A WOMAN who was diagnosed with epilepsy later in life has spoken about her experience in a bid to raise awareness among others in the same position.

Sandra Cotterell was asked to help by Epilepsy Action after a survey of its members aged 60 and older found that there was a shortfall in advice and information offered to older newly-diagnosed epilepsy patients.

The organisation has published a booklet New to Epilepsy in Later Life in response.

Dr Cotterell, 62, a former GP, had a horse riding accident in 1995, when she was 53.

She was very ill and had two major operations to her head in a neuro-surgical unit. When she was discharged, she had some brain damage and total paralysis of one side of her face.

She was put on anti-epilepsy drugs for a year, which is a common precaution following such an accident.

Two years after the accident, when she was 55, Dr Cotterell developed uncontrolled movements of her left leg and left arm and in particular her hand and foot.

She was on holiday at the time, and started to take the anti-epilepsy drug Epilim, before tests, including an MRI scan, confirmed she had simple partial epilepsy.

The movements in her hand and foot continued, although they were suppressed by medication, and today are no longer visible.

Dr Cotterell was told that the epilepsy had occurred because of scarring that had developed on her brain following the accident.

"When it was diagnosed, even though I'm a doctor, I was very, very shocked.

"People said I looked very white. I rang the epilepsy line and they were very helpful and talked me through things."

Dr Cotterell had to consider safety measures, for example while she was cooking, and having a lower bed to prevent falls. Most difficult of all though, she was told she could no longer drive.

Being prevented from going behind the wheel meant that it was difficult to run her business, The Chair Workshop in Sedbergh, repairing chairs, and eventually turnover dwindled.

She continued like that for around two years until a friend, who also had epilepsy, saw a specialist privately.

She recommended him to Dr Cotterell, who found that the encounter changed her way of life.

He reassured her that she would not develop the type of epilepsy called grand mal in which people lose conscious-ness.

Dr Cotterell was extremely relieved to hear the news, because she lives alone and was worried that she could become a liability to her family.

The specialist also told Dr Cotterell that she was fit to drive, which meant that she was no longer at a disadvantage both socially and economically.

Now Dr Cotterell lives a normal life. She will have to take medication for life, which has side effects, but otherwise she finds she often doesn't even think about the illness.

Welcoming Epilepsy Action's campaign to help older people, Dr Cotterell said: "My generation are still of the generation of not talking about epilepsy very much.

"It's common in older people but it's not talked about because it's not the standard epilepsy a young person gets."

l Copies of New to Epilepsy Later in Life are available from Epilepsy Action's freephone helpline on 0808 800 5050.