The Yorkshire Trip

So in the middle of October we have a gang outing to a farm in the Yorkshire Dales. I wasn't too good in the weeks before, and was particularly bad on and off in the days before. On the day we set off I'd had an odd dizzy spell in the afternoon but thought I would be OK. As we drove north I was definitely feeling that same mental uncomfortableness Sainsburys gave me. So we plodded up the A1.

And then I next thing I remember was someone helping me out of my seat and into an ambulance. I'd had a tonic seizure in the passenger seat of the Land Rover. Beth had dialled 999 and they had come out to get me.

This was on the A1(M) near Doncaster so I was taken by ambulance to Doncaster Royal Infirmary where we met up with the other people who were going up with us and where, while lying in A&E, I had a second tonic seizure.

They X-rayed my brain to make sure I wasn't having another stroke, which I wasn't, but kept me in until Friday (nice food, shame about the old men in the other beds, thank goodness I always carry ear plugs in my wash kit ;-)). I then had Friday night and Saturday night at the farm and came home on Sunday morning.

We saw my GP on Monday morning for a chat. He's advised me to stay on the tablets they gave me in hospital (Sodium valproate) despite the side effects (I feel permanently nauseous at the moment, but that's likely to wear off over time) because I'm likely to have to stay on one drug or another indefinitely and these are good for that with few long terms side effects (unless I want to get pregnant ;-)).

He's booked me to see a neurologist in a couple of months but bottom line seems to be that epilepsy is a fairly common consequence of hemorrhagic strokes and I'm probably stuck with it. The good news is that I should be able to get good control with drugs. The bad news is: alcohol is pretty much out other than the odd half of beer or glass of wine. Ho hum.

Oh yes, and the other good news is that as an epileptic I'm entitled to both free prescriptions and ... a concessionary bus pass ;-)

Possibly a disabled person's railcard too, but I'd have to pay for that, the bus pass is a freebie so I'll be on to that one like a shot.