I really need help

OK. To tell you about me.

Submitted by GodivaGirl on Wed, 2007-04-04 - 20:09

OK. To tell you about me. I'm nearly 33. I was diagnosed at age 5. Been on meds most of my life, been on a variety of meds. Most of the time I take at least 2 meds to keep things reasonably under control. I still grew up a sports kid, graduated university with a BA in sociology/criminology & have spent 9+ years working in IT...downsized, so right now I'm trying to transfer my skills into a new job, and I have no doubt that will happen. Now, let me look at this thread here & give you some input: First, you say - "She struggles every day with school work". Are you sure home schooling is the answer? What about allowing her to stay in school, but having the support of mom & dad at home to help her with her homework. Also, are you setting realistic standards. Not everyone is brilliant in every subject. Math, I'm in my 30's and I'll admit I still can't add things up on paper, but do I know =SUM(A1..A100) to add up 100 #'s in Microsoft Excel - yes! So, I get by! Not everyone is great at all subjects - there is a reason I majored in sociology. Thing is, my career of choice is Information Technology because I'm analytical & I enjoy working with computers....the computer programs do the math for me! Next, you say "She has no friends. No one wants to hang around someone with seizures. She tells me everyday she hates school." Where is the parental support to boost her self esteem and say that really having seizures isn't really a big deal. Did you ever think that if kids didn't wanna hang out with your daughter because she was epileptic & had seizures they'd find another reason - she's too short, she's too thin, too fat, wrong colour hair, etc. -- kids ages 10-end of high school really (as a guess) are brutal to one another. One day your the best friend, the next you're the school trash. It has nothing to do with being epileptic. It's all in how you carry yourself. Parents are key. My dad really has a sarcastic sense of humor & he always told me - be a tough kid! Not a bully, but he'd tell me to toughen up and don't take anything from anyone! I wasn't allowed to be the kid off crying in the corner, or off crying to mom and dad. As a result, nothing bugged me and in life, nothing has stood in my way! Seizures for me. Yeah, one a month to one every few. I down play that in life. I also know what triggers them. Question - do you keep a seizure journal? Do you have any idea what triggers your daughter's seizures? For me, every time my monthly cycle kicks in, if I don't take extra meds I'll have a seizure, that's a given. Other triggers - stress (positive, negative), routine changes, weather changes, illness, aspartame, too much caffeine, and of course forgetting to take my meds on time, which right now are Topomax, Keppra & Clobazam. Think about some of this. Life is only going to get harder as your daughter gets older, especially if you shelter her at home every time you think someone is picking on her because of seizures. Seizure free for 2 months. I wish...these days, with the stress of me trying to find a new job, my boyfriend finishing school to get a better job & us trying to cover bills, it's predictible I have a seizure at the end of every month as I do our budget & mumble..yippeee....cleared another month of bills! Sorry if this sounds harsh, but yup, some times life throws curves at you...it can't always be perfect. If you live life sheltering someone how are they ever gonna know how to work through those tough curves later in life? Just a thought? Good Luck. ~ EC