Has anyone had epilepsy for a significant amount of time that has problems keeping a job?

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I have been through several jobs. In my adulthood I have just had a really hard time keeping my past few jobs. I feel my epilepsy seems to get in the way.

I have had epilepsy since i was 1 yrs old and I am now 31. I experience myoclonic jerks and absence seizures. Growing up I always felt like I was different. I didn't know anyone with my condition and back in the 80's the doctors didn't know half of what they know today, and they barely know anything now.

Growing up they only had special ED or regular classrooms. It was never as advanced and diverse as it is now. My parents didn't want me in special ed - they didn't want me labeled. So I remained in the regular classes, but then I was labeled "slow". I had a teacher who passed me on because she know I understood but couldn't express the material on paper. (I have really bad comprehension.) I believe my seizures have really damaged my learning.(because I was basically absence) So as I got older not knowing the basics - grammer, puncuation and slow processing has really effected me.

In the past couple of years I have tried so many medications. (They have the new ones and they don't know exactly what each one does.) The drugs have so many side effects which has -what i feel has really damaged me as I feel my behavior has been effected by it. I am sensative to the meds. Memory loss is the most recent side effect. They said I was under medicated. I honestly feel like a lab rat. Its sad because I have to be accountable for myself and I don't have control over myself. (if that makes sense)

My seizures always happen in the morning. Its like my brain doesn't wake up as fast as my body. My seizures aren't where you get on the floor and shake. They are really more spasims through out my body. Its weird I can hear whats going on around me but can't really respond very well as I can't control, but I am aware. ( I try to fight it off, trying to control my breathing I also feel an overwhelming urge to cling on to whatever i can as hard as I can) almost as if I feel like I will fall. As they happen in the morning it could be running late and having to get it in gear fast or just the rush of the water from the shower. Trust me. I have sat at the bottom of the shower because its like I just can't pick myself up to get out. Its only happened a few times, but sheesh. I am 31 and may need a shower chair.

Anyway to get to the point - I am wondering if its me or doesn't anyone have problems holding a job as this condition is so out of control sometimes.

Comments

Re: Has anyone had epilepsy

Submitted by maggie17 on Wed, 2010-12-22 - 16:08

I to have had epilepsy since birth I was 3 months premature. During my childhood I had petimal seizures and went thru the same things you did. It was really tough! My seizures where undercontrol for the most part when I was about 18-21 years old and just recently I have had 3 gran mal seizures in 2 years which I never had granmal seizures before. But now they are under control for the time being but my petimal seizures are "attacking" daily, weekly for past 2 months it is happening so much my body doesn't have recoupe time.I had to miss a lot of work these past 2 months because I just can't concentrate or remember anything! Now my neuro is changing my meds again!!! I currently am on keppra, and lamictal but he is adding zarontin while decreasing keppra. I guess the zarontin is for petimal so I think he is thinking that if those can get undercontrol then my gran mal should as well. I am tired of finally getting adjusted to meds and then have a seizure and have to start the whole process over it's very draining!! Are you having a hard time finding a job because of seizures or keeping it because?

Re: Has anyone had epilepsy...problems keeping a job?

Submitted by ejanesuperdog on Thu, 2011-02-10 - 01:31

I can relate to your entire post. I had partial complex seizures for years and years, and no one seemed to be able to tell me anything about it except to prescribe new medication. My parents also didn't want me in special education (as you mention, special ed has grown exponentially since then), and they pushed me hard to succeed and "act as if" I didn't have epilepsy. Like you, I also struggled with comprehension and short-term memory. I also found that between the epilepsy and the five medications I was taking, I couldn't get motivated to do anything or find interest in anything either. My poor memory and my lack of motivation/lack of affect, I found it very hard to succeed at and keep a job. And that's not to mention the seizures that I was having while at work along with the post-ictal recovery each time. I ended up having surgery at age 23 and have been seizure-free since, but that's a whole 'nother story. I did find, however, that sometimes I could cater my job to my situation. For example, carpooling solved the problem of transportation in a city without public transportation. Maybe for you, you could seek employment where the hours are later in the day since you have seizures in the morning.

Re: Has anyone had epilepsy...problems keeping a job?

Submitted by postopileptic on Wed, 2011-05-25 - 20:55

I can relate to most of the issues both of you are having, but not 100%. I started having auras when I was 3-4 years old I would stop playing and run to my parents complaining about my knee tingling. The first time I hit the floor and had a seizure I was 12 years old. I lucked out, and my doctors immediately controlled my seizures with Tegretol, and I didn't have a seizure again until I was 22. Growing up I had no problems in school, as a matter of fact I was inducted into the National Honor Society as a sophomore, and at my graduation I graduated #32 out of a class of over 450. I got to college however, and decided to start self medicating with marijuana, ketamine, ecstasy and alcohol, because it was a pain to make sure I took all my meds on time when I could just party and still be ok. Well, I regret it now. I was lucky enough to get my license at 16.....but due to the foolish mistake of self medicating with street drugs, I had a seizure when I was behind the wheel at 22. I promptly pulled over and laid back, brainstorming the possibilities....it may have been isolated, i might crash in the ravine and die, or i might crash into a van full of kids and kill them all. I called my father and had him come get my car and license immediately. Now, onto the issue. Since prematurely leaving college at 23, I've had several jobs. I have petite-mal temporal lobe seizures, which cause me to posture, fall to the ground, then arise in a post-ictal state of rage and aggression that causes me to attack and severely harm anybody and everybody nearby. Wendy's fired me several years ago for having a seizure and smashing my face off the grill, and with report of my accident, their insurance went up so I was canned. Wal-mart put me on "indefinite medical leave" due to a seizure pushing carts, in which I pushed a chain of ten to fifteen carts into a moving vehicle, and they got sued. A local redemption center fired me because I had a seizure and smashed my face off the metal sink and lost 2-3 pints of blood all over somebodies bottles and that freaked out the customer enough to tell the manager that they had to get rid of me or lose their business. I've since then had a right partial temporal frontal lobectomy, which has diminished my seizure activity, but now I have psychotic episodes where I harm people around me for no apparent reason, as well as suicidal tendencies and depression that are both hard to deal with and uhhhhh, well, depressing. Had I known I would have said no to the surgery. The epileptologist and neurosurgeon both deny that any of the psychiatric effects of the surgery are due to the surgery, and that it is just coincidence, but all of the research I've done says otherwise. IF ANYBODY READING THIS POST IS GOING TO HAVE A NEUROSURGERY, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A COUNSELOR AND PSYCHIATRIST LINED UP ALREADY, OTHERWISE YOU MAY RUIN YOUR LIFE IN OTHER WAYS THAT EPILEPSY DOESN'T. FOR INSTANCE, I SOON MAY BE A FELON, AND MAY LOSE CUSTODY OF MY SON, THE ONE GOOD THING THAT HAS HAPPENED IN MY LIFE, DUE TO PSYCHOSIS. Had I been warned about all of these side effects, I could have taken care of my psychiatric health ahead of time, and prevented a terrible crime I commited in a psychotic episode that i will spend the rest of my life regretting...I hope this helps at least one person.

I can relate to most of the issues both of you are having, but not 100%.  I started having auras when I was 3-4 years old I would stop playing and run to my parents complaining about my knee tingling.  The first time I hit the floor and had a seizure I was 12 years old.  I lucked out, and my doctors immediately controlled my seizures with Tegretol, and I didn't have a seizure again until I was 22.  Growing up I had no problems in school, as a matter of fact I was inducted into the National Honor Society as a sophomore, and at my graduation I graduated #32 out of a class of over 450.  I got to college however, and decided to start self medicating with marijuana, ketamine, ecstasy and alcohol, because it was a pain to make sure I took all my meds on time when I could just party and still be ok.  Well, I regret it now.  I was lucky enough to get my license at 16.....but due to the foolish mistake of self medicating with street drugs, I had a seizure when I was behind the wheel at 22.  I promptly pulled over and laid back, brainstorming the possibilities....it may have been isolated, i might crash in the ravine and die, or i might crash into a van full of kids and kill them all.  I called my father and had him come get my car and license immediately.  Now, onto the issue.  Since prematurely leaving college at 23, I've had several jobs.  I have petite-mal temporal lobe seizures, which cause me to posture, fall to the ground, then arise in a post-ictal state of rage and aggression that causes me to attack and severely harm anybody and everybody nearby.  Wendy's fired me several years ago for having a seizure and smashing my face off the grill, and with report of my accident, their insurance went up so I was canned.  Wal-mart put me on "indefinite medical leave" due to a seizure pushing carts, in which I pushed a chain of ten to fifteen carts into a moving vehicle, and they got sued.  A local redemption center fired me because I had a seizure and smashed my face off the metal sink and lost 2-3 pints of blood all over somebodies bottles and that freaked out the customer enough to tell the manager that they had to get rid of me or lose their business.  I've since then had a right partial temporal frontal lobectomy, which has diminished my seizure activity, but now I have psychotic episodes where I harm people around me for no apparent reason, as well as suicidal tendencies and depression that are both hard to deal with and uhhhhh, well, depressing.  Had I known I would have said no to the surgery.  The epileptologist and neurosurgeon both deny that any of the psychiatric effects of the surgery are due to the surgery, and that it is just coincidence, but all of the research I've done says otherwise.  IF ANYBODY READING THIS POST IS GOING TO HAVE A NEUROSURGERY, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A COUNSELOR AND PSYCHIATRIST LINED UP ALREADY, OTHERWISE YOU MAY RUIN YOUR LIFE IN OTHER WAYS THAT EPILEPSY DOESN'T.  FOR INSTANCE, I SOON MAY BE A FELON, AND MAY LOSE CUSTODY OF MY SON, THE ONE GOOD THING THAT HAS HAPPENED IN MY LIFE, DUE TO PSYCHOSIS.  Had I been warned about all of these side effects, I could have taken care of my psychiatric health ahead of time, and prevented a terrible crime I commited in a psychotic episode that i will spend the rest of my life regretting...I hope this helps at least one person.

I can relate to most of the issues both of you are having, but not 100%. I started having auras when I was 3-4 years old I would stop playing and run to my parents complaining about my knee tingling. The first time I hit the floor and had a seizure I was 12 years old. I lucked out, and my doctors immediately controlled my seizures with Tegretol, and I didn't have a seizure again until I was 22. Growing up I had no problems in school, as a matter of fact I was inducted into the National Honor Society as a sophomore, and at my graduation I graduated #32 out of a class of over 450. I got to college however, and decided to start self medicating with marijuana, ketamine, ecstasy and alcohol, because it was a pain to make sure I took all my meds on time when I could just party and still be ok. Well, I regret it now. I was lucky enough to get my license at 16.....but due to the foolish mistake of self medicating with street drugs, I had a seizure when I was behind the wheel at 22. I promptly pulled over and laid back, brainstorming the possibilities....it may have been isolated, i might crash in the ravine and die, or i might crash into a van full of kids and kill them all. I called my father and had him come get my car and license immediately. Now, onto the issue. Since prematurely leaving college at 23, I've had several jobs. I have petite-mal temporal lobe seizures, which cause me to posture, fall to the ground, then arise in a post-ictal state of rage and aggression that causes me to attack and severely harm anybody and everybody nearby. Wendy's fired me several years ago for having a seizure and smashing my face off the grill, and with report of my accident, their insurance went up so I was canned. Wal-mart put me on "indefinite medical leave" due to a seizure pushing carts, in which I pushed a chain of ten to fifteen carts into a moving vehicle, and they got sued. A local redemption center fired me because I had a seizure and smashed my face off the metal sink and lost 2-3 pints of blood all over somebodies bottles and that freaked out the customer enough to tell the manager that they had to get rid of me or lose their business. I've since then had a right partial temporal frontal lobectomy, which has diminished my seizure activity, but now I have psychotic episodes where I harm people around me for no apparent reason, as well as suicidal tendencies and depression that are both hard to deal with and uhhhhh, well, depressing. Had I known I would have said no to the surgery. The epileptologist and neurosurgeon both deny that any of the psychiatric effects of the surgery are due to the surgery, and that it is just coincidence, but all of the research I've done says otherwise. IF ANYBODY READING THIS POST IS GOING TO HAVE A NEUROSURGERY, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A COUNSELOR AND PSYCHIATRIST LINED UP ALREADY, OTHERWISE YOU MAY RUIN YOUR LIFE IN OTHER WAYS THAT EPILEPSY DOESN'T. FOR INSTANCE, I SOON MAY BE A FELON, AND MAY LOSE CUSTODY OF MY SON, THE ONE GOOD THING THAT HAS HAPPENED IN MY LIFE, DUE TO PSYCHOSIS. Had I been warned about all of these side effects, I could have taken care of my psychiatric health ahead of time, and prevented a terrible crime I commited in a psychotic episode that i will spend the rest of my life regretting...I hope this helps at least one person.

Has anyone had epilepsy for a significant amount of time that has problems keeping a job?

Comments

Re: Has anyone had epilepsy

Submitted by maggie17 on Wed, 2010-12-22 - 16:08

Re: Has anyone had epilepsy...problems keeping a job?

Submitted by ejanesuperdog on Thu, 2011-02-10 - 01:31

Re: Has anyone had epilepsy...problems keeping a job?

Submitted by postopileptic on Wed, 2011-05-25 - 20:55

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