Epilepsy

Preston Reilly shares his story of being a caregiver to his wife Alison. Read the caregiver spotlight & get tips for caring for a loved one with epilepsy.

Preston is also grateful to have a strong support system in their corner. I am grateful to have always had a voice at the table.” “Alison was 8 months seizure free when we first met, so it took a while for me to experience a seizure with her,” said Preston. Since relocating to Chicago, a city with strong public transit options, Alison is able to travel freely which helps reduce the stress of having limited transportation options. “I always joke with Alison that I feel like a pestering parent when I check to see if she took her medications,” says Preston. While Alison received great care from neurologists over the years, it wasn’t until she and Preston started meeting with epileptologists, over 10 years into Alison’s diagnosis, that they fully began to understand her epilepsy. Preston states that Alison’s openness about her epilepsy was extremely helpful for him and allowed them to connect on a deeper level. As time went on, Preston learned more and more about epilepsy and the different ways it affects everyone. We hit it off at the wedding and then decided to date long distance while she was living in Washington, DC and I was in Norfolk, VA. Alison has also been a member of the Epilepsy Foundation team for close to four years. We are proud to share stories of couples who advocate for the community and take on epilepsy together. He’s a Chicago sports fan, plays hockey when he has free time, and jokes that he, “enjoys pretending to still play guitar after being in a band in high school.”

Penn neurologist Brian Litt's work on implantable devices for recording and altering brain activity has led to new ways to treat and diagnose epilepsy.

Litt, who was recently awarded the NIH’s Landis Award for Mentoring, says support for young investigators is important as it comes at a critical point in their careers. And, in building on the transparent microelectrode research, she pioneered a technique to accurately map the spread of seizures. She studied seizure onset zones—where seizures begin in the brain—and seeks to develop a way to map these networks to better understand which exact neurons are involved in generating seizures. This first-of-its-kind technology allowed his team to monitor details of seizures and seizure-like events at the individual cellular level and provided new information on neural circuits. Litt sought new ways to offer patients better treatment options by investigating a class of devices that electronically stimulate cells in the brain to modulate activity known as neurostimulation devices. “CURE is one of the epilepsy community’s most influential funding organizations,” Litt says.

The doctor noted that nosebleeds are a common symptom of epilepsy. Upon further brain scans, the doctors then diagnosed Elise with epilepsy. Source: @ ...

While she did not know it back then, she now realises that it was actually a symptom of epilepsy. Out of concern, she sent her to a hospital in JB. For instance, there are times when Elise does not respond when Cheah talks to her. Chin then discovered that his brother also has epilepsy. Thankfully, her condition improved quickly. Thankfully, her condition has improved since.