SLEEP INJURIES

This is a problem that has occurred many times in the past and most recently Sunday, November 22nd at I a.m., November 28th at 7p.m. and the very next day in the afternoon around 1. This has been an extremely bad and weird and painful time for me. Not saying it’s over either because, as I write about these days another one tends to happen which makes me throw in another part of my story, although, this is quite different!

After I came out of the shower all fine that night and Michelle in on the 22nd, she comes to bed where I am in the center of and tells me that she heard a big bang and that it could only mean one thing, that “You must have fallen off of the bed, again”. I told her that “how could that be, I’ve been here the whole time and wouldn’t it make sense if it did I would feel something, like an injury perhaps”. Well when morning came about the injury on my head, right side as before, two, one on my forehead and one below near my ear. I asked “How could this be, Michelle I didn’t even feel a thing last night and yet today I have this rug burn on my face”. I would have gone on and on about my accident but being epileptic it was no surprise at all!

Michelle said that she jumped out of the shower when she heard the bang, almost hurting herself running out of the shower and that she could have hurt herself, but I was right there in bed under the covers which makes it even more difficult to figure out and believe. Michelle got into bed and I kept my distance because I could have grabbed her with my left or right arm and tucked under her and flipped her over with me easily, with me then on top. I would have stood up, walked back into bed easily over her body without the slightest recollection of what had happened and woken up to an injured or worse wife. So for that matter I kept my distance on the bed and yet not far because the last place we wanted me to fall asleep was on the edge.

Monday morning came and at first didn’t feel another thing until I got to my parent’s house for the day when I found a pain on my inner left leg from my knee to my foot, and the only wise and proper thing to do was to call Michelle. I asked her if I had gotten into any other injuries over the weekend because of the pain that occurred and she had answered me “No, not a thing, it had to be from the accident off of the bed”. I looked down at my sore leg with my one jean leg pulled up and started to laugh at myself as my mother walked in saying what’s so funny until I showed her and laughed as well. I told her “Apparently nothing can hurt me, I fall all over the place and yet I’m still here, can’t wait to see what’s next” still laughing at myself.

My mother had not known because I forgot myself to tell her what had happened when she asked me her usual question, “How was your weekend”. I answered as usual “Just fine, no major issues” forgetting what had happened until this reminded me so. I told her that it is very, very odd and would have been worse if Michelle was there but luckily she was in the shower and yet I’m not saying it was smart to run out and possibly slip and thank God she didn’t. I say this to you, not my mother, so that you do not, we don’t need more cracked skulls abound!

If this is an issue that may occur to you there is something that can be done to help the easy way, get yourself if you do not already carry a large body pillow and place it on the floor you fall on if it happens as often as that in your sleep. I did myself but stopped using it once it stopped because it is not something that occurs as often plus I have a cushioned rug on my side, a much bigger side to fall onto as well!

So in the past these injuries occurred on the bed just the same as well as on the couch by myself during a nap as well as on November 28th. A seizure will throw yourself off of any sleeping/napping position you may find yourself in as, say, on the floor of its choice over the arm or as others make mistakes in, rolling off of a couch, but there is a difference in them from us. They may find themselves getting up from, a stupid accident on their shoulders, arms or legs fallen on. We on the other hand do not see it nor take it as easily as that. Not every time, but mostly, we find ourselves on our heads flipped upside down or over from a couch two feet off of the ground and it pain!

I would not write about it otherwise! Someone will find you on the ground in very awkward places or just right there on the floor where a pillow was put under our heads because we were not able to get up, not just yet, but when the time comes to get up you will hate yourself for what has happened again. Now awkward places are truly awkward places to be found. I would not believe it if I was normal, but since I am not I actually cannot complain or argue about the incident that occurred. I have found myself, my head per say mostly, lodged into every unordinary place, living rooms, family rooms, kitchens, but mostly and actually daily it has become, the bathroom. For that matter, I try to stay away from going as un-normal as possible, because who of us would like to find their heads lodged between a toilet-bowl, counter or garbage can. Surely not I!

Seizures are so strange as I have already said, you don’t know when or why they will attack! November 29th was no different than the previous two, but yet, this time I was already on the floor in the same spot where I had fallen off of the couch. I laid myself down on the rug with a pillow and a blanket that Michelle had put on top of me as I napped and about an hour later, although already on the ground a seizure caused my body to shoot-up and slam me back down onto the floor like a bomb had just exploded. My entire body shook as well as I lost both my speech and movement. My body laid there half dead for an hour afterwards!

So as it seems for an Epileptic, there is no safe place, whether it is the bed, couch or floor, seizures will prevail! Sad but true and sometimes it is worse for the other person watching!           

Sleep injuries will happen, sometimes often, so stay safe, keep your body centered on whatever you are sleeping on and make sure you have the ground cushioned so you are protected!

SAFTY TIPS EVERY EPILEPTIC SHOULD FOLLOW

      Let’s Begin with Safety at Home

 The most common and dangerous place for Epileptics caused by seizure-related accidents. I myself have fallen in every single room from my own home to my parent’s much less enjoyable house I’m trapped in working though from the first floor, second or basement attached to the garage which is every families most dangerous part of the house. Cars, tools, lawn- mowers and such with blades on them to rip any ones face apart God forbid they fall on them. Very stupidly I came close recently on my cell phone because our basement for some reason gets no service, the call that came in was important yet myself more therefore do not do anything as stupid!

The first thing though you should know how to is the bathroom on how to take precautions, everything here I have done already and has helped me stay safe, mostly at home yet the house is not, it’s not mine to make safe yet is small enough to keep me in one spot or two. It’s odd but true but bathroom mirrors in front of sinks cause seizures when looked into which is why 90% of the time my hands get dried off on myself on the floor against the door. I look quick and then put my head down as I finish, tends to work well besides looking like a zombie into the mirror. Fallow these tips and you will do better keeping yourself safer in the most dangerous because of the most commonly used part of the house.     

To Give Some Privacy

 Place an occupied sign on the bathroom door instead of locking it. In your own home/apartment do not even close the door.

Hang the bathroom door so that it swings outward (into the hall or bedroom).  This prevents the door from being blocked if a person falls during a seizure. 

I would prefer that the door swings inward and closes behind you so that if you do fall against it you will not end up falling into the hallway behind you injuring yourself or anyone else so keep that rule switched around. It may work as is said in a much bigger hallways where it is safer to fall but I still would not prefer it.

Sing in the shower so people know you’re okay. If you don’t have any one to watch you or do not choose to then sing your heart out, just do not hurt yourself doing it by thinking to hardly.

Take showers instead of baths. This is a good tip and if you have bath-tubs in the house have one taken out for you and replaced with a stand-up shower, chair and curtain, no glass doors. This is very necessary from drop-attacks (Atomic seizures).  

Make sure shower and bath drains work properly so water doesn’t build up. Basically you don’t want to drown in a bath-tub, this is true for children mostly not being watched! 

Keep water temperature low to avoid burns. This is true for everyone bathing or showering as well as nonskid strips. Some showers have these built into them and work very well.

Use Tub Rods or Grab Bars

These bars I have put myself in as well and it helps me in getting in, sitting and becomes useful in having somewhere to hang my shower head while I am seated using my shampoo and soap. Outside of the shower I placed one onto the wall near the toilet bowl to grab onto the help with the rising or walking in long and wide bathrooms. This works well for everyone.

                               GENERAL HOME SAFETY TIPS

Sleep Deprivation and Stress

Two of the most major factors that cause seizures. If a shorter than 8 hour sleep is your sleep-habit then I strongly recommend you taking a nap for 1-3hrs a day at any given time that your body needs to shut down for a bit, you will know when. Don’t have someone tell you that it is time for a nap when you know that it’s not, will just make you more aggravated with them and yourself and seizures will occur. Some of us cannot close our eyes at times when we do not choose too and you will find yourself fighting them off and it just will not work for you that way so tell the person annoying you that now is not the time. Stress more than sleep deprivation will cause you to have a very hateful relationship with everyone in your life including your parents, family, friends and your personal relationship with your husband or wife. If you can figure out these issues in your lives and others not that they are always our fault because many families and husbands or wives especially cannot always deal with the flaws of an Epileptic or whatever you may be. Schooling is a problem and not a stress-free environment either. This is something that should be shared for all who have struggles with work especially and cannot get over the job that they hate and end up bringing their work home. That can make the most stress of all!

Daily Activities

For working Epileptics you are lucky to be still working, walking, talking to friends, going to the gymnasium and such as I did years ago and it was a much better then now life by experience you can say. However the possibilities of a more normal controlled life for an Epileptic is not as difficult as it may seem for some. For one as I told my own brothers when they asked me how I still get my work-outs in. I explained, with high tension exercise bands by Black Mountain for men and women for all types of performance. From yellow 2-4lbs for woman to 45-50 and 70-75 Purple and Atomic, which I use for every different type of exercise either standing for upper body work-outs to sitting for lower body work-outs keeping my legs strong from just sitting here all day long I told him. It’s simple to do and use as well as a rolling ball Perfect Fitness Ab Carver Pro by Perfect Fitness to complete my 40min work-out along with a daily protein shake which keeps me in pretty good shape for every third day. There isn’t anything wrong with a twice a week work-out compared to his everyday work-out. These products come with Door Anchors if needed, a Starter Guide and Videos on line. Go to amazon!

Do not use the most dangerous for an Epileptic to use, dumbbells, bar bells on a flat bench with or without a spotter for protection, medicine balls and cement kettlebells is okay for the normal exercising person, but not for us. I used to us some of these equipment’s in the past, those days are over and I am a smarter man now for it. 

Daily walks for 20mins a day helps or if not like me, get yourself if there is space a stationary bike to site and grab onto for the falling. I use a Schwinn digital bike and tells me everything I need to now about how far I biked which is distance, calories I burned, my miles per hour, heart rate by handle and many other routine work-outs. As far as anything else goes in my daily activity life, it doesn’t. Unless if you think that staying and typing behind this computer for you is an activity then I suppose so.    

Use an Electric Razor to Avoid Cuts

This is a very good safety tip because we Epileptics know that a seizure can easily slice off the wrong part of any body part, easily an earlobe, nose or throat which can cause death for men as well as legs for women. The number one option is for the use of a Phillips Norelco electric razor for both men and women and can be used in or out of the shower. It is simple and doesn’t require any shaving cream, just a clean and dry warm face or legs. You spin the razor not up and down, but in a round counter clockwise motion with 3 shaving heads each pulling the hear up and collecting all of the remains. There is rarely any bleeding if it is done right and a cleaning machine which collects all of the remains with it’s soap compartment and drying off mechanism as well, ready for the next shave. This is done by me seated on a white leather chair with a back and arms in front of a 6-inch vanity mirror, round and lite up and swivels around at 8x greater magnification.

Avoid Glass Tables

Anything from a large dining room table to a family room coffee table can be very dangerous to be around. The chairs of this or any table are very easy to slide off of so for that matter buy yourself or just use a chair with arms that one may have, sturdy! Fake wooden chairs made from compressed wood chips by cheap manufactures are very easy to break by anyone sitting on them, table as well.

Avoid Scatter Rugs

Wall-to-wall carpeting or soft flooring may reduce injuries for individuals who fall. Wall-to-wall carpeting is not as popular from the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s so large rugs in rooms where falls occurred most with floor padding underneath along with floor runners in hallways can be very helpful. I fall in all rooms from kitchens to Living rooms and bedrooms with floor runners and a large micro-fiber memory foam rug in the bathroom all work well in keeping me safe.    

Use Protective or Padded Covers

On faucet handles, nozzles, or the edges of countertops to help cushion falls and reduce injuries. This is very helpful technique, every corner in my home, every piece of furniture is padded and my entire bathroom as well. The padding comes in large rolls which can be cut as needed and corner pieces comes as ordered.  

Use covers or enclosed heating units or radiators. A floor unit I have covered with the same padding because where the unit is covered from side to side and the center where the cover splits and is covered can still cause problems from falling individuals like myself. Before we covered mine I fell right onto it cutting my ear pretty nicely but not deep.  

Electrical equipment such as hair dryers or razors should be used away from any water source. This is not just a tip for Epileptics but for everybody!

Secure Televisions, Computers or Other Things That Could Fall off Tables

Televisions can be kept far from you on a wall in a kitchen or on a wall unit in a family room or in the corner of any bedroom on a stand away from yourself or others. Computers, phones, books and such as plates, cups and utensils are things that I can only say good luck to you because there aren’t any tips I can give other than that. Things fall all of the time, just hope that it doesn’t break or get lost and isn’t too expensive, as a computer. One tip, don’t place your computer in front of you on a folding coffee table because it will get knocked off by kicking it more than once so for that a sturdy table or desk will work better if need be.    

Use Fireplace Screens at All Times

Yes fireplace screens are necessary at all times for everyone especially with children. Open flame fireplaces are fun to have hearing the wood crack but sparks fly out of them, even from fake wood starters placed underneath dry wood to lite them. Sitting on fireplace ledge is not a good idea either for anyone. I know myself about these open flames because I had them in the past yet, my mother very stupidly had set her shirt on fire by sitting next to one in the past. She is fine, we put it out before it caused any serious burns! Now about electric fireplaces my parents have through two rooms, centered on each side with glass screens can be seen through either as a pretty fake burning image or with heat out of the bottom of them into each room, but the heat can build up quit quickly so we don’t put it on. These glass screens though can be fallen into as well which I did myself sitting in front of them on the ledge while I was petting Sammy, no damage was caused there but gets my parents crazy by sitting there whenever so I don’t.

Avoid Clutter in Rooms

Also look around and make sure there is room to fall safely. This is something I see more that would cause problems for the clumsy, girls, the young and older who seem to bump into everything in their way with legs in such pain they don’t know how it happened. Sad but true. We have no clutter in our open rooms, not hoarders, just things to bump into with sharp corners around bad for children to smack into and myself.  

Have an Enclosed Yard

for children to play and prevent wandering during a seizure. This is a funny, but true story so yes enclose the yard for all children. A couple a years ago in my uncle’s yard up on a hill in Manhasset fenced in the back so that we can play and not lose anything or fall off of down the hill rolling onto a street. But while playing volley ball in the summer I was told this by my family laughing. They said as I was sitting at the table, “Bruno” ‘Yeah what’s up’ “Do you see that hole there in the fence” ‘Yeah’ “well that’s from you when you were playing there running, falling and ramming you head down into it”.

End of Story.

Have a way to call for help if you are alone. Look into alarm systems, medical alerts and other safety devices! If you need help with any of this, give me a call, you all have my number or email me.