Another seizure...

So the only negative about the holiday was I had another tonic-clonic seizure... that's 2 in 3months, for me that's a lot, that hasn't happened since before I started my meds.

It happened on a chair lift at Alpine Meadows ski resort, luckily I was wearing the harness that I talked about in an earlier post - it could have saved my life.  I think I really frightened my Dad, I hate seeing how my seizures affect the people I'm with.  I think in a way it's worse for them than me.

I can't thank the snow patrol team at Alpine Meadows enough, they were incredible.  They looked after me then took me down in a blood wagon which was definitely an experience!  The nurse in the first aid unit looked after me and even managed to make me smile :) I am pretty sure (however my ability to remember names is pretty poor at the best of times!) that it was Shaun and Chrissy who looked after me, I want to say a huge thank you to them and to the whole amazing team.

It could have easily ruined the whole holiday for me, but the way I was looked after by the team, having my whole family there and none of the pressures of life back home helped me recover pretty quickly. I think it shows how there is a psychological side to recovery, not just a physical one.

I wasn't going to let it stop me skiing though.  I took one day to recover and then went up the only resort with a gondola and just loved being out there (even though the weather was pretty bad).

The next day I was a bit upset and frustrated, I didn't really like the other resort and I could only get to 1 run from the gondola.  It was Alpine Meadows I really wanted to ski at.  My amazing Dad went and had a chat with the ski patrol and I got a lift up on a snowmobile!  It was amazing and I am so thankful for that, just one run down made me smile so much.

On the final day I was planning to go to the resort I wasn't so keen on... I just wanted to be able to ski!  Someone had said I should go down to the disability sport place at Alpine and mention my harness in case they were interested in it.  So I thought I'd do that before I headed off skiing.  They said they already use harnesses and quite often have people with epilepsy ski.  Their harness was a bit better than mine and the attachment a bit different so I rented one, got on a chairlift and skied at Alpine all afternoon.

I think just being told it was OK and I wasn't a huge liability gave me the confidence to go up on the chair again, and I am so glad I did.  I love skiing so much and their is no way I will let epilepsy ruin that :)

So finally I want to thank the whole ski patrol at Alpine Meadows, you are all amazing.  But I'd like to say a special thanks to Shaun who took me down the mountain and Chrissy who looked after me afterwards.  I'm sorry if I missed anyone else, my memory is pretty shoddy after a seizure, but it is you 2 I can remember really well - so thank you :)