Just an intro...I'm new!!

Greetings and Salutations everyone! I just registered on the site today and it looks like you have quite the community built up here and there is so much information, it's so great! I was diagnosed with epilepsy by my neurologist in February, although I had my first and only seizure this past December 22nd. I was placed on Dilantin, which made me extremely sick, I don't remember much of my Christmas holidays as I spent the following two weeks suffering from constant nausea, extreme drowsiness and even headaches which I NEVER have! It was like being in a very thick fog, I never knew what was going on, it took me forever to process what people where saying to me (I had to concentrate so hard!), I couldn't remember words or even what I was talking about while I was talking, and I started having muscle spasms which would cause me to drop things etc. It was so frustrating! I had had a CT scan and an ECG at the hospital the day after my seizure both of which came back normal and I've since then had an EEG which is normal as well, I am awaiting my MRI in April. My neurologist has changed my medication to Tegretol and I can say that things are going a lot better. The symptoms I had been having with the Dilantin have disappeared or are regressing, although I still have the occasional muscle spasms and memory problems which I am hoping will go away. I am starting my degree in Veterinary Medicine in Australia in July and really can't see these side effects being beneficial during surgery. My brother has Epilepsy as well, athough his case seems to be a lot "worse" than mine, he has himself on a very strict sleeping schedule, and is usually in bed by midnight as a lack of sleep in the past has initiated his seizures, regardless of whether he had taken his meds or not. In my case, it doesn't seem so, I have never gotten a lot of sleep (4-6hrs) and that hasn't changed, and for that I am thankful. I refuse to let this disorder, or whatever you want to call it, run my life! Missing my meds hasn't proven a problem either, while on the Dilantin, I forgot it a number of times and actually felt better. Anyways, I'm sure you don't want to hear me bable on endlessly, so I'll end this quickly. I would love to hear from anyone, I'm always up for expanding my contact list, you never know who you'll meet online, it's a very small world! Emily