Chief Justice Roberts falls after seizure.

Buzz Mills

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Maine: Chief Justice Roberts had a "benign Idiopathic Seizure" at his vacation home in Maine. He suffered minor scrapes and was taken to a hospital, and will remain there overnight, as a precaution.

Idiopathic means there is no known cause.

He had this same problem in 1993.

Chief Justice Roberts suffers seizure

WASHINGTON - Chief Justice John Roberts suffered a seizure at his summer home in Maine on Monday, causing a fall that resulted in minor scrapes, Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said. He will remain in a hospital in Maine overnight.

Roberts, 52, was taken by ambulance to the Penobscot Bay Medical Center, where he underwent a "thorough neurological evaluation, which revealed no cause for concern," Arberg said in a statement.

Roberts had a similar episode in 1993, she said.

The incident occurred around 2 p.m. EDT on a dock near the home in Port Clyde on Maine's Hupper Island. Port Clyde, which is part of the town of St. George, is about 90 miles by car northeast of Portland, midway up the coast of Maine.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070730/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_roberts
 
What a lousy way to spend your vacation! I hope he is OK, too! Maybe he can take a few extra days for sick leave. : )
 
I wish him well. Hope he gets back to vacationing real soon.
 
How scary that he was on a dock - he could have drowned. Thank goodness he's OK.
 
oh wow. Thanks for the info Buzz.
 
Edited because joking about public figures is one thing, but this is turning into the epilepsy thread. I never intended to mock WS posters or their friends and relatives.
 
According to published statistics, now that this man has had two unexplained seizures - no matter how many years aparts - he officially bears the diagnosis of "epilepsy". Most neurologists would put him onto anti-seizure medication at this time.

I have a close friend who had ONE unexplained seizure when in his early fifties. He had every known test, everything came up negative. Thank God, no illness, no brain tumor, but you are still left wondering why.

The neurologist involved decided not to start him on medication unless there was a second seizure. It is now almost 6 years later and there has never been a second seizure.

BUT, here in Pennsylvania, my friend automatically lost his driver's license for 6 months. At the end of the six months his doctor filled out a form and he then got his driver's license back.

This was a real inconvenience for him, because friends, family members, and co-workers were called upon for the six months to transport him to work and back each and every day for the six+ months. And in addition to that, going to the grocery store, going to the doctor, the dentist, to get a hair cut, etc. all required someone to transport him.

Psycholocically it was very hard on him - what with the loss of independence and feelings of helplessness.

I feel bad for the Justice. His life just changed - big time! Different states have different parameters about the driver's license, but I think most require at least one year seizure free before you can drive again once diagnosed with epilepsy.

And again, there is always that lurking fear when a cause is not found......

Edited to add: Now that he has had two seizures, his chances of having a third are 60%.
 
Different states have different parameters about the driver's license, but I think most require at least one year seizure free before you can drive again once diagnosed with epilepsy.

I had a total of around 7 or 8 seizures in a span of 5 years, but haven't had one in almost 10 years. The DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) still requires a letter from my neurologist every year or my license gets suspended.
 
BUT, here in Pennsylvania, my friend automatically lost his driver's license for 6 months. At the end of the six months his doctor filled out a form and he then got his driver's license back.

This was a real inconvenience for him, because friends, family members, and co-workers were called upon for the six months to transport him to work and back each and every day for the six+ months. And in addition to that, going to the grocery store, going to the doctor, the dentist, to get a hair cut, etc. all required someone to transport him.

Psycholocically it was very hard on him - what with the loss of independence and feelings of helplessness.

I feel bad for the Justice. His life just changed - big time! Different states have different parameters about the driver's license, but I think most require at least one year seizure free before you can drive again once diagnosed with epilepsy.

And again, there is always that lurking fear when a cause is not found.......
.
My 19 yo is epileptic. Here in CA there is not set time as to when your can get your license back.It is on an individual basis. My son lost his license last year after a series of seizures .He lost it 7/06 and it was reinstated on 10/11/06. So they took it for about 3 months.
He had to have a one on one interview with a member of our DMV. He also had to bring a DMV form filled out by his neurologist that has an overview of his history and his current status.
He has a probationary license. That means every 6 months he has to submit the DMV form filled out by his doctor stating his current health status and they either accept it or deny it. He has to submit again in October.
The doctor does not recommend one way or another, he justs states fact and DMV makes a decision.
It is inconvenient for him when he lost his license, but well worth it. You are right it is very hard on him psychologically.
Typically in epilepsy there is no "cause" except a lower threshhold for seizures. That's part of it.
All of our brains are capable of having a seizure at any time, but most of us have a high threshold and so we do not. People with seizure disorders have a very low threshold so they seize more easily. Anti-convulsants raise that threshhold to help keep them seizure free.
lack of sleep is a very common trigger. It will cause a person with no history of seizures to seize.
 
My 19 yo is epileptic. Here in CA there is not set time as to when your can get your license back.It is on an individual basis. My son lost his license last year after a series of seizures .He lost it 7/06 and it was reinstated on 10/11/06. So they took it for about 3 months.
He had to have a one on one interview with a member of our DMV. He also had to bring a DMV form filled out by his neurologist that has an overview of his history and his current status.
He has a probationary license. That means every 6 months he has to submit the DMV form filled out by his doctor stating his current health status and they either accept it or deny it. He has to submit again in October.
The doctor does not recommend one way or another, he justs states fact and DMV makes a decision.
It is inconvenient for him when he lost his license, but well worth it. You are right it is very hard on him psychologically.
Typically in epilepsy there is no "cause" except a lower threshhold for seizures. That's part of it.
All of our brains are capable of having a seizure at any time, but most of us have a high threshold and so we do not. People with seizure disorders have a very low threshold so they seize more easily. Anti-convulsants raise that threshhold to help keep them seizure free.
lack of sleep is a very common trigger. It will cause a person with no history of seizures to seize.

Didn't they say he was just back from engagements in Europe? Maybe jet lag contributed to the problem.
 
Oddly enough, I just came back to change my post. I was wondering if I may have jumped to the wrong conclusion. But you got here before me. :)

No problem. I was just joking around. I don't actually wish the man any harm and, when posters began discussing their real-life experiences, the joke didn't seem funny any more.

Don't you hate when real life intrudes on comedy? :D
 

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