Epilepsy has long been one of the most stigmatised health conditions. People’s beliefs about it are doubtless partly due to what a fit looks like and its aftermath- the frothing at the mouth, shouting, bleeding, bumps, bruising and injuries – all of which can be difficult to look at.
After nearly thirty years of living with seizures, Fran Thomas provides a much-needed handbook for epileptics and non-epileptics alike. It includes everything you need to survive when you are having fits and details what to expect from a life which is constantly throwing you a curveball. These are tried and tested strategies from the author’s own experience of repeatedly falling down, getting up, then falling down again and again.
This searingly honest and thought-provoking book is the story of the author’s fits, injuries and increasing memory loss, set alongside the wider story of epilepsy and society. It shows you how to:
– Make your house safe to live in
– Train a seizure dog
– Survive a night in A&E
– Navigate a professional life with epilepsy
– Create a support network
– Talk to others about your fits
After nearly thirty years of living with seizures, Fran Thomas provides a much-needed handbook for epileptics and non-epileptics alike. It includes everything you need to survive when you are having fits and details what to expect from a life which is constantly throwing you a curveball. These are tried and tested strategies from the author’s own experience of repeatedly falling down, getting up, then falling down again and again.
This searingly honest and thought-provoking book is the story of the author’s fits, injuries and increasing memory loss, set alongside the wider story of epilepsy and society. It shows you how to:
– Make your house safe to live in
– Train a seizure dog
– Survive a night in A&E
– Navigate a professional life with epilepsy
– Create a support network
– Talk to others about your fits
Reviews
A remarkably open account of what it is like to be an epileptic. Happiness, pain, sadness, laughter, bravery and emotion - or, as Fran calls it, Wednesday! ... Fran has a truly empowering outlook on life that you can't fail to embrace. Join Fran on her journey and experience the bumps (literally) along the way as she walks with epilepsy by her side, each and every day ... She talks about everything from the side effects of the various medications she takes and the stigma surrounding epilepsy, to the way she has been treated and some of the awful injuries she has sustained during tonic-clonic seizures - or, as I like to call them, "passing out with style". But don't for one moment think this is a book that borders on depressing or is all doom and gloom. Not even close! Fran somehow manages to make it all light-hearted, and there will genuinely be times when you laugh out loud as she brings so much humour to her story ... For anyone with epilepsy, or even those without it, this is a book that explains so much about a very misunderstood condition. I know it's a cliché, but this really is a must-read