Conference quark::human_relations-v1

There may be quite a few people who cannot afford the time. Would it 
be possible to post here a brief synopsis of the seminar?

-- Ron

    this may not be the place to ask....
    
    one of my best friends told me, just yesterday, that he "might"
    have epilepsy.  he said he recently had what must have been a seizure
    in the middle of the night.  he does not remember what happened,
    but his wife called EMS and when they arrived he was dis-oriented,
    belligerent, and refused to receive treatment.  he "came to" suddenly,
    and asked them "who are you, and what are you doing in my house?"
    
    he went to a neurologist, who, after tests suggested the possibility
    that he has epilepsy.  (my friend also has diabetes, and has had
    had a number of surgeries to try to correct neck injuries).
    
    needless to say, he is quite worried (as am i) and is afraid to
    tell DEC, because he fears he will not be allowed to continue
    employment.  (something about not being able to drive affecting
    his ability to perform his job).  the neurologist said to him he
    was a "time-bomb".
    
    question:
    
    what WOULD DEC's position be if, because of this illness, my friend
    could not drive....??
    
    tony

    
    re: .1
    
    OK...briefly, a short film (20-25 min.) will be shown on the subject of
    epilepsy.  Following that, a neurologist will speak and expand on the
    subject further.  
    
    The goals, in part, are to (a) assist those with epilepsy feel more
    comfortable about their seizure disorder, and (b) to diminish the fear
    felt by family, friends, and coworkers of individuals with epilepsy. 
    This seizure disorder not only has physical ramifications, but also can
    affect a person psychologically.  Many people with epilepsy have low
    self-esteem caused by the feeling of being "different".
    
    It is our hope to assist everyone with feeling more at ease with the 
    subject of epilepsy, both the person with epilepsy and those without.
    
    Again, there has been time allotted for questions.
    
    
    re: .2
    
    DEC is VERY supportive.  I have been unable to drive for 4 years due to
    my epilepsy.  It can tend to make life difficult at times, but it can
    be done.
    
    There is a notes conference for employees with epilepsy, or employees
    who have family members/close friends with epilepsy which I moderate. 
    If you or your friend would like, I would be happy to talk with either
    of you off-line (DTN: 381-1021).
    
    
    Much effort has gone into this seminar.  I do hope people will try to
    make time for it.
    
    - Beckie

    
    Addendum to previous reply...
    
    re: .1
    
    I reread my response to you and left out a very important item.  Fear
    is felt by many who, through no fault of their own, do not know what to
    do if they see an epileptic seizure.  There are many myths and miscon-
    ceptions around this and it is important it be corrected.  
    
    People should be aware of what to do and what *not* to do in the event
    they witness someone having an epileptic seizure.  And, at the same
    time, my personal goal is to increase awareness among managers and
    coworkers of epilepsy.
    
    Beckie
    

    Re: .2  It sounds like your friend should ask his neurologist alot
    of questions.  Has your friend had an EEG?  Although a number of
    diseases, disorders or stress situations may trigger abnormal seizure
    activity, epilepsy tends to have something of a pattern. 
    I think the neurologist was alittle insensitive when he told your
    friend he was a "walking time bomb".  Although epilepsy can't be
    totally cured at this time, there are a number of drugs on the market
    that will effectively (but not 100%) ;^(  control the seizure activity.
    
    As for losing one's job at DEC, the best person to talk to is your
    site nurse.  I have seen instances of people that had to switch
    jobs if they were working with heavy machinery but the disorder
    shouldn't have any bearing on one's job performance.  It might also 
    be a good idea to educate one or two co-workers as to what to do 
    if you do have a seizure.  
    
    Perhaps Becky (.0) could post a reply to this stating what a by-stander
    could/should do if he/she sees someone having a seizure.  
    As a last comment - having to live with epilepsy is difficult -
    but it is often complicated by other people's fright, ignorance
    and insensitivity.
                      

    
      
    > Although epilepsy can't be totally cured at this time, there are a 
    > number of drugs on the market that will effectively (but not 
    > 100%)  ;^(  control the seizure activity.
    
    This is true in most cases, but not all.  There are some patients with
    epilepsy that medication does not help.  In re EEG activity, it is very 
    common in people with epilepsy to have normal EEG activity.
        
    > the disorder shouldn't have any bearing on one's job performance.  
    
    > It might be a good idea to educate one or two co-workers as to 
    > what to do if you do have a seizure.  
    
    > As a last comment - having to live with epilepsy is difficult -
    > but it is often complicated by other people's fright, ignorance
    > and insensitivity.
                      
    The points you make here are the whole purpose of the seminar.  One of 
    our goals is to educate managers and coworkers in epilepsy awareness 
    and of what to do in the event you see someone having a seizure. 
    
    As I said in .0, there are many forms of epilepsy.  Our managers and
    coworkers need to know the basics.
    
    I do hope you will come.  A lot of time and effort has been put into
    pulling this together. 
    

    Beckie et al....
    references are made to your seminar.... and to talking to site nurses.
    
    problem is, out here, (in the field) we don't have site nurses... and
    the nearest personnel office is more than 200 miles distant... and we
    are more than 2000 miles from your seminar.  
    
    so, if it's not asking too much, maybe a sysnopsis?  or better yet a
    video tape?  could the company make one of those and distribute it?
    
    tony	

    
    Tony,
    
    I would love to be able to say a tape will be made and distributed, but
    I can't.  First of all, to tape a seminar like this would require a
    written release from the neurologist that will be speaking.  That may
    not be as big a problem as I think, but even if he were to agree, the
    services required to videotape this are not available at this facility.
    I am told that it would cost about $300 for 1/2 day taping.  If I find
    another avenue, I will definitely pursue it.
    
    Re: a synopsis - The best synopsis I could give you would be after the 
    seminar has taken place.  What's the saying, 'the best laid plans are
    still subject to change' (or something like that).  So, better safe
    than sorry.  The subjects I covered in .3 & .4 basically outline the
    plans.
    
    Beckie

To reiterate a previous request, please tell us in this conference what
    to do and what not to do for the victim of an epileptic seizure....
    
    Thanks.
    

    Re: .9
    
    A few tips that I recall from first-aid training:
    
    1.  Do not physically restrain them, but try to make sure they don't
    hurt themselves by hitting/falling onto something.  In other words,
    clear the area.
    
    2.  One thing to watch out for is choking on the tongue or vomit.
    The easiest thing to do, if they aren't thrashing, is to turn them
    on their sides.
    
    3.  Ambulance/EMT teams are good to have on scene, even if only
    after the fact.

    
    re: .10
    
    Thank you.  One other thing to add:   They used to say to put a spoon 
    in the mouth to hold the tongue so the epileptic would not choke on 
    it. DO NOT do this.  The person is apt to bite down during the seizure 
    and the spoon could go through the roof of the mouth or a tooth gets
    broken, etc.  NEVER put anything in the mouth.  It is better to let 
    them bite the tongue than risk this.
    
    Note that this applies to Gran Mal seizures.  There are many forms of
    epilepsy and the way to treat them are not always black and white
    answers.  However, the gran mal seizure is what most people would see
    and recognize as a seizure.  Many other forms are not as recognizable
    as this and was the reason for my hesitation in answering you.
    
    Thanks,
    Beckie
    
    PS: As I expect to learn a lot myself on May 17, I will post a synopsis
    here within a few days after the seminar for those of you in the field 
    or too far away to attend.  For those of you who can attend, I hope you
    will.
    
    

         I hesitate to enter much here because I'm not an expert; however,
    I have a 29 year-old brother who has been epileptic since he was
    3 or 4.  He suffers from both petite mal and grand mal seizures.
    He has been tested by everything my family has known about, been
    in some of the best hospitals and even experimental programs.
    Also, every time a new drug comes out, he is usually given it (my
    father once accidentally took one-sixth of my brother's medication
    and was "out" for about four hours.)  In any case, though some
    epileptics can be contained or controlled with various drugs,
    not all can.  In my brother's case, the National Institutes of
    Health discovered that he has an abnormal brain development
    (it was thought to be a tumor for a while.)  With other epileptics
    there is far less "cause" understood.
         An epileptic could have a seizure at any time, any place.
    In my brother's case, he has said that he can usually tell an
    onslaught coming on, but only within 1-3 seconds or so.  Being
    excited (especially in "temper" situations) seems to trigger
    an attack many times.  Three years ago I had to pull my brother
    out of a swimming pool during a seizure (I had never noticed
    how much his body was like "rigor mortis" during a seizure until
    then.)  Clearly, an epileptic can hurt him/herself very badly
    during their seizures.  Just look at the scars on their chins from
    falls or the cigarette burns they leave everywhere (if they are
    smokers.)  As a child, my brother always had to wear a football
    helmet.  As an adult, he has fallen while mowing lawns, etc. 
    (you can see the horror in this one, can't you?)  In short, for
    some epileptics life is brutally harsh.
         The advice given by others thus far is reasonable.  Basically,
    the advice is to keep them from hurting themselves or anyone else
    (from machinery, etc.)  Making sure as best as possible that they
    are still able to breath is of course essential.  Usually the
    seizures last for from a couple of seconds (usually the petite mal
    variety) to several minutes (usually the grand mal type.)  Their
    eyes may roll, they may froth or foam at the mouth, they may gurgle and
    tense up, they may kick or strike, but it is not something we need
    to be afraid of.  I have not heard of an epileptic who has not 
    survived his/her own attack.
         ...end of information...
    
    Frederick
    

    
    This is just a reminder to anyone interested in attending.  This
    seminar will take place tomorrow, May 17, beginning at 12:30 in
    the Babbage Auditorium of ZK1.
    
    Speaking will be Dr. Thies, a NH Neurologist.
    
    Beckie