the day after a big tonic clonic fit and some bad injuries? It's not not always easy to get the words out so forgive me if I wobble....physically and mentally! 

Surviving an Epilepsy Alert Dog...yes, no, maybe? You though every day was chaos with the dog, now wait until you have fits and a four-legged friend

For all those of us who have have encountered Epilepsy, stigma continues to be one of the biggest hurdles. Not only do we have to cope with the condition itself, we have to deal with the way it is perceived. Unfortunately, in my experience, public perceptions of Epilepsy are moving at a sloth's pace in many realms! 

Surviving an Epilepsy Alert Dog...yes, no, maybe? You though every day was chaos with the dog, now wait until you have fits and a four-legged friend

Right, you've got the Assistance Dog....now you have to train it! This podcast tells you where to start, what I did wrong, what hopefully I did right and made me realise more than ever you never stop learning as a dog owner. 

Surviving an Epilepsy Alert Dog...yes, no, maybe? You though every day was chaos with the dog, now wait until you have fits and a four-legged friend

There are some things that don't work with Epilepsy....hangovers, babies and hyperactive puppies who tear your house apart, crunch ice cubes and gnaw on your new cupboards. You need to really want a dog if you have Epilepsy because there are going to be some days you can barely move and your dog still needs to be walked. Are you ready for that? We considered  getting a dog for years, then decided on 'no' and promptly got the dog a few weeks later.  Don't ask!

This podcast takes you through the early days, the destruction, and the beginning of on-going training. Do we regret it? You'll have to listen and see. 

Surviving an Epilepsy Alert Dog...yes, no, maybe? You though every day was chaos with the dog, now wait until you have fits and a four-legged friend

Ever wondered how other people with Epilepsy cope or what you can do to help support yourself and your fits? Franziska has had fits for nearly 30 years and this podcast gives the listener some insight into the way she and her family deal with her daily seizures. Some days are great, other days are  catastrophic. Every day is different!

Coping with Stress is an easy listen, amusing and unendingly helpful. It covers all the most challenging moments of living with Epilepsy or someone else and their seizures. 

Sometimes the most obvious actions are the ones we never tried. 

Enjoy the podcast and see you again same time next week.

Surviving an Epilepsy Alert Dog...yes, no, maybe? You though every day was chaos with the dog, now wait until you have fits and a four-legged friend

Changing Medication has to be be one of the hardest things things to do. As I sit here, the first week of half term, my vision blurred for the second full day in a row I wonder what can be done. I don't want to live like this. I don't want my children to live like this, but there are no other medications I can take. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.  If I could I'd stop taking them- I can't. 

Your perspective on life changes when you can't see. Yesterday the muscles in my legs, arms and tongue stopped working. I need Botox from my constant furrowed brow, but I have to believe it will pass. It passed last time. 

Changing medications is one of the hardest things to do. It takes over your life. Good luck to all of those of you who have to do it. Rest assured you are not alone.

Surviving an Epilepsy Alert Dog...yes, no, maybe? You though every day was chaos with the dog, now wait until you have fits and a four-legged friend

What if it didn't continue? What if you couldn't remember all the things you were supposed to? The following podcast is a light hearted look at what awaits someone who takes Anti Epileptic Drugs (AED's). Why light hearted? Because in these situations, your humour is often all you have. Especially if you start the day every morning with an almost 'blank page' of what your useful assets are. 

You might be surprised to hear what someone with Epilepsy really thinks about taking medication and it's consequences. Yes, it saves my life...but is life ever that simple? Of course not. I know one thing, I'm not the only who feels like this. 

Surviving an Epilepsy Alert Dog...yes, no, maybe? You though every day was chaos with the dog, now wait until you have fits and a four-legged friend

The loss of memory is an ongoing dilemma for people with Epilepsy. Some medications are known to cause confusion and memory loss, but added to this, the condition itself causes the brain function to deteriorate over time. It's logical. What's easy for you, becomes virtually impossible for me. 

Continually falling on your head, banging your head or smacking your head on the floor is bound to cause long term damage over time. My photographic memory is largely gone, it comes back in patches if I haven't had a tonic clonic fit for a few months. My last test showed my IQ dropping- my concentration isn't what it was after all.

I have moments of lucidity, but then I forget what I was talking about. I find writing easier than speaking these days. Of all the problems Epilepsy brings I think most would agree memory and the lack thereof is what scares us most. Maybe I'll get lucky and forget I what I was worried about.  

Ultimately my brain feels like scrambled eggs...

Surviving an Epilepsy Alert Dog...yes, no, maybe? You though every day was chaos with the dog, now wait until you have fits and a four-legged friend

What would it be like to live without Epilepsy? As I write this I haven't had a Tonic Clonic fit for six months. I'm still having regular Partial fits, my head gets fuzzy-I wander around in circles. I get off the bus, but don't remember why, I look confused enough to have people come up to me, ask me if I'm ok. 'I don't know. I don't remember. Maybe' Then the fog lifts and everything goes back to normal. I stride with purpose. How must this look to an outsider? A switch being turned on and off? 

No fits makes me nervous. I'm waiting for a bus that never comes, no destination, no timetable. How can having no fits make someone as nervous as having fits? That's something only someone with Epilepsy can answer. Listening to this podcast might explain it a little.

Surviving an Epilepsy Alert Dog...yes, no, maybe? You though every day was chaos with the dog, now wait until you have fits and a four-legged friend

Surviving an Epilepsy Alert Dog...yes, no, maybe? You though every day was chaos with the dog, now wait until you have fits and a four-legged friend