Living with Epilepsy

Mother Rani Wallace first thought her son Dominic was dying when he dropped to the ground and experienced his very first seizure two years ago.

Up to that point, Dominic was a happy, healthy little boy but soon he would be diagnosed with epilepsy - a condition which still affects him to this day.

"We were at my parents' house and Dominic was happily playing like his normally does. All of the sudden he just fell to the ground and my first thought was he was dead. I thought something was seriously wrong," Miss Wallace said.

"He went really floppy, unconscious and his eyes rolled back in his head."

Doctors believe Dominic has idiopathic epilepsy meaning there is no known cause for his epilepsy. Dominic's brother, Noah, one-years-old, has showed no signs of having the condition.

Miss Wallace, 22, described the diagnosis as 'life changing' as Dominic, now three-year-old, experiences seizures every single day. They are unpredictable but can be triggered by tiredness and anxiety.

"It's exhausting for him because [the seizures] do make him tired and he doesn't want to do anything. He doesn't remember having them," she said.

"It has affected us in that we can't go anywhere until Dominic's up and he's had a good, 14-hour sleep at night.

"We have to be home at certain times for medication and we're just careful in what we let him do."

The family is trialling different medications until they can find the one that works for him.

Miss Wallace said Dominic used to be happy, placid boy but can suffer from anger outbursts as a side effect of his medication.

"It's just a matter of finding the right medication but there's so many out there so we're justing working out way through the list to find the right one," she said.

Next Wednesday, March 26 is 'Purple Day' which aims to raise public awareness about epilepsy.

Epilepsy Action Australia estimates more than 250,000 Australians are living with epilepsy and approximately 3 per cent of Australians will experience the condition at some point in their lives.

Miss Wallace said she hoped to make people more aware about what they should do in the event of a seizure.

"There are 30 types of seizures and not many people are aware of that," she said.

"The most important thing to do when someone is having a seizure is don't restrain them and don't put anything in their mouth."

Reposted from The Queanbeyan Age