epilepsy is a illness very much misunderstood

Hi Tammy, No, epileptics should never be treated like that; but, fact is, there was comparatively little medical knowledge, education, or understanding back then. I began seizures at age 3 and this is my 50th year on meds. I had the same unaccepted feeling..as my E was never recognized as the cause of many of my 'emotional outbursts', the reason for failing to 'remember' to clean my room, or for lousy grades in exams where rapid 'memory' was imperative. (The list is far longer but you get the idea) Bottom line: I was lectured constantly. It was not until I saw a psychiatrist who had E patients, that I realized 'my' psyche was still affected by the way I'd been treated. I didn't like the constant parental criticism, but had no idea such behavior was not uncommon among a % of parents with children who have E. All I knew was that I didn't feel close to my parents & I felt hurt by them. I quickly learned that their in-denial atitude ,beginning in my early childhood, was still affecting my ego. Via the psychiatrist I learned to get past that. Truth be told, if you don't forgive them, they are still affecting your ego even to this day = they win. Like myself and others, the only way to erase that negative effect is to put it in the past and focus on now. E is one medical area where the effects are split via neurology and psychiatry, so I'd highly reccomend you see a psychiatrist or psychologist (who deals with E patients) so you too can get past this hurt and get on with life's pleasures. You deserve it. :) ~sol

I am so sorry this happened to you. I hate to say it, but those teachers are still around. Even though they can't put you in a corner or spank you, they find other ways of making your life miserable. It's a power trip for those women and they take pride in hurting others. My best friend in high school attempted suicide because she was part of the problems he was dealing with. While there's no excuse for what your childhood was like, parenting was totally different years ago. I'm not that old, but I remember getting the belt when I was really little. I got switched with branch from my grandmother for "stealing" a car (he gave it to me). I did this at 6 years old and I still remember it to this day. If you talk to your parents they will always insist that they were "helping" you to understand and you can't change their minds about it. They are a product of their generation and set in their ways. Again, it doesn't make it right, but understanding the era in which they were raised, it was acceptable to do those things. Seizure are much better understood now, but the "helping" never really goes away. There are different forms of it as well. The "China Doll Syndrome" where the people around you treat you like you will break at any moment and you are a child who doesn't know better even if you are 65 years old. They say, "Oh..you can't do that, you might hurt yourself" as you try to pour milk over your cold cereal. This is the second worse offense in book. You have the "You just need to pull up your bootstrap" kind of people who think you are lazy, a weenie, and stupid because they don't understand the severity of seizures and scorn you every chance they get. This is the most popular kind of "help" and does the most damage. It's abuse in it's worse form and no matter what you say or do, you can't change their minds. You have the "You're so brave" people who say how brave you are to do the things you do but truly can't understand why you do them because if they were in your shoes they'd be helpless and try to play the martyr. I have learned that my mother, DH and other people will never truly understand my seizures. They can empathize/sympathize, but they won't ever "get it". I forgive them of this and it has helped me to do better with people. I still want to wack them over a head with a 2x4 somedays, but I can deal with people knowing that they don't understand and never will. You aren't stupid or any of the things your family and teachers have called you over the years. You have great strength to have gotten through the teasing and humiliation over the years. I think your parents do love you..in their sense of what love means. I wish you the best in dealing with stupid people and know that you are important. I used to be indecisive; but now I'm not so sure. I think.