Conversion disorder taking a toll on Jurek

Isabel Boedigheimer, Head Copy Editor|January 13, 2016

 

Olivia Jurek story
Olivia Jurek
Jurek in the hospital when she was first diagnosed with acute confusional migraines, then re-diagnosed with epilepsy, and again later to be re-diagnosed with conversion disorder. “I’ve lost a lot of friendships due to my disorder,” says Jurek.

Olivia Jurek is a sophomore who suffers from conversion disorder. According to Mayo Clinic, conversion disorder is a condition in which you show psychological stress in physical ways.

In Jurek’s case, she has pseudoseizures; seizures that are non-epileptic, meaning they do not harm the brain.

“In the fall [of eighth grade], I got a call in the middle of the night from a couple of girls in my grade. They told me to kill myself,” said Jurek.

The bullying Jurek received from those girls was when the first signs of her disorder began.

Jurek said, “Bullying someone can do more than just hurt them at the time. It can turn their life around completely. It can cause mental and health problems, which is what it did to me. It changed my mind and how I perceive things to the point that my brain just shuts down my body because it can’t take anymore stress.”

The first time Jurek had a seizure was in February of 2014, four months after those girls had said those unspeakable words to her. She began feeling nauseous at school, so her father picked her up. She went home and fell right asleep.

Jurek’s sister Mikayla stayed home that year from school to work, so she was home as well. She was just laying in her bed when she heard a loud thud come from the bathroom. Mikayla rushed to the bathroom and saw Jurek lying there on the floor, unconscious and shaking. She shook her and kept calling her name, but Jurek did not wake up.

“When I found her the first time I immediately called my mom and she told me to call 911 so I did, I was so scared I didn’t know what was wrong with her or if she was going to be ok,” Mikayla said.

Jurek’s mother arrived home two minutes before the first responders and ambulance showed up. Jurek was brought to Children’s Hospital in St. Paul and awoke a few minutes after she arrived.

“I had no idea where I was or why I was there,” Jurek said.

Jurek has been diagnosed with multiple different conditions since her first seizure. First, the doctors at Children’s Hospital diagnosed her with acute confusional migraines. According to National Institutes of Health, acute confusional migraines are rare, but highly disabling migraines that are mostly reported in children and adolescents.

After having several seizures several days of the week, the doctors knew that Olivia had a much deeper condition.

In July of 2014, they re-diagnosed her with epilepsy. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, epilepsy is a brain disorder that causes people to have recurring seizures.

In August of 2014 they re-diagnosed her once again with conversion disorder. They have stuck with this diagnosis since.

Her first semester of freshman year, she only attended two classes a day at Oakland Junior High School, and the rest she did at home.

Jurek said, “I’ve lost a lot of friendships due to my disorder. They would always worry if I was going to have a seizure. Along with my anxiety and depression, it was also hard on them because of my unpredictable mood swings and actions. Some days I couldn’t even get out of bed.”

Junior Isabel Jansen said, “They [Jurek’s seizures] did not impact our friendship too much. She was just not able to do things that normal people can do. Anytime we went to the beach she could not go in the water past her head, and if we did she would have to wear a lifejacket. Sometimes I’d wear one with her if she felt uncomfortable.”

On a more positive note, Jurek’s disorder has only brought her family closer together. Much of their lives revolves around how she is feeling every day.

Mikayla said, “We are always here for each other no matter what, we are each other’s support system.”

Jurek has had multiple seizures during school this year. If she begins feeling nauseous, she always lets someone know and they call the nurse. If the nurse gets there in time, they get her into a wheelchair and bring her into the nurse’s office. But if they are too late and a seizure has begun, they just lay her on the ground and hold her head for her and make sure students stay out of the way until her seizure is over with.

Jansen has witnessed multiple of Jurek’s seizures. There is no right or wrong way to take care of her while she is having them.

“I usually just sat there with her and waited for her to wake up. [If she was on a hard surface] I would hold her head to make sure she did not injure it by hitting it on the ground repeatedly,” Jansen said. “We all just try to do as much as we can to make her feel normal and happy.”

Conversion disorder can go away over time, but it is always possible for it to come back if something happens in her life that causes stress.

“I’ve been able to cope with it and just accept the fact that this is now my life,” said Jurek.