What is so funny?

Anyone that knows me (and most of my readers at this point are people that know me) is aware of how much I hate it when people laugh at epilepsy and those who have it.  Nothing grinds my gizzard as much as a group of people that should know better laughing it up about someone who looks like they're having a seizure.  Actually...the videos that are supposed to induce a seizure with flashing lights really tick me off, too. I like to believe that people find humor in this because they simply don't know what is happening to the human body as a person is having a seizure.  That's part of the reason I started this blog.  I want to educate and help people so that maybe I can change people's perceptions of things they don't understand.

When I'm explaining seizures to someone that's never seen one before, I ask them what happens to their satellite reception on their TV when there is a bad thunderstorm.  Most of the time, they tell me that it freezes up, but after the storm passes, their reception comes back, even though it might still freeze up for a little while until the connection fully resets.  I then liken that to a seizure.  A seizure is when electrical impulses in the brain start being over active to the point that it causes your body to convulse, or you to stare, or lose muscle control and hit the floor, etc.  It can last for a few seconds or hours, but once the electrical impulses calm down, then the brain resets, and you start to recover.  The recovery period is known as the post-ictal period, and can take minutes or hours complete.  Essentially, your brain is recovering from the massive overload of activity that it has just experienced.  Most of the time, the person sleeps during the post-ictal period, but my daughter often exhibits dark circles under her eyes, pale skin, and she's very lethargic. 

Have you seen what happens to a child (or anyone, for that matter) when they have a seizure? Do you know what it looks like to see someone tiny having their body wracked by spasms and convulsions?

This a video of a little girl named Bella.  Her parents posted this video on YouTube to educate people about epilepsy.  Can you tell me what is funny about this little girl having a seizure?  Is there anything remotely humorous about this toddler's brain openly declaring war on her body?

When the video opens, Bella is having a Tonic Clonic seizure.  Notice that her parents have her on the floor, with anything that she could harm herself on cleared away.  She is laying on her side, and her mother is sitting next to her, but not restraining her or putting something in her mouth.  Everyone is remaining calm.

When the seizure stops, you hear Bella take a big deep breath and she stops convulsing.  Her mother comments about how fast her heart is beating, and you can hear Bella continue to take deep breaths, almost as if she is panting.  Most literature regarding the muscle spasms that are experienced during a seizure liken it to running a full marathon in just a few minutes.  As Bella continues to breathe deeply, you hear her father (who is filming) ask the mother about the temperature change being a possible trigger.  ANYTHING could be a trigger for a seizure.  The key is figuring out what yours or your child's are.

You see Bella open her eyes, but there is zero recognition of anyone or of the situation.  She is still in her post-ictal period, recovering from the seizure that she's just experienced.  You hear her mother comment on the fact that it is a Tonic Clonic seizure (previously known as a Grand Mal), and that she will be sleeping for awhile.  All this time, Bella is still breathing heavily, which is completely normal after experiencing a Tonic Clonic seizure.  She hasn't had regular breathing for the length of the seizure, and her body is recovering from that.

The mom comments on the length of the seizure as being around 2 minutes.  It is so important to time a seizure.  You can make a log of it, and let the doctor know about the length.  Her mother then comments about the difference between a Tonic Clonic and Complex Partial, which is just different types of seizures (my daughter experiences both as well).

Was there anything funny about that video?