• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About Us
  • Videos
    • Featured Video
    • Foodie Friday
    • Monthly ReCap
  • Online E-Editions
    • This Week’s E-Editions
    • 2023
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
  • Social Media
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
  • Advertising
  • Local Jobs
  • Puzzles & Games
  • Circulation Request

The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

  • Home
  • News
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills/East Pasco
    • Business Digest
    • Senior Parks
    • Nature Notes
    • Featured Stories
    • Photos of the Week
    • Reasons To Smile
  • Sports
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills and East Pasco
    • Check This Out
  • Education
  • Pets/Wildlife
  • Health
    • Health Events
    • Health News
  • What’s Happening
  • Sponsored Content
    • Closer Look
  • Homes
  • Obits
  • Public Notices
    • Browse Notices
    • Place Notices

Carrie Jahn’s new lease on life

June 28, 2011 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Stress nearly wrecks the Zephyrhills resident’s life

By Kyle LoJacono

Carrie Jahn was like most young women dealing with the stress of raising two young children, but the Zephyrhills woman reached her tipping point when her first marriage ended.

Everyday life had been causing migraine headaches, but for the most part Jahn, 30, was able to go about her normal routine without too much concern. Her stress became serious when she suffered her first seizure in July 2010 as she dealt with a broken marriage and a custody dispute.

Carrie Jahn meets with Dr. Nancy Rogers during a follow-up visit. (Photo by Kyle LoJacono)

“It kind of just set everything off,” Jahn said. “Honestly, I didn’t even know I was that stressed out. The first seizure is what brought it to my attention.”

That first seizure came in her sleep. Her violent shaking woke up her new husband David Jahn.

The seizures lasted about 20 minutes. Jahn said she doesn’t remember much about them, but said the outcomes challenged almost every aspect of her life.

“I couldn’t drive, I couldn’t be alone with my children, it was almost anything,” Jahn said. “Just the things you take for granted. I had to have someone with me and supervising me every time I wanted to do anything with my children.”

Jahn, who was born and raised in the east Pasco County city, and her first doctors, did not see the connection between her stress and the seizures. She tried fighting the headaches with over-the-counter pain relievers and started taking medications designed to treat epileptic seizures.

The epilepsy medications did not stop Jahn’s seizures and made her feel almost drunk. She was even treated as a drunken patient when she went to another hospital.

Jahn said the strangest place she suffered one was while seeing a doctor at University Community Hospital, where she had been referred to Dr. Nancy Rogers, a neurologist.

“I had the seizure in another doctor’s office and Dr. Rogers came over and got me,” Jahn said.

Rogers, who is also director of the Florida Comprehensive Epilepsy and Seizure Disorders Center, has been treating Jahn for several months. She suspected the seizures were brought on by stress, but was unsure at first.

“When someone is taking medications and it isn’t helping, that sends up a red flag,” Rogers said. “Also, Carrie was very honest with me and told me she was having a lot of stress and that the seizures were causing her to have more stress. The problem is, the seizures don’t happen right when the stress begins. It’s more like post traumatic stress disorder, so they don’t associate them with the stress.”

Rogers said this is why stress induced seizures are misdiagnosed. Jahn had almost no other symptoms besides headaches. Rogers suspects as many as one in five people who come to an epilepsy center actually are suffering from stress seizures.

“Everything else seems fine,” said Rogers, who has been practicing medicine for 17 years. She then added, “Three times as many women as men suffer from these stress seizures, and they’re more common in teenage and young adult women. However, children and the elderly have them and men have them too.”

Rogers said the seizures can get worse if not treated. She added it is hard to estimate how common the stress seizures are in the general population because they are so often misdiagnosed, but suspects the number is around one in every 200 people.

“These kinds of seizures tend to be more or less common in cycles,” Rogers said. “It seems like I’ve seen a lot more lately. It’s hard to say, but I think we’re seeing more because people are feeling more stressed lately. Even if you have a job, you hear on the news about the bad economy or people without a job losing their homes. I think hearing those kinds of negative things every day can’t help but stress all of us.”

Besides medication, Jahn has learned different ways to cope with stress.

“One of the things I do is teach people good stress management techniques,” Rogers said. “It’s more than just a pill. Exercise 30 minutes a day is important. Thinking through your problems and talking about them often helps, especially with someone not involved in the problems. I recommend people take 30 minutes each day as alone time; time just for themselves. That’s hard for moms like Carrie, but it’s important to your health.”

The stress management techniques have helped Jahn stay seizure free since August 2010, describing her transformation as, “180 degrees different,” without the stress of her previous marriage.

Jahn and David have been married for about a year now and her children David Karl Jahn IV and Corey Jahn are ages 4 and 2 respectively. She said stress is still a part of her life, but it is not as consuming as it was last July.

“Stress is an unavoidable situation in life and different people have different ways of handling it,” Rogers said. “The problem is a lot of people don’t have good ways of handling stress. A lot of time people suppress it because of other demands in life. What can happen is, people hit a low point where the stress creates these problems and the stress is self-perpetuating. The key is finding something that relieves stress.”

 

Ways to deal with stress

–Regular exercise

–Thinking through problems

–Talking with people about problems

–Taking up a regular hobby

–Having alone time

–Having fun with family/friends

–Getting enough sleep

 

 

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Search

Sponsored Content

6 Reasons to Consider Remodeling your Bathroom with CMK Construction

March 21, 2023 By Kelli Carmack

Have you wanted to remodel your bathroom for a while now, but need that little extra push to make your decision? Check … [Read More...] about 6 Reasons to Consider Remodeling your Bathroom with CMK Construction

Avalon Applauds African American Club of Pasco

March 7, 2023 By Kelli Carmack

One of Avalon Park Wesley Chapel’s main missions is being a champion for culture. “Celebrating culture is a vital … [Read More...] about Avalon Applauds African American Club of Pasco

More Posts from this Category

What’s Happening

03/22/2023 – Florida Landscaping

The New River Library, 34043 State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel, will host “Florida-Friendly Landscaping 101” on March 22 at 2 p.m. Participants can learn how to create a successful home landscape by following the nine Florida-Friendly program principles. Register online at PascoLibraries.org. … [Read More...] about 03/22/2023 – Florida Landscaping

03/23/2023 – Betmar Chorus

The Betmar Chorus will perform its annual Spring Concert on March 22 at 2 p.m., and on March 23 and March 24 at 7 p.m., at Betmar Acres, 37145 Lakewood Drive, Clubhouse 2, in Zephyrhills. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. The choir will perform a variety of show tunes, hymns, spirituals and classics. Tickets will be available at the door for $5. For information, all 810-837-0520. … [Read More...] about 03/23/2023 – Betmar Chorus

03/23/2023 – Free Food Distribution

The Pasco Sheriff’s Office, Farm Share, Veteran’s Memorial Park, the Gentlemen’s Course, Samaritan Corporation of Pasco County Inc., and the Pasco County NAACP will team up for a free community food distribution on March 23 at Veterans Memorial Park, 14333 Hicks Road in Hudson. The food will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis from 9 a.m., until the items run out. … [Read More...] about 03/23/2023 – Free Food Distribution

03/23/2023 – Paint with Puppies

B Creative Painting Studio, 6013 Wesley Grove Blvd., Suite 103, in Wesley Chapel will host “Paint with Puppies” on March 23 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., in support of the Mercy Full Project. Guests can get creative and cuddle with puppies. Only 50 spots available. An RSVP and $5 deposit is required online at tinyurl.com/PaintWithPuppy. Balance will be due at the event. The total cost of $50 includes a dog bowl, paint, glaze and fire of the bowl. … [Read More...] about 03/23/2023 – Paint with Puppies

03/23/2023 – Puzzle Club

The Land O’ Lakes Library, 2818 Collier Parkway, will host a Puzzle Club on March 23 at 4:45 p.m., for ages 18 and older. Bring some friends. Puzzles will be provided. For information, call 813-929-1214. … [Read More...] about 03/23/2023 – Puzzle Club

03/25/2023 – America is Awesome

Lucas, Macysyzn & Dyer, Injury Lawyers and the Lucas, Macyszyn & Dyer Community Foundation will host an “America is Awesome Celebration” on March 25 from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 9426 Little Road in New Port Richey. The event will include live music from 5 Shades of Grey and Southbound 75; fireworks; a DJ dance party, silent auction; raffles; 50/50; car show, food and drink; and more. All proceeds will benefit K9 for Partners and local law enforcement. General admission is free. VIP tickets are available. Donations for parking will be accepted. For information, visit America is Awesome Celebration on Facebook. … [Read More...] about 03/25/2023 – America is Awesome

More of What's Happening

Archives

 

 

Where to pick up The Laker and Lutz News

Copyright © 2023 Community News Publications Inc.

   
%d bloggers like this: