A MUM who cares for her epileptic son has spoken out about how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected their lives.

Jan Sproul lives with her son Peter, 26, in Springburn. He was diagnosed with Landau Kleffner Syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy, when he was just two-and-a-half years old.

Due to the condition not being caught in time, Peter will live with it for the rest of his life.

Jan, 50, said: “He didn’t talk fully until he was six years old. He can’t be left alone; he has got to have 24-hour care. He can’t even go out by himself so can’t live a so called ‘normal’ life.

“This is normal to him, that he has this condition. That’s just how we live, and we take it day by day.

“I gave up my job to take care of him. It’s just been an absolute journey. Sometimes it can be absolute hell, but other times really good.

Glasgow Times:

“He gets mood swings and is extremely tired. The condition just drains it right out of him.

“We have still got to get up and lead a life and not just stay in the house all the time because we’re tired.”

At the moment, it’s quite rare for Peter to have a seizure, but if he does he is given emergency medication and an ambulance is called.

Jan added: “His seizures happen at night when he’s sleeping. It’s totally exhausting for both of us.

“It’s quite worrying because if he’s sleeping you think ‘is anything going to happen’?

“I’ve tried everything – epilepsy mattresses and alarms but they don’t work for Peter.

“It’s quite scary, but it’s managed through his medication. There are still some episodes where he would have a full-blown seizure. If anything happens, I’m in contact with specialist epilepsy doctors.”

Glasgow Times:

Before the coronavirus pandemic hit, Peter attended at Sense Scotland’s Touchbase Centre in Kinning Park four days a week, but this came to a halt.

He has now been back attending one day a week, since before Christmas.

Jan said: “The impact of Covid has been terrible. It has resulted in mood swings which has been the main concern.

“He has them because he can’t get out to day centre or do things that he usually would. There’s nowhere to go. He has a fear of rain so when it’s a bad day he would be in the sensory room at the centre.

“He has been lashing out at me, he wouldn’t lash out at anybody else, it’s just me that gets the brunt of it.

“If he’s in a bad mood I try and hug him, if he lets me. Sometimes that helps but other times he’ll say ‘get away from me’ so that’s when I know I can’t go near him.

“All of his support workers think he is fantastic, he is a brilliant man. When he’s in a happy and fun mood I say ‘that’s my boy’.”

Glasgow Times:

Despite lockdown having a negative effect on their lives, getting put in touch with Epilepsy Scotland amid the pandemic proved positive for the pair.

After being informed about the charity by her GP surgery, Jan got in contact.

She said: “They have been fantastic; I have had a tremendous amount of support. I have Stuart who phones me up each week and gives me advice and answers any questions I need to ask. It’s really good to have somebody to ask how you are and just listen to you.

“Peter doesn’t talk on the phone but if Stuart is on the phone, he will shout hello to him. Any information he gives me I pass that over to Peter.”

As part of National Epilepsy Week (May 24-30), Epilepsy Scotland has teamed up with other charities and have launched the #BeyondCovid campaign to highlight the impact the pandemic has had on people living with the condition.

In a recent survey, 44 per cent of people said their seizure activity increased during the pandemic, meanwhile 80 per cent said lockdown has had an impact on their mental health.

Blogs will be featured throughout the week to help people whose mental health has suffered, with advice on how to cope with anxiety.

For more information, click here.