I lived with an epilepsy diagnosis for a couple of years after my accident (turned out to be not epilepsy, but that's a long story) and I was told to stay the fuck out of the pool. I was also told to be really careful riding, because even one of your focal seizures can cause you to lose it just long enough to swerve under that 18-wheeler.

Edit:

Until you've got your medication sorted out, which can take a while, I'd suggest running yourself into the ground to keep fitness. Once your medication is good, you can probably race again. Check out Jen Annett's story; she used to have seizures but now races professionally; she for example set the IMTX bike course record.

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Citizen of the world, former drunkard. Resident Traumatic Brain Injury advocate.

My husband suffered from seizures for over 20 years and did not let it limit his fitness goals. Sure, there were occasional incidents, but he knew his condition well and was able to keep his head above water and his wheels under him.

Eventually the condition worsened and he ended up having brain surgery (multiple times) and now he is completely seizure free.

Make sure you explore all your options. The advancements over the last decade have been enormous. We never thought there would be a day where he would be seizure free. And yet, here we are. The only hang over from the condition is the lingering side effects of some of the very insane medications he was on (Dilantin, in particular).

Keep a seizure journal and be very mindful of what you feel leading up to the partial so you can keep yourself safe and comfortable.

Good luck to you.

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Hillary Trout
San Luis Obispo, CA

Your trip is short. Make the most of it.
https://www.slogoing.net/

I was diagnosed with Epilepsy in 1987 at the age of 24. I've had one full blown loss of consciousness seizure which precipitated the diagnosis. I have had periodic auras which are pre cursors to seizures, but they are rare. I am well controlled on ER Tegretol, but it took many different meds to find the right one that worked for me. The side effects of many were intolerable. It also took me a long time to stop worrying about passing out on the street every time I felt funny. I couldn't drive for a year, my husband walked with me to work and I had to take cabs everywhere. It was a lot to get used to.

I wasn't an athlete back then. I didn't start doing triathlon until 2008. I did my first IM in 2010 and have done five more since. I know there is a possibility that I could have a seizure while competing, but given how well controlled things are currently, I don't think about it.

I wouldn't presume to suggest that you should feel the same way. This diagnosis is new to you. It took me at least 5 years to get used to it all. Find a good neurologist who specializes in Epilepsy care.

PM me if you have any questions.

I had two grand mal seizures 14 years ago. I went through every test out there and they couldn't find a cause. It took about a year to get my meds correct and I haven't had a seizure since. Seems like some doctor's instructions might differ. When I asked about swimming he said it should be ok because your heart rate is lower than during other exercises and you're body is more relaxed. He gave me the go ahead and I've been racing sprints and olympic distance since then with no relapses. There are times I can tell if I've missed a dose of my meds and lack of sleep can cause me to feel "weird" and lose focus. So there are things I need to be careful about. As Richard mentioned, getting your meds figured out is the biggest hurdle to get over. There are lots of options out there and side effects are different, so don't be afraid to ask the doc for something different if you don't feel like yourself. Sorry I can't offer any experience about long distance training and racing though.

good luck with everything
Barry

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Great things never come from comfort zones.

Ugh. They gave me that in emergency the first time. That shit made me psychotic. I can't imagine having to live with that.

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Citizen of the world, former drunkard. Resident Traumatic Brain Injury advocate.

definitely! dilantin was bad, made me depressed and really tired. I think that's the go to because it's so old, but that's the problem. Newer drugs have fewer side effects and there are lots of options out there. I'm on Lamictal/lamotragine. Btw, my wife is a pharmacist.

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Great things never come from comfort zones.

They have me on a low dose of trileptal

So far just blurring my vision a bit, giving me anxiety and making me fall asleep at 8 every night

Surprisingly enough my runs have been about 30 seconds per mile faster at a lower effort??

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Yellowfin Endurance Coaching and Bike Fits
USAT Level 1, USAC Level 3

I was going to mention, if you rely on heart rate for training intensity, one drug I was on kept my hr about 20 beats lower than it should have been. On a hill I always did my max test on I could not get near my usual max even though I was killing myself. If you're curious, ask the doc if lower hr is a side effect or maybe you're really running great. Maybe your mind is just glad to be back out there and giving you some more endorphins, nice.