How many of you work and what do you do?

I am 43, diagnosed with simple partials about 8 months ago. I work as a manager in a large department for the City where I live. My worst problem so far has been side effects from medication. My neuro says we need to get the seizures under control or it will certainly develop into something worse. Currently have a cold, dead feeling in various parts of my body on the right side only - sometimes arm, leg, face - a couple of times drooling - ick! Also funny smells and tastes. I was on Keppra initially, kept increasing the dose to 2250 mg per day. That was too much. I was really dragging - could barely work 40 hours a week, and I usually work more than that. Also balance and coordination problems. Told him we had to do something different. Now I am down to 1500 mg Keppra per day, plus 125 mg Lamictal, which we will continue to increase. At this point I feel like I can function normally. Still having seizures - frequency and intensity vary, but I can't tell much difference from before we started the meds. Who knows, though? Maybe it would be worse without them. PS - My initial diagnosis was TIA (mini strokes) and I was scared that a major stroke was next... I guess I was kind of relieved to have seizures because it sounded better than the alternative...

Hi Wendy, Venting is fine here. Come back and do it whenever you need to. I vent a lot here and on the phone with the local Crisis line. I am convinced that my "E" was mostly due to stress. The last job I had was in Mortgage Collections. Any collections job is bad, but this one was really bad. After just over 11 months on the job with a very disrespectful supervisor, I called in sick one day and was told if I did not come to work that day, I no longer had a job. I said "fine" and hung up. I have not held a job since then and that was November 2005. Up until late May of this year, I still tried looking for a job. Now I have quit looking. The side effects from my meds are making me virtually unemployable all by themselves. If I may suggest; please do not feel guilty about messing up at work. You have a medical situation that you do not have control over and your managers cannot control it either. What is there to feel guilty about? w f lisa