#petit mal

Women in Film Challenge 2025: [72/52] Petit Mal, dir. Ruth Caudeli (Colombia, 2022)

Or "Absence"

I worked really hard on this and it's something that actually happens to me.

It would mean a lot to me if you would take a look and give some feedback.

my boyfriend has frequent absence seizures & i’m just wondering what i should do in the situation

is it best to be quiet and just let him be

or should i try snap him out of it (i’m assuming i should not do this but i’m unsure)

is it okay for me to talk to and touch him gently without expecting anything in response?

i’ve noticed that he sometimes replies to something i said a few minute ago so i’m assuming he can process things in the moment

he has not been diagnosed with epilepsy but has had multiple ( around 10 ) small seizures in which he’s unresponsive and very shaky and unable to control his movement, he sometimes seems almost paralysed in certain parts of his body

I think I've identified one of my triggers. I've never been able to figure them out before, because it seems more like my brain is wired to a schedule in my brain with about 5-9 seizures a month (before lamotrigine, now about 3-4) it's caffeine, if I drink a lot of caffeine I get a lot of auras, at least. It's probably not my only trigger but it's one thing I can try to avoid!

So, while tonic-clonic/grand mal/convulsive seizures get a lot of press, there are a LOT of other kinds of seizures.  For all others, the most important response is “Don’t panic.”

This is a personalized “how to” for my seizures. Not everybody is the same, and you are better off asking the epileptic folks in your life how they want you to respond.  Use your words!  They’ll probably thank you for it!

When I seize, your job is to: 

-Wave people off, maybe tell them I have a headache or dizzy spells, because saying “seizure” draws a crowd.

-If we’re in a dangerous situation (crossing a street, cooking, swimming), mitigate the danger as much as you can.  Stop/redirect traffic, turn off the stove, keep me above water, etc.

-If the seizure lasts only a second or two, keep going where we left off.  Roast our marshmallows, enjoy the museum, finish crossing the street... but don’t tell me anything important unless you WANT me to forget it.

-If it’s longer than three seconds, judge the danger.  If we are in a dangerous place, guide me out of it.  If I’m unbalanced offer a seat.  If there is no danger, your job is to let me recover, then pick up where we left off.

Relax and trust my judgement. These seizures happen all the time. The only time you need to worry is if you see me have a bunch over the course of an hour.

-If I have a bunch, (like, 4+) I should take my meds.  I’ll be muddled and will probably not think of this.  I will also forget what I am doing EVEN AS I AM GETTING MY MEDS.  Remind me.  

“You’re getting your emergency meds, right?”  “Are your meds in your bag?”

After my meds I need to lie down and sleep it off, perhaps with a bit of water or juice.  A bed, sofa, or your shoulder will do, but I drool so choose wisely.