Being a former child epileptic, I have always wondered what epilepsy is, what causes it and how does it affect my body? No one in my family has ever been diagnosed with epilepsy, so why me? I may be the unlucky one in my family, but I am lucky to be one of the lucky few children who have lived without epilepsy for 20 years. But there remains a question that I often ask myself: could my epilepsy reappear with age? I have seen and known people who recovered as children for over 20 years, only to have it happen again at a later age, due to medication side effects or during pregnancy and childbirth . So, what is epilepsy? According to Mayo Clinic staff at mayoclinic.com, epilepsy is a "neurological disorder" that is also described as seizures. A seizure occurs when something disrupts the activity of nerve cells in the brain, which can lead to seizures, tremors, or spasms (twitching of the arms and legs). This means that neurons in the brain become overexcited and start firing electrical impulses in all directions uncontrollably, causing the body's muscles to contract. During an attack, the person may lose consciousness, have abnormal feelings or behaviors, and feel tired or exhausted. There are many forms of seizures and the severity of symptoms varies from person to person. Epilepsy affects both children and adults of all ages. Epilepsy is often divided into two categories: absence seizures (petit mal) and tonic-clonic seizures (grand mal) with additional subcategories based on seizure symptoms. What are absence seizures and tonic-clonic seizures? According to Marieb and Hoehn, in "Anatomy & Physiology" pages 452-53, "Absence seizures, formerly known as petit mal, are benign forms i...... middle of paper .... ..AVID Y., and Selim R. Benbadis, MD. “Epilepsy and seizures.” Epilepsy and seizures. WebMD LLC, December 3, 2013. Web. December 6, 2013. Marieb, Elaine N. and Katja Hoehn. “The central nervous system: higher mental functions/homeostatic imbalance 12.5.” Anatomy and physiology. 9th ed. Glenview: Pearson Education, 2013. 452-53. Print.Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Definition." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, May 31, 2013. Web. December 8, 2013. “The Brain.” The brain. Epilepsy.com, nd Web. December 8, 2013. “Understanding Epilepsy.” Epilepsy Foundation-Causes of Epilepsy. Epilepsy Foundation, nd Web. Dec 08.. 2013. .