Do you have a medic alert piece of jewelry or something else that identifies
your medical condition in case something does happen?  I don't expect anything
to happen, I mean, but it might help make you feel safer to wear one of these
identifiers.  In the US, medical people look for those things on a patient.

Is this like an emotional attachment to these other people or are you looking to
those other people for help in a physical sense (like having someone move the
furniture, watch you, etc.)?  Your type of seizure disorder is different than
mine, but I feel like this is something we are going through alone most of the
time.  I mean, there are lots of us who have seizures that are not witnessed by
anybody, so there's no one around to help us at those times.

Good.  Good.

Barb

I wish I were going. I love Seattle. I love Washington State.

Both times I went I had pretty bad sleep deprivation but only because I
wanted to look out of the window all the time so didn't sleep at all until I
was picked up in a car by my friends. Even then I was excited but simply
couldn't stay awake.

Losing sleep - for whatever reason - brings its own problems. I was lucky in
that I was staying with friends and they cared for me from plane to
destination. Even so I one or two incidents the second time - not grand mals
but things which were fairly new and strange to me and so I was worried. I
suspect I had more during that time than before and after - although when I
came home I did have a major seizure and went to the doctor for the first
time.

I want you to enjoy the trip but I want you not to worry. So you'll have to
be careful. Although, as someone else said, you're medicated so will be in a
better state than I was - because my condition was unknown.

If you go up the Space Needle remember that I once drove it!

Mary

**************** G. See my comment below in long part.

*** G That would probaby help correct for West ward trip and time changes
above, I wonder how that works going back?  I guess the same could apply,
since you've used the current doses long enough to have a idea how they feel
when they're too high or too low? with respect to your blood levels.
(Often We know what's best just by what we feel.)  //

Man !! With a 'Name' like above (Satch), I assumed you were Going to New
Orleans.  We all could have met you there !!!  It's almost 30C there now
(86F).
**************
  When I went to Hawaii I was surprised how hard the Seats had become.  I
used to sleep during flights, and even the 2-3 books I took weren't boring
enough to help.

   If you have any kind of enclosure anxiety (*I thought I'd have, so asked
here, but didn't as it turned out) -- would your Dr. consider one of the
Relaxants you can carry in the Prescription bottle.***
*** Before I was controlled for CP Seizures, I finally got a small amount of
Lorazepam (1mg) = Ativan Sublingual.   That is a tablet about the size of a
saccharine tab. that can be put under the tongue and dissolves there in
under ~8 minutes.  *That one used to make me tired within about an hour, but
I never had to use any going either way this time (first time I've flown
since szr. onset in 1993.  But before I was controlled during 1995-7, it
sure put a Lid on an Aura to keep it going on to a CP seizure, like I had at
first from 1993-5).

   I found Flying **Westward no problem, except time passes, but the Flight
so long as you're in the air, basically keeps up with the Sun, so 5 hours
from 10AM will likely mean you'll land in E. Canada or U.S. about same time
as you Left Netherlands? or UK.   So here it is 10 AM but your Body feels
like 3 PM.  Depending how long the Layover is and Customs etc. (likely you
clear those in Europe? before boarding), so when you get off you just have
to see if your Bags arrived or went to Italy ! :-<

   Howdy might know, but then I think you take your bags off, then
Re-Check-in to the next Leg of the flight, and depending on the Layover
time, you might need to put them in a storage locker, as most flights now
may not let you check bags e.g. 5 hours before a flight.  *Also you'll be
glad to know, someone who checks a Bag but doesn't Board the plane, the
Plane sits at the Dock until the 'spare bags' are removed...   Extra level
of controls with the New Age of travel.
 Also (this too was new), None of our bags were Locked, for our trip to
Vancouver then Hawaii.  If their x-rays show they might want to open your
bags, they'll cut the locks or not board them if they need to.

  (*I carried my Meds. on since I didn't want to be separated from them,
but still put mine through the Xray scanner although one of the Drs. said I
could ask to have them visually checked, but didn't indicate that it was
mandatory for the pills (Tegretol and Clobazam) .  I also kept them in the
original Prescription Bottles with the ID no. and Drs. name etc. on the
bottle. )
**************
   I hope you enjoy the west.  If you see 'Bill' (Gates),  if you're near
Redmond, tell him I'm not Bitter,  I didn't need those 4 years of Folders
and Files that trying to load xp2 might have Discarded.    It's just as well
I'm not Exxon or IBM or someone who'd have a reason to complain about
Business impacts involved in losing 4 year's history and work.  It's just
Murphy (of Murphy's Law),  still has controlling interest in Shares on the
market-- even Bill's.      G./

Oh no! I drank the water in US - what's wrong with it?

Mary