When the Clock Restarts
We all love counting down the days to a vacation, a birthday, a holiday. There’s something hopeful about watching the numbers shrink and moving closer to a moment we’re anticipating. And when a celebration gets postponed? The disappointment is real, because the countdown has to start all over again.
Our clock restarted a few days ago.
Nineteen weeks and six days grand mal seizure‑free, just one day shy of five months. We are deeply grateful for that milestone. And at the same time, we’ve learned to appreciate progress one day at a time, paying attention to the small, often overlooked wins along the way.
In January 2025, I began digging deeper than I ever had before into one very personal subject. Stu’s grand mal seizures shifted dramatically, from occurring every three to six months to every two to four weeks. Naturally, our radar went up. We needed to understand what had changed and what might be contributing to this sudden increase.
To put it in perspective: in 2025 alone, he experienced 14 seizures, compared to an average of about three per year previously. Before we even met, he had only experienced two as an adult. The increase didn’t begin until 2022, but when someone has more seizures in one year than they’ve had in their entire life combined, it’s impossible not to ask deeper questions.
What we discovered was eye‑opening.
There are multiple contributing factors—some of which may feel like obvious “of course” moments in hindsight. Because many of these factors weren’t newly introduced, they were easy to dismiss at first. Yet chronic exposure matters, even when something feels familiar or normalized.
Contributing factors are not the same as triggers.
Stu does have known triggers, such as certain lights or specific music. Those are short‑term external inputs that can spark an immediate reaction. Contributing factors, on the other hand, are long‑term, chronic influences that gradually make the body more susceptible over time.
We are all surrounded by many of these contributing factors, yet they don’t affect everyone the same way. For one person, the result may be seizures. For another, it may show up as chronic inflammation, diabetes, or even cancer. The root issues can be similar, but the symptoms often look very different.
This distinction between triggers and contributing factors is critical. Triggers pull the pin. Contributing factors load the grenade.
Understanding that difference changed how we approached restoration, prevention, and stewardship of the body. And it continues to shape how I support others as a Whole‑Person Health Coach, empowering people to look beyond the obvious and gently explore what’s been quietly influencing their health for years.