Personal Stories: Tom

- What's your story?

I actually received Epilepsy in 2014 when I fell down the stairs in Las Vegas. I do not remember Las Vegas at all apart from when I heard it all when in Hospital. It was actually my first time in Las Vegas so we spent our first day through drinking and going to different parties. I do not remember this at all but apparently I fell down the stairs when walking back to my hotel after the parties. I was actually in Hospital’s (below) for over the years of 2014 and 2015:

Hospital

• UMC – Las Vegas
• Charing Cross - Hammersmith
• Kingston – Hospital
• St Georges – Tooting (headed back to Charing Cross for a weekend to fix my head cranioplasty)
• Queen’s Marys – Roehampton

Once I was out of hospitals, I still visited many different areas to help me get back to work. Some of these included included:

After Hospital

• Richmond – Helping my left wrist which was hurt when falling down the stairs
• St Georges (Tooting) – Teaching me to focus on being back to work (still talk to everyday) and they helped me start back at Cisco
• Freedom Pass http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/freedom-pass
• Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital – Now helping me with my left wrist

- Why are you involved in spreading information about Epilepsy on social media platforms?

While I do not like having Epilepsy and Seizure’s, nobody seems to know what they are unless somebody actually tells it to them. It is not nice but people need to know!

- What interesting research, tips, recipes, or story can you share with our Epilepsy Community?

Use the Epilepsy Tool Kit on your phone or iPad! It is amazing to help you understand what you have and you can also track the medications you need to have each day. My doctor actually gave me a toolkit that means if I should I have another Seizure, I can automatically update my medications each day to try and remove having a Seizure again. His plan is to make sure I don’t have a seizure for a year so I can drive again.

- Dr Hockney (St George’s Hospital, Tooting London)

Diagnisis:

Polytrauma including TBI 31st August 2014

Thomas had 20 weeks in rehabilitation at the Wolfson Centre (St Geoirge’s Tooting) following episodes of polytrauma falling down 51 steps in a hotel in Las Vegas in late August 2014. He suffered a lot of injuries including left subdural haemorrhage, subarachnoid, haemorrhage, acetabular fracture, right superior orbital fracture, right temporal bone fracture, fracture on right C7 and T1 to T3 transverse processes and also developing hydroureter. He was managed initially at Las Vegas and before being repatriated to the UK via Charing Cross Hospital and then Kingston Hospital. He was at Wolfson Centre from December 2014 and was discharged independently mobile with some ongoing cognitive difficulties. I am pleased that since discharged Thomas who is now living back in his flat in London with his friends, and has now started back at work as a Local Government Account Manager.

- Useful Links (Epilepsy Society and MyID)

Android
iPhone
MyID