08:58 15.03.2023
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Have you ever thought about what it’s like to have epilepsy… while pregnant?! The amazing story of 36-year-old Little from Rehovot
Little, 36 years old from Rehovot, has been dealing with epilepsy since the age of 8: “My seizures come during sleep. The whole body stiffens, the muscles contract and can stay busy for three days, the mouth foams, the jaws lock. I never sleep next to a wall so as not to bang my head while To the attack. It also happened that I woke up on the floor.” Little came to Dr. Anda Elam about 5 years ago following a recommendation, with the goal of achieving a medicinal balance without severe side effects.
“Dr. Elam was the first one who knew how to ask me, ‘Do you plan to be a mother?’ At the time I was single from Tel Aviv, I didn’t think at all about pregnancy and certainly not about pregnancy alongside the disease. But she thought about it for me, and the answer was ‘yes’, of course I would like to be a mother. Even then I understood that I needed to receive treatment that would go along with the pregnancy and not interfere with the process. Following this, even then we prescribed the medicine I received and which I take to this day, which brought me to balance without side effects that affected my daily life.”
When Little found out she was pregnant, she immediately asked to meet with Dr. Elam, to coordinate the continuation of the treatment: “Because of all the changes the body goes through, I found myself after two seizures that day and I realized that I had to speed things up in order to continue the pregnancy normally. We met as soon as possible and she was closely monitored as the pregnancy continued – to prevent seizures, and the result is very positive! Dr. Elam completely succeeded in doing it. The seizures were back under control, the episodes I did have were very weak.”
“We are in a difficult situation from the start, the very fact that we were able to produce a normal and healthy pregnancy, with normal tests – this is a success! I had seizures that could have ended the pregnancy, or damaged the development of the fetus while it was still in the womb. Elam was amazing, gave a comprehensive answer to everything, And I will always be grateful to her for that. She did a magnificent job!”
Dr. Anda Elam, director of the neurology department: About 30% of those who suffer from epilepsy are women of childbearing age. It is very important to plan a pregnancy a year or two in advance, so that a good balance can be achieved with the safest medications during pregnancy. From the moment of conception, follow-up is necessary frequency and the adjustment of medication doses. At the clinic for epilepsy during pregnancy in Kaplan, we understand the need for treatment and close monitoring and timely response to all the unique issues that arise during this period. Working together with the clinic for high-risk pregnancy, we accompany the patient and arrive together at the long-awaited moment of giving birth to healthy babies, just like her mother the sweetie in the picture”
