By the fuck? - 05/03/2016 09:49 - Australia - Hawthorn

Today, I actually had to reassure the girl I'm seeing that she can't "catch" my epilepsy. FML
I agree, your life sucks 20 750
You deserved it 1 723

Same thing different taste

Top comments

Educate her before you rule her out as stupid

camilax3 15

Even though what she said was highly unintelligent, some people seriously have little to zero knowledge on chronic disorders. You should try and educate her, so she can understand it better.

Comments

Let's hope you can't catch her stupidity

Shadowvoid 33

Be careful OP, wouldn't want to catch her stupidity.

I have epilepsy as well and I get that all the time. I have absence seizures so a lot of people don't think I have epilepsy because I don't fall over and convulse. It's annoying but you can't fix stupid. Hang in there. (:

You can stay away from her to avoid catching her stupid.

scottishoatmeal 22

Wow. Good luck with that OP

Don't waste your time with that one OP.

Don't judge so fast! Epilepsy may take genetic disposition to manifest, but it can be triggered by transmittable diseases that cause encephalitis. Not to say that OP may have any of these diseases, but fear of contracting epilepsy by "catching something" is not irrational.

While it is true that epilepsy can be triggered by catching a disease or illness of the central nervous system, such as meningitis, cerebral malaria, herpes simplex encephalitis, etc. However, there is a difference between having seizures and having epilepsy as a disorder. If the infection is still present and the person is having seizures, then they are just seizures caused by the illness itself. If the illness has been found, cured/treated, and there are still seizures happening in despite of this, then it would be epilepsy. As it has now changed and effected the brain itself to have the seizures and they are no longer caused by the infection itself, they're caused by the brain. So, no, you can't catch epilepsy itself, if it has already progressed to being considered epilepsy, than the illness that caused it is no longer present. Also, the cases where epilepsy has been caused by an illness are pretty rare. The highest is herpes simplex encephalitis, with a 25% chance of epilepsy following the infection. It is usually a genetic condition, or caused by head trauma.

Maybe people should have a list of diseases and disorders, separated by contagious and non-contagious.