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Grandparents
Wed, 12/10/2014 - 15:56Hi guys! I’m new to this website. I’m sorry in advance for this post being so long! I’ve had myoclonic jerks/twitches since I was about 8. Now I’m 21 and had my first tonic clonic seizure this past September. I’m was in my second semester of college and have major depression which was easing up. I had a very bad tonic clonic seizure in the middle of class in the photography dark room. I seized for around 10 minutes and stopped breathing. I also hit my head on the cement floor when I fell. I woke up about the time the paramedics got there and had to go to the hospital and stay for hours but felt ok afterwards. I even drove back to my apartment (not the smartest idea.) The second tonic clonic seizure happened in the film loading room 20 days later at around 8:30 pm. I felt fine before and was even joking with the girls who were with me. I had another head injury with that one. After that seizure, I was basically told that I should take medical leave from college due to absences and doctors appointments and all. So I took medical leave and stressed myself so much over it that I had another tonic clonic seizure that night. My mom was there luckily and so she caught me when I fell from it. That one was a very bad one that was 12 minutes long. I’ve had 2 more since then. They’ve been coming pretty steadily and I’m taking Lamictal.
I was living alone in an apartment while I was in college. After the seizures, I moved in with my grandparents and of course cant drive. I’m still having the seizures pretty regularly every few weeks. I’ve somehow never had a seizure around my grandparents so they don’t understand how bad they are since they've never been there for one. It aggravates me because they don’t take anything to do with the seizures seriously and make them seem not so bad. Does anyone else’s parents or family not take your epilepsy seriously because they haven't actually seen you have a seizure?
Could it be because of the
Submitted by just_joe on Thu, 2014-12-11 - 10:34
Could it be because of the stigma associated with epilepsy?? You may do research or just ask your neurologist. I was the one diagnosed with epilepsy. That happened 50+ years ago. In teh 1960's there were people with epilepsy still being put away in homes. You have probably heard "Out of sight out of mind"" Well it could go along with what was happening then. In the 1970's there were still some states who would not let people with epilepsy get a marriage license. So I know that your grand parents could be comming from a different angle. I wrote an essay which was titled What is Epilepsy. I got an A/B I read it in from of my teachers english classes.Then I read it to all my science teachers class. The Vice princable had ne read it to the entire student body when we has our next assembly. It had different kinds of epilepsy. different kinds of seizures. It had information on what to do and other things. I wrote it because I wanted my questions to the doctors answered and when we would be going to the library I could gather information. At 13 there was no internet. no 911. I would suggest you talk to them and discuss this issue with them. If they have a computer bring up this site and let them go to the help area where they can rather information. Or another way would have them call the 24/7 help line. They can call and people on the other end can assist them by answering their questions.. As Mary Jo posted check with your neurologist and have them go with you. he could explain things in ways they might understand better. I hpe this helps Joe