Hi my name is Julie

I am 43 and a mother of 3 grown up daughters. I have suffered with
blackouts for many years and eventually I was diagnosed with
temporal lobe epilepsy in my early teens.

In 1995 my youngest daughter aged two years old also started to have
seizures but wasn't diagnosed with epilepsy but with a condition
call Reflex Anoxic seizures. Eventually we found the patients
support group STARS which has been a great source of support.

In 2001 I went through a particularly difficult period with my own
seizures and my husband felt it was time I was reviewed. My husband
felt that perhaps I had RAS and not epilepsy, so with the help of
STARS I got a referral to an adult specialist in London who
confirmed that I didn't in fact have epilepsy but RAS, 28 year after
I was told it was epilepsy.

In 2004 I was fitted with a pacemaker and I have had no further
attacks. My daughter now 15 has also been fitted with a pacemaker
after an ILR reveal recorded that her heart stopped for 45 seconds
during one of her seizures.

I also have other heart rhythm problems; I also have promoximal
atrial fibrillation and more recently non sustained ventricular
tachycardia which I now take medication for.

I hope to be able to chat to other sufferers with any heart rhythm
disorders.

Best wishes

Julie