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'20 TNFR SDE Antonio Alfano (SIGNED and ENROLLED with COLORADO)

Am I the only one wondering why he went to Broomfield High to do this?
 
Won't say I don't even care if he ever plays for us because I do care but much more important is that they are able to get a complete and correct diagnosis and develop a treatment plan that allows him to live the best and most normal life possible.
Yep. Incredibly talented, so people are lying if they say they don't care about him getting on the field at CU and also wishing for him personally to eventually get himself generational wealth in the League.

But step one is the most important step - just get healthy so you can live a long & great life outside of football.
 
Just did a google search for juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy. Apparently it has a strong genetic component and aggravated by poor sleep and lifestyle habits.

“Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy is treated with anti-epileptic drugs. For some children or adolescents, lifestyle changes may help to control seizures as well.

The anti-epileptic drug valproate is an effective treatment in almost 90 per cent of people with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. If it is not effective or if it causes side effects, lamotrigine may be tried. Newer anti-epileptic drugs may also be useful.

Because factors such as tiredness, irregular sleep patterns, alcohol, and missing doses of medication can all trigger seizures, it is important for teens with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy to adopt regular lifestyle habits and follow their course of treatment carefully. Teens should sleep for eight to 10 hours per night and avoid staying up late or waking up early. They should avoid alcohol and large amounts of caffeine, found in coffee, tea, and cola drinks. If the child or teen is expecting a change in their sleep cycle, for instance if they are flying to a different time zone, they should talk with their doctor about techniques to prevent sleep deprivation.”
 
Just did a google search for juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy. Apparently it has a strong genetic component and aggravated by poor sleep and lifestyle habits.

“Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy is treated with anti-epileptic drugs. For some children or adolescents, lifestyle changes may help to control seizures as well.

The anti-epileptic drug valproate is an effective treatment in almost 90 per cent of people with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. If it is not effective or if it causes side effects, lamotrigine may be tried. Newer anti-epileptic drugs may also be useful.

Because factors such as tiredness, irregular sleep patterns, alcohol, and missing doses of medication can all trigger seizures, it is important for teens with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy to adopt regular lifestyle habits and follow their course of treatment carefully. Teens should sleep for eight to 10 hours per night and avoid staying up late or waking up early. They should avoid alcohol and large amounts of caffeine, found in coffee, tea, and cola drinks. If the child or teen is expecting a change in their sleep cycle, for instance if they are flying to a different time zone, they should talk with their doctor about techniques to prevent sleep deprivation.”

My nephew takes Depakote, which is the brand name of valproate. He seems to tolerate it just fine, he is able to drive and he is a wrestler who has competed his whole high school career with no problems.

Lamotrigine (brand name Lamictal) is one of my drugs that I take. It doesn't seem to have side effects on me whatsoever. (The bad jokes and stupid statements were there prior to the seizures.)

I obviously don't know Antonio or the severity of his epilepsy. I have friends who take their drugs and are able to drink a beer or have a coffee with no problems at all. I'm not so lucky.

If he's smart, he doesn't "test" things out until he's pretty stable on his meds. Having a seizure sucks in many ways, it ****s with your head and body for a long time afterwards, and depending on the situation, you can be seriously hurt or even die. It sucks in other ways - it can lead to depression and mental illness, you can't drive and are limited in a lot of activities that young people tend to enjoy (for example, many companies that do recreational activities won't take you if you've recently had a seizure), and those things can lead to a lot of feelings of loneliness and being left out. He needs to get his life back in order, get his meds right, and get to know his own body before he tries to see what he "can do". A big ask for a college kid.
 
My nephew takes Depakote, which is the brand name of valproate. He seems to tolerate it just fine, he is able to drive and he is a wrestler who has competed his whole high school career with no problems.

Lamotrigine (brand name Lamictal) is one of my drugs that I take. It doesn't seem to have side effects on me whatsoever. (The bad jokes and stupid statements were there prior to the seizures.)

I obviously don't know Antonio or the severity of his epilepsy. I have friends who take their drugs and are able to drink a beer or have a coffee with no problems at all. I'm not so lucky.

If he's smart, he doesn't "test" things out until he's pretty stable on his meds. Having a seizure sucks in many ways, it ****s with your head and body for a long time afterwards, and depending on the situation, you can be seriously hurt or even die. It sucks in other ways - it can lead to depression and mental illness, you can't drive and are limited in a lot of activities that young people tend to enjoy (for example, many companies that do recreational activities won't take you if you've recently had a seizure), and those things can lead to a lot of feelings of loneliness and being left out. He needs to get his life back in order, get his meds right, and get to know his own body before he tries to see what he "can do". A big ask for a college kid.
That’s some really good insight into epilepsy. I was thinking the same thing about the difficulty of avoiding Red Bull or beer in college, but with the right frame of mind in handling this, Boulder could be a great place to manage things if he goes down the healthy living, outdoor lifestyle route that is certainly popular there. You also don’t need a car, which is a plus. I’m sure he’s relieved to just have a diagnosis, and get on the recovery path.
 
When you have something you don't understand it can then be very easy to think that nobody else understands either. Good recipe for depression, what is seen as erratic behavior or a "don't care" attitude.

Hopefully with the diagnosis and the knowledge that the doctors can now work on a plan he can get things back to as normal as possible. Having football along with his academics can give him some things to build his routine around making it easier to avoid some of those risk factors listed above.
 
My nephew takes Depakote, which is the brand name of valproate. He seems to tolerate it just fine, he is able to drive and he is a wrestler who has competed his whole high school career with no problems.

Lamotrigine (brand name Lamictal) is one of my drugs that I take. It doesn't seem to have side effects on me whatsoever. (The bad jokes and stupid statements were there prior to the seizures.)

I obviously don't know Antonio or the severity of his epilepsy. I have friends who take their drugs and are able to drink a beer or have a coffee with no problems at all. I'm not so lucky.

If he's smart, he doesn't "test" things out until he's pretty stable on his meds. Having a seizure sucks in many ways, it ****s with your head and body for a long time afterwards, and depending on the situation, you can be seriously hurt or even die. It sucks in other ways - it can lead to depression and mental illness, you can't drive and are limited in a lot of activities that young people tend to enjoy (for example, many companies that do recreational activities won't take you if you've recently had a seizure), and those things can lead to a lot of feelings of loneliness and being left out. He needs to get his life back in order, get his meds right, and get to know his own body before he tries to see what he "can do". A big ask for a college kid.
Don't know if this is allowed or not under compliance rules but it seems to me that it might be helpful to him to have someone like you to talk to who has been through it both yourself and with your nephew.
 
Don't know if this is allowed or not under compliance rules but it seems to me that it might be helpful to him to have someone like you to talk to who has been through it both yourself and with your nephew.

I tweeted my support at him - not sure I'm comfortable doing more, both for compliance reasons and also not having any medical training.
 
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