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Epilepsy Since I Was 5
Fri, 03/23/2007 - 19:52Topic: Women With Epilepsy
Hello, i hope all is well with everyone. I've had epilepsy since i was about 5 years old. I would daydream and stare off for what seemed like minutes until i came to. Well, at first my doctor thought i had a hearing problem....but that was a negative....so then..i was tested for seizures. Results came back and bam....i have epilepsy. I was teased in school, other kids called me dumb and some older people called me "crazy". As i grew older my seizures grew slim, i was on depakote for most of the time. Until i turned about 17 i started taking Tegretol (sp), so i took that and my seizures seem to stop. Now, im 22 years old and i had an absence seizure @ work a couple weeks ago. I went into a stage of amnesia and i was at my job after hours....for like 5 hours just wondering where in the heck i was :( talk about scared. Afterward, this lady took me home and i went to sleep. I woke up at 6am the next morning with a migraine (i get them all the time). My eyes flutter everyother day for what seems like hours, i was told that this too was a form of seizure. Lately, i've been having them alot and im just tired of it.Im still learning how to cope but its so scary, im currently about to start seeing a new doctor.
Comments
Re: Aww Erika.. Sorry to hear
Submitted by happycat2 on Sat, 2007-03-24 - 03:51
Hi Erika31.
Welcome, and I am so sorry you are going thru this.
What can I say other than this happens? ... The after effects of seizure activity can last hours and effect the body and mind. Please do not take my word for this. Do your own research and read up on the effects of seizures Trust me on this...You are not the first person in the world to go thru this kind of experience either, or post about it.... Sometimes people post when it has happened to them, they have been working in front of a computer. When they have it has affected their ability to read or understand coherently what is in front of them. Erika...Things are not always what they seem regarding testing... You cannot believe all you read or hear about that. People can still have epilepsy and the results have come back clear. Migraine and seizure activity can go hand in hand and you can get auras with migraine also....
http://headaches.about.com/cs/headpain101/a/anatomy_mig.htm
http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/medicine_sideeffects.html
As Solis has pointed out, seeking the right help at the right time can make a whole world of difference in how you feel.… As a person who has had epilepsy all their adult life and as a teen I guess its a question of knowing that. As it is knowing what's important and doing something about that.... I did when having side effects from Tegretol and my seizure activity increased....
I want to add I'm sorry you felt the way you did as a child, and were treated that way. It must have made you feel you had to hide the way you felt is my shrewd guess. Some kids in the playground can and do make fun of legitimate seizure activity at the expense of others. Which is a shame as they are wasting time, and it really makes you wonder what sort of a world they live in when that happens? An uncaring one is my guess. One were appreciating what is important is not something they want to think about or spend time on. They are way toooooo busy rushing around to target the next person they can pick on...The right and decent way to behave is beyond their capability to understand.
Hang in there, stay positive and upbeat. It helps.
Cat.
"Many false prophets are gone out into the world." 1 John 4:1
Aww Erika.. Sorry to hear
Submitted by solis on Sat, 2007-03-24 - 00:21
Aww Erika.. Sorry to hear you are going though a scary time (been there) I had E since before I was in school so I understand the 'fun' there too.
I'd suggest that ,given that you know the cause is the E, you try to find an epileptologist (a neurologist that subspecializes in, & focuses directly on, the over 40 types of epilepsy).
To find one in the USA.. go to epilepsy.com, top of the page & third from the left.
hope that helps
~sol