Epilepsy and college..

I am a sophomore in college now. Trust me, I know how hard it is to deal with college life...and last year was 10x as hard for me because I had brain surgery during the school year. I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was a baby, so I've known my whole life. I was on Tegretol when I was younger, but now I am on Keppra, Lamictal, Zoloft (for help with depression and leveling out my moods), and Tranxene (not actually an epilepsy medication). So anyone who says they don't like being on medicine, I don't want to hear it. I am also on birth control to help regulate hormones too. I have three different doses during the day too.So it has been a year since my surgery and I can't tell whether things are better or not because I haven't had the money to get all of my prescriptions so I haven't been taking my medications correctly. I was only out of school for about 3 weeks. I wouldn't let them keep me out any longer. They wanted me to do therapy afterwards, but I didn't want to because I was fine and didn't need it. I do have a problem with my memory, but I don't know if it's any worse now than it was pre-surgery. I had a partial lobectomy on the right, so it was better for not having things get messed up. My neurosurgeon told me that there was a higher chance of things being affected on the left. It's funny, my last boyfriend joked about the fact that I really did have screws so there was a possibility that they were loose up there...lol. That's another thing, significant others. They are very possible...and VERY helpful if they're good people. Seriously I don't know if I could have handled being in college this year without my boyfriend (ex now). I met him at the beginning of this year at work, yes we work together, but it's okay. We get along well enough to be able to work together without having a problem. The reason I may have had a problem is because I was all alone at college, about 1-1 12 hours from home (which I quite enjoyed because I hated home, the only thing I missed was my sister), and I didn't have any friends because the previous year I hadn't made any friends because I am also a shy person and never went out and did anything. But since I met my ex I have made a lot of friends and they all want, and do, help me when I have problems with my epilepsy. My new boyfriend I have been with for just a week and already he wants to help me any and every way he can (coming to visit me today, he goes to a different school). He is a very caring person and wants only the best for me. Really my biggest point in this post is that if I can still be in college after a horrible year including BRAIN surgery then this year having to withdraw from last semester because of even more problems, and still be able to handle things - at least for the most part - anyone can do it. Especially since I'm not the smartest person ever and have somewhat bad epilepsy, I don't know who couldn't do it. I promise if you try hard then you can do it. Because I haven't even tried as hard as I could have and I've gotten this far. Please just take advantage of all the help you can get from your school. I am being assisted through the Disability Services through my school and it's made a huge difference. I have all these opportunities that I didn't have before - and that I didn't even know existed. Also, if you want to have a job, you probably can handle it. As long as you make sure you take care of yourself outside of work and don't force yourself to do things that you know you can't do then you'll be fine. I am a tech for my school's Arts and Entertainment office. I work as a stagehand for concerts and plays - all that kind of stuff. It's the best job I've ever had. I have gotten to work for concerts with these people: Fuel, Trapt, Switchfoot, Kanye West, Gavin Degraw, Maroon 5, and the Doobie Brothers just to name the bigger ones. Also I have done these shows: Fiddler on the Roof, CATS, STOMP, and David Copperfield (coming up). I also work for a comedy show we put on, so I get to meet the comedians sometimes. That's a lot of fun. ;-) As a tech I make about $6/hr, but for the stagehand jobs I make $10/hr. Sorry I'm rambling about my job, but I like it a lot and I wanted to show how much stress is possible with what I do. Actually, during the Switchfoot show I had two simple-partial seizures and I had just had a gran-mal a few days before so my boss made me go home so I wouldn't stress myself out. I wasn't too happy with that because he had chosen me and one other girl (which happened to be my roommate...lol) to work during the show. But he made me leave before it started, oh well. I know he was thinking of what would be best for me. Something else to ponder - I'm a twin but my sister does not have epilepsy. In fact we don't know of anyone in my family that has the disorder. Although this could be because I don't know who my father is, so there could be someone on that side that has epilepsy or some kind of brain disorder. Another thing, I have never had a drivers' license. I had two permits, but never got the license because I have never been seizure-free long enough. I was going to lie about it and say I had been, but then I decided I didn't want to risk hurting someone, not to mention myself, if I did happen to have a seizure while driving. And the whole lying about it being illegal and going to jail would suck thing...Okay, I think that's all I have to say for now. Just try to look at the bright side and be happy. It's easier than it seems once you find your supports - whether it's friends, a significant other, family, anything. And have fun!!!!

I am a sophomore in college now. Trust me, I know how hard it is to deal with college life...and last year was 10x as hard for me because I had brain surgery during the school year. I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was a baby, so I've known my whole life. I was on Tegretol when I was younger, but now I am on Keppra, Lamictal, Zoloft (for help with depression and leveling out my moods), and Tranxene (not actually an epilepsy medication). So anyone who says they don't like being on medicine, I don't want to hear it. I am also on birth control to help regulate hormones too. I have three different doses during the day too.So it has been a year since my surgery and I can't tell whether things are better or not because I haven't had the money to get all of my prescriptions so I haven't been taking my medications correctly. I was only out of school for about 3 weeks. I wouldn't let them keep me out any longer. They wanted me to do therapy afterwards, but I didn't want to because I was fine and didn't need it. I do have a problem with my memory, but I don't know if it's any worse now than it was pre-surgery. I had a partial lobectomy on the right, so it was better for not having things get messed up. My neurosurgeon told me that there was a higher chance of things being affected on the left. It's funny, my last boyfriend joked about the fact that I really did have screws so there was a possibility that they were loose up there...lol. That's another thing, significant others. They are very possible...and VERY helpful if they're good people. Seriously I don't know if I could have handled being in college this year without my boyfriend (ex now). I met him at the beginning of this year at work, yes we work together, but it's okay. We get along well enough to be able to work together without having a problem. The reason I may have had a problem is because I was all alone at college, about 1-1 12 hours from home (which I quite enjoyed because I hated home, the only thing I missed was my sister), and I didn't have any friends because the previous year I hadn't made any friends because I am also a shy person and never went out and did anything. But since I met my ex I have made a lot of friends and they all want, and do, help me when I have problems with my epilepsy. My new boyfriend I have been with for just a week and already he wants to help me any and every way he can (coming to visit me today, he goes to a different school). He is a very caring person and wants only the best for me. Really my biggest point in this post is that if I can still be in college after a horrible year including BRAIN surgery then this year having to withdraw from last semester because of even more problems, and still be able to handle things - at least for the most part - anyone can do it. Especially since I'm not the smartest person ever and have somewhat bad epilepsy, I don't know who couldn't do it. I promise if you try hard then you can do it. Because I haven't even tried as hard as I could have and I've gotten this far. Please just take advantage of all the help you can get from your school. I am being assisted through the Disability Services through my school and it's made a huge difference. I have all these opportunities that I didn't have before - and that I didn't even know existed. Also, if you want to have a job, you probably can handle it. As long as you make sure you take care of yourself outside of work and don't force yourself to do things that you know you can't do then you'll be fine. I am a tech for my school's Arts and Entertainment office. I work as a stagehand for concerts and plays - all that kind of stuff. It's the best job I've ever had. I have gotten to work for concerts with these people: Fuel, Trapt, Switchfoot, Kanye West, Gavin Degraw, Maroon 5, and the Doobie Brothers just to name the bigger ones. Also I have done these shows: Fiddler on the Roof, CATS, STOMP, and David Copperfield (coming up). I also work for a comedy show we put on, so I get to meet the comedians sometimes. That's a lot of fun. ;-) As a tech I make about $6/hr, but for the stagehand jobs I make $10/hr. Sorry I'm rambling about my job, but I like it a lot and I wanted to show how much stress is possible with what I do. Actually, during the Switchfoot show I had two simple-partial seizures and I had just had a gran-mal a few days before so my boss made me go home so I wouldn't stress myself out. I wasn't too happy with that because he had chosen me and one other girl (which happened to be my roommate...lol) to work during the show. But he made me leave before it started, oh well. I know he was thinking of what would be best for me. Something else to ponder - I'm a twin but my sister does not have epilepsy. In fact we don't know of anyone in my family that has the disorder. Although this could be because I don't know who my father is, so there could be someone on that side that has epilepsy or some kind of brain disorder. Another thing, I have never had a drivers' license. I had two permits, but never got the license because I have never been seizure-free long enough. I was going to lie about it and say I had been, but then I decided I didn't want to risk hurting someone, not to mention myself, if I did happen to have a seizure while driving. And the whole lying about it being illegal and going to jail would suck thing...Okay, I think that's all I have to say for now. Just try to look at the bright side and be happy. It's easier than it seems once you find your supports - whether it's friends, a significant other, family, anything. And have fun!!!!

I am a sophomore in college now. Trust me, I know how hard it is to deal with college life...and last year was 10x as hard for me because I had brain surgery during the school year. I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was a baby, so I've known my whole life. I was on Tegretol when I was younger, but now I am on Keppra, Lamictal, Zoloft (for help with depression and leveling out my moods), and Tranxene (not actually an epilepsy medication). So anyone who says they don't like being on medicine, I don't want to hear it. I am also on birth control to help regulate hormones too. I have three different doses during the day too.So it has been a year since my surgery and I can't tell whether things are better or not because I haven't had the money to get all of my prescriptions so I haven't been taking my medications correctly. I was only out of school for about 3 weeks. I wouldn't let them keep me out any longer. They wanted me to do therapy afterwards, but I didn't want to because I was fine and didn't need it. I do have a problem with my memory, but I don't know if it's any worse now than it was pre-surgery. I had a partial lobectomy on the right, so it was better for not having things get messed up. My neurosurgeon told me that there was a higher chance of things being affected on the left. It's funny, my last boyfriend joked about the fact that I really did have screws so there was a possibility that they were loose up there...lol. That's another thing, significant others. They are very possible...and VERY helpful if they're good people. Seriously I don't know if I could have handled being in college this year without my boyfriend (ex now). I met him at the beginning of this year at work, yes we work together, but it's okay. We get along well enough to be able to work together without having a problem. The reason I may have had a problem is because I was all alone at college, about 1-1 12 hours from home (which I quite enjoyed because I hated home, the only thing I missed was my sister), and I didn't have any friends because the previous year I hadn't made any friends because I am also a shy person and never went out and did anything. But since I met my ex I have made a lot of friends and they all want, and do, help me when I have problems with my epilepsy. My new boyfriend I have been with for just a week and already he wants to help me any and every way he can (coming to visit me today, he goes to a different school). He is a very caring person and wants only the best for me. Really my biggest point in this post is that if I can still be in college after a horrible year including BRAIN surgery then this year having to withdraw from last semester because of even more problems, and still be able to handle things - at least for the most part - anyone can do it. Especially since I'm not the smartest person ever and have somewhat bad epilepsy, I don't know who couldn't do it. I promise if you try hard then you can do it. Because I haven't even tried as hard as I could have and I've gotten this far. Please just take advantage of all the help you can get from your school. I am being assisted through the Disability Services through my school and it's made a huge difference. I have all these opportunities that I didn't have before - and that I didn't even know existed. Also, if you want to have a job, you probably can handle it. As long as you make sure you take care of yourself outside of work and don't force yourself to do things that you know you can't do then you'll be fine. I am a tech for my school's Arts and Entertainment office. I work as a stagehand for concerts and plays - all that kind of stuff. It's the best job I've ever had. I have gotten to work for concerts with these people: Fuel, Trapt, Switchfoot, Kanye West, Gavin Degraw, Maroon 5, and the Doobie Brothers just to name the bigger ones. Also I have done these shows: Fiddler on the Roof, CATS, STOMP, and David Copperfield (coming up). I also work for a comedy show we put on, so I get to meet the comedians sometimes. That's a lot of fun. ;-) As a tech I make about $6/hr, but for the stagehand jobs I make $10/hr. Sorry I'm rambling about my job, but I like it a lot and I wanted to show how much stress is possible with what I do. Actually, during the Switchfoot show I had two simple-partial seizures and I had just had a gran-mal a few days before so my boss made me go home so I wouldn't stress myself out. I wasn't too happy with that because he had chosen me and one other girl (which happened to be my roommate...lol) to work during the show. But he made me leave before it started, oh well. I know he was thinking of what would be best for me. Something else to ponder - I'm a twin but my sister does not have epilepsy. In fact we don't know of anyone in my family that has the disorder. Although this could be because I don't know who my father is, so there could be someone on that side that has epilepsy or some kind of brain disorder. Another thing, I have never had a drivers' license. I had two permits, but never got the license because I have never been seizure-free long enough. I was going to lie about it and say I had been, but then I decided I didn't want to risk hurting someone, not to mention myself, if I did happen to have a seizure while driving. And the whole lying about it being illegal and going to jail would suck thing...Okay, I think that's all I have to say for now. Just try to look at the bright side and be happy. It's easier than it seems once you find your supports - whether it's friends, a significant other, family, anything. And have fun!!!!