is anyone bothered by the term grand mal

[powwowmommy]

i was watching the bonnie hunt show the other day and an actor from heros i think is an activist for epilepsy and he said we dont call them grand mal any more because it means big evil and epileptics dont like the term but it has never bothered me and heck it is a big evil a big evil pain in my tuckus i dont no sometimes CERTAIN activists try to speak for a whole group when they really should hold there toungs sometimes (i think its mostly actors and actresses who are like that ) they dont ask a large group they just ask people who they know will agree with there views is what it seems like to me ive always called them grand or petty mals and probably wont stop sorry if i sounded like i was on a high horse

 take care

 beth

[leifsmom]

Nope, doesn't bother me at all.  That's just what they are called.  Oh well, some people.......

[krbarrett]

Doesn't bother me either.  No matter what you call them I still get them!  And I agree big evil works for me!

[LIZARD66]

Personally, "tonic-clonic" bothers me even more.

 

 

LIZARD :)

[tatertotmommy]

I took french in high school, and I've never thought of Mal being "evil". I always thought it was short for "malade", meaning sick. I looked it up online:

sick: WordReference English-French Dictionary © 2009

1. Principal Translations/Principales traductions
   sick	adj	esp US (ill) se sentir	mal adv
   			malade adj
   I'm feeling sick. Do I have a fever?
   Je me sens mal. Est-ce que j'ai de la fièvre ?
   * Ma collègue ne viendra pas au bureau aujourd'hui, elle est malade.

As for "grand", it could mean:

1. prominent
2. major
3. deep (extreme)
4. grown-up
5. important
6. big

Also, on Wiktionary it says: French loanword meaning "great illness".

I hope that makes any who feel uncomforable a bit better.

 

 

[Sirenabella]

Hmmm. It bothers me slightly but not for that reason. When I was diagnosed I was told that kind of seizure was a generalized seizure. Not a grand mal or tonic clonic. Both those terms annoy me.  

[jblueeyes228]

Quoting LIZARD66:

Personally, "tonic-clonic" bothers me even more.

 

 

LIZARD :)

 Right! TONIC CLONIC IS RIDICULES. IT SOUNDS LIKE A MIXED DRINK.

[mrssundin]

Quoting krbarrett:

Doesn't bother me either.  No matter what you call them I still get them!  And I agree big evil works for me!

i agree!!

[lunakat24_7]

It has never bothered me either and I have both, I guess some people are just stupid.

[QueenMrsAmanda]

 I do not like the term tonic clonic. Makes it sound like I'm insane. I will still refer to it as grand mal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!