Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Jerry Kill let millions of college football fans know he has a chronic medical condition called epilepsy by having seizures on game days. Unfortunately, although this probably is common knowledge in the Twin Cities, I only saw one seizure report that even attempted to explain what the problem is and how it is treated. So what is epilepsy, and how does it affect the people who have it?

 

I have the disorder myself, so raising awareness of the disorder is important to me. It prevents me from even getting a temporary permit to drive because I can't have any seizures for one full year. I must take two medications twice a day, as close to 12 hours apart as possible. One of the drugs I take requires annual blood tests to check its levels and can make me sick if doses are taken too close together. Doctors have told me I will never be able to stop taking medication even if I get my seizures controlled for two full years (which nobody thinks will happen). I have to see a neurologist every four months. Seizures and drugs have forced me to go home from work early. Don't pity me, but please understand this problem is significant for people who have it.

 

What it is: Epilepsy is neurological. Something, I don't know what, causes thunderstorms in the brain. It is sometimes possible to identify a trigger. Extreme heat, very loud  or sudden noises, the color red, stress, caffeine, bright lights, and (in child-bearing women) menstrual periods are some of them. Whatever the reason, too many signals fire in the brain - sometimes the whole brain, other times certain parts of it, depending on the person - usually for less than a minute. Sometimes it goes on a few minutes or there is one seizure after another. Depending on the person, it can happen anytime and anywhere. All ages are affected. There is no cure. Treatment is medication or a combination of surgery and drugs. Causes include having bad genes but it is rarely inherited. Many people get it after suffering head injuries. Usually the cause cannot be determined.

 

You don't have to care about the University of Minnesota's football team or any team left guard Alan Faneca played on (Steelers, Jets, and Cardinals) to show support in the form of wearing dark purple this month. The NFL has done nothing to raise awareness of epilepsy despite Faneca's diagnosis many years ago and all of its research about concussions, but I really think it should be included in the list of long-term problems caused by traumatic brain injuries that occur on football fields. Faneca thinks it  is important to raise awareness of it. He is right because epilepsy is covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but still prevents many people from getting jobs (or in some cases keeping them) and every year more people are diagnosed with the disorder.

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