children with epilepsy

[Zippy 1]

My 2 nieces are going to DW in August with their dad. Both girls suffer from epilepsy. They do not have grand mal seizures more like they just zone out and aren't there for a minute or two. Does anyone have any advice that I can give to my sister in advance. They are divorced (not a nice one) so her and I are trying to prepare the girls cause he won't. They are 7 and 11. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[caryrae]

Not sure what advice I can give except, have fun, try not to worry, and just keep an eye on them since Disney is a busy place. My wife has epilepsy and has grand mal seizures, she has had several of them since we've been married which can be scary but luckily here medication helps keep them under control. We have gone to WDW lots of times and so far she has never had one there.

[Ms. Mode]

They may want to make sure they take frequent breaks to cool down in the shops and such. We have been many times in August and it is very hot and humid.

[Auntie B]

Absence seizures are not always noticeable (hubby has them) - so will the dad know what one looks like? Does he (or do the girls) know what triggers their episodes? It would be best to avoid any triggers, if known. Strobe lights have never bothered hubby, but we do avoid them when possible. He has never had an issue at Disney and has actually been seizure free since 2010 (knock on wood). Do the girls take medication? They might just want to carry a medical card with them, stating they have epilepsy, what sort of meds they take and when and have contact information for the responsible adult. I hope "dad" will keep to their "regular" schedules for sleeping, medicating and eating - that would be really helpful!

[Posterchild]

My DD has epilepsy too like those girls, thank goodness it is controllable pretty good now after a very long 5 year search for meds that work. Funny that the cheapest and oldest ones in existence are what works. (Don't get me started! Grrr!)

The only ride that did cause her problems was Test Track. The dark/light changes seemed to initiate a seizure regularly as warned. Make sure they have good sunglasses is another piece of advice. Other than that you already have some good advice.

It was kind of interesting/funny as we were supposed to be getting off Test Track she was having an absence seizure and buckling herself back in and doing the clothes grabbing thing. I had to tell the CM and they stopped the whole ride for a bit and were very nice about making sure she was OK after, it was only like 30 seconds.

The other thing of course which is widely know but easier said than done, is make sure they get good sleep. Tough for anyone at WDW with all the excitement. Also, Air Travel is always a big trigger for DD, I think it is the lighting, so if they are flying and they dont fly much be prepared for that.

Good luck, hope the kids have fun. It is tough for sure, but manageable hopefully.