Are There Any Mers With Epilepsy/Seizures??

[PaperStars]

Hey guys, I really hope I'm posting this in the right place. I've recently fallen too deep into the mermaid rabbit hole and have been starting to swim with a friend. I'm looking at getting my own tailsuit and fin but I was reminded that I'm epileptic. There's not much I could find about epileptic mermaids, so I was wondering if anyone on here was. Did your epilepsy factor in at all to choosing a tail with quick open options, or lead to choosing a more buoyant monofin?? Is this honestly just a bad idea with the whole seizure things?? Some input would be super super appriciated

[Mermaid Fina]

I'm not epileptic myself (even if i sometimes have non epileptic seizures due to anxiety disorder but that's rare and not as threatening as real epilepsy at least i've heard and i know two epileptic person a childhood friend and well...my cat (yeah person i dont care non human are person too) but i have really no big knowledge of the disease and even less of what it is to have it) and even if i have seeked it for you i didnt found anything about mers with epilepsy on the web (well maybe i dont know where to seek the information that said) so i would not be very efficient to tell you what is risky and not in mermaiding as a epileptic person precisely but they are a lot of mers with many kind of diseases and/or disabilities (i'm autistic for an exemple) which comes with they're own challenges so any way your very welcome in the community. They even are hydrophobic mers who dont swim and do dry photos with mertails and they are 100% mers like the rest of the community, mermaiding is vast and adaptable be sure you're safe but do not let the disease ruin the fun you can have with us and the cool mermaiding hobby! Futhermore if you seek it enough you probably will sooner or later found another more experienced epileptic mer somewhere (maybe here indeed) with real good advices for you. I dont really have them besides dont lose hope you could found a way to adapt mermaiding in one way or another to most health issues with patience, creativity and strengh of will it's mostly a very accessible hobby and i hope you'll find your way to enjoy it as much as you want to!

[PaperStars]

You have psycogenic seizures?? I get those because of anxiety from dealing with my epileptic seizures for the last 5 years, I'm super shocked to run into someone else with them here! May I ask how that is for you with swimming?? Like have you had any close calls with having a seizure?? I'm personally not as worried about my epileptic seizures but even a physchogenic seizure under water is still possibly fatal :/

If it's not too personal, may I also ask if your autism causes you any like inconveniences or anything with mermaiding?? (Sorry I can't think of how to word that better, but I'm also autistic and just trying to get a feel of what I should look out for)

[Nerdmaid Faith]

Lifeguards, at least where I'm from, are trained on how to deal with seizures in the water. And it's not very complicated aside from flipping the person over and supporting them while they seize, then assisting them out of the water and doing follow up if needed.
When I worked at the pool it was really helpful when someone with epilepsy would just let me know beforehand if seizures came often. In terms of swimming in a tail, I would suggest staying in a shallower area and as well using one that is easy to take off like a FinFun. Ultimately it's up to you and anyone who cares for you to decide what is safest, that is just my recommendation.

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[Mermaid Fina]

Yeah I'm too dealing with always swimming were they are lifeguard just in case, trust them your security is their job. My non epileptic seizure are in fact rare and only when i'm very anxious which in water i'm usually not because i love being in it but still therefore i well try to heal my anxiety to be more safe (faster said than done i know all too well) and merely keep to swim in secure areas . I use a FinFun tail so i recommand it too as they are easy and the go to for most beginners but still "easy to take off" well it's all relative my autism comes with dyspraxia in my case so nothing is ever easy to take off for me...i need someone to help me take the tail on and off (now i'm a beginner so maybe with more training i would understood how to do it myself but with covid the training occasions are few and far between so it will not be for a very near future)...as long as someone accepts it's ok though i look a bit baby and fear being judged for not being able to do such a thing much people found damn easy at 28 years old but well disability is disability and when it's not visible well people can be mean tough it's mostly outsiders i never was bashed for that in the mer community in itself. Well most of us know how it feel to be percieved as childish and weird for our hobby so there is a understanding. I found overall the community very accepting of neurodivergent people and besides the taking on and off tail impossible alone my only issues with autism in mermaiding be that i can write in a forum but other more active social websites like Facebook, Insta, chat and the like go to fast to be accessible for me so i lost the possibility to connect in them were they seems to be a lot of cool stuff happening and that i'm sometimes agoraphobic so on that times takes up the courage to go to outside events socializing with others mers is challenging to me but no one was mean it's just crippling anxiety on my part making it difficult. Last thing is well i'm obsessed with mers stuff as it has becoming one of my special interest and i fear boring/being looked like totally nuts by people especially outsiders for my mer obsession that some find kinda weird and creepy but inside the community most people are understanding of that and indeed it maybe the kind of space that accept autistic people with their eccentric manners and strange hobby, especially autistic women, more than many other communities i think from what i have lived inside it as of now. Don't worry.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

I was an epileptic right up to my teenage years. I had Grand Mal Seizures. Its not something we can escape. I grew out of having fits around this time too. But recent brain scans still show some sign of it. I go at my own pace, I know my limits and don't go beyond it. I also stopped taking medication for it in my teens.

My advice is don't push yourself if you start to feel tired. Take a rest. Have some food. Rest and relax. I usually rest up for an hour or so before hopping back in the water.

Are you aware when you start to have one? I remember mine came on sudden, there were no warning signs. My family has said that, I ate an empty cardboard box and they had to take it away, yet I was not aware of it. Another time, I was eating a banana and ate the entire thing, skin and all!

If you know the signs, tell or signal to your buddy immediately and go to the side of the pool/shore. When you start to fade away, you'll lessen the risk of hurting yourself if you have already sat down somewhere safe.

Swim in the shallow end too.