u/sunniskullz

Hello everyone. My boyfriend was recently diagnosed with epilepsy after experiencing his first two tonic clonic seizures. After his first seizure, he laid there, not convulsing anymore and it looked like he was asleep. It took him a minute or two to wake up. Is that period of time where he isn't awake yet part of the seizure? And when a doctor asks how long the seizure lasted, do I include the time he isn't convulsing before he's awake?

Second, how do I handle his postictal state while keeping him safe? When he woke up, naturally, he was very scared/disoriented/argumentative. Almost aggressive. His seizures are well controlled now but I still am unsure of how to handle his postictal state. Should I be at home if he had another TC, would it be wise to suggest an activity he enjoys (like going for a walk, cuddling on the couch, watching a comfort show)? What if we weren't home? For example, at the store or at a park? Would I just walk around with him, explain what happened, and do my best to keep him safe?

Lastly, I sleep like a rock. A gun could go off in our bedroom and it wouldn't wake me up. I have been struggling with guilt surrounding that, especially now knowing that the risk of SUDEP exists. He has a galaxy watch that tracks his heart rate and sleep, which brings me a little bit of comfort but I still worry. Should him and I discuss a camera for our bedroom?

Thanks for taking the time to read this if you got this far. This is all very new to the both of us; I just want to be as supportive (and as prepared!) as possible without driving myself wild with overthinking.

Hi all. My(f22) boyfriend(m22) recently had his first two tonic clonic seizures earlier this week, and we are realizing all along he has had "auras" his entire life. Over the last year they just became more intense. He has had a few focal seizures that we know of. It has been 5 days and I have barely eaten and barely slept. Every bit of sleep I get is really light and not satisfying, and my stomach is in knots. His seizures alone were very scary to witness, but we were in the middle of nowhere with zero service and my SOS wasn't working. He is processing all of this now, and it is very traumatizing for him.

I'm diagnosed with OCD and on medication for it. My brain cannot turn itself off no matter how hard I try. And after witnessing this, it has spiraled out of control. He was in the hospital for 3 days and since we've been back home, I am beyond hypervigilant to every movement and sound he makes. Every time he rolled over while we slept I would wake up and my heart rate would skyrocket. He is the one experiencing this, so I haven't talked to him too much about how I feel. I don't want to worry him any more as he is clearly dealing with a lot, but selfishly, this is a lot on me too. I have a therapist who I see weekly, so I'm thinking about seeing her twice a week now.

So I am asking you all, if you were in my situation, what is the best thing to tell myself? What is the best way for me to help my boyfriend through this process, while also not losing my own marbles? No matter what, he will always come first, and I will never *not* be there for him. What are some good things for me to say to him? Thanks in advance :))

TW: full words used!!

I've left all emetophobia support groups and started going to therapy for it a couple of years ago now. I was later diagnosed with OCD and put on sertraline. It's been a bumpy ride but I have gone through a lot of in-person exposure with having a big cat that throws up often and a boyfriend who gets sick if he gets too hungry. I purposely watch movies that I know will have potentially triggering scenes for me without looking them up on DTDD. For example Smile 2 and Evil Dead (2013). Those movies have scenes that would've sent me into a spiral 2 years ago but now I can watch them with only a slightly elevated heart rate. If anything, seeing vomit just makes me feel faint.

But recently it feels like I've gone 2 steps back. My boyfriend had wisdom tooth removal last week, and had to take some additional meds beforehand on an empty stomach. Seeing him gag made me want to cry and my hands immediately flew up to my ears. I actually witnessed him vomit, though it was quick and I didn't obsess over it, I wanted to cry. I was shaking, heart racing, lightheaded, and fighting tears, though mentally I was fine. I've seen him throw up twice before this, and I was fine when it happened previously. I don't know why I had such a visceral reaction.

I do handle my own nausea far better than I used to though. I don't really obsess over vomiting, more so vomiting in front of other people. I don't feel my anxiety over vomiting in my head anymore, I feel it in my body. I feel every single nerve tense up, it feels like my blood sugar is dropping, and my hands break in a cold sweat. My anxiety/phobia has never made me feel this way before. I've always gotten stomach aches and dizziness from my anxiety though.

I didn't mention this to my therapist yet, as I have a lot of other things I'm trying to focus on. I wanted to see what other emetophobes thought, and when I discuss this with my therapist in the coming weeks I can update on what she says if anyone is interested. I feel like I'm regressing in my recovery and I feel a lot of shame around it. Anyone else experiencing this? Is this a phase in recovery? Is my phobia manifesting differently now? OCD and emetophobia feel like self inflicted rage bait and it is quite frustrating.

Thanks for taking the time to read this :))