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Non-understanding husband

Fri, 06/07/2013 - 20:58
Can anyone please give me some insight on my husband? I was diagnosed with TLE a month ago and I feel that the diagnosis explains a lot of strange things that have happened to me over my life. I posted earlier about this problem, but the focus of my question was different. Now, I'd like to focus on my husband's reaction to my seizures because it is hurtful and it's creating stress that makes my seizures come more often. I've had seizure activity all my life, as I said, but never really knew what it was. So, I had headaches, dizzy spells, confusion, etc and never really talked about it because it was normal for me. Now, I'm learning exactly what is normal and what's not. I'm trying really hard to teach my husband about my TLE by telling him when I smell something strange, if I feel a seizure coming on, or things like that. Keeping him informed like this has convinced him that I never actually had activity until I was diagnosed and now, my seizures are worse since I've started taking medicine, when the case is that I'm actually more aware of what has been happening to me. I had a seizure last night and I told him before it happened. He got angry and told me it was "all in my mind." He thinks I'm creating seizures psychosomatically and hasn't talked to me since then, even though I'm suffering from a bad post-ictal headache and nausea. Now, I find myself comforting him and trying to make him feel better when I'm the one in pain! I'm sure there is some denial involved. His little sister died in his arms during status epilepticus. He doesn't want his wife to have the same thing. Also, his culture has a great distrust of doctors (He is from Guatemala from the generation after the American-led syphilis experiments. Google it--it's horrible!) and knows that in the US, medicine is a business rather than a public service. I am trying to be understanding, but I really want to punch him in the face. Has anyone else experienced something like this? Does anyone have any tips? I take him to my neuro appointments with me, but he still just isn't buying it. Thanks for any insight you can give

Comments

Re: Non-understanding husband

Submitted by pkdz on Sat, 2013-06-08 - 22:52
I was having complex partial seizures without realizing it.   Once they started changing my medications, it did seem like my seizures were getting worse.  Or was I just more aware of them.? But a videotaped EEG explained it all.  Without medication in my system, I had 15 seizures in 24 hours.  All of them came from my right temporaral lobe.  I hope that your husband is able to understand that this is a process for you:  you are learning about your seizures and it's helpful to keep track of them.  Best wishes to you.  I know how important it is to have someone who really understands.

Re: Non-understanding husband

Submitted by SunShyne on Sun, 2013-06-09 - 15:45

First off, a little general help for a new marriage:  in a relationship, any problem has two sides. Own what you can, and try to understand his side. The only part of the equation that you can change is your own response.

Let me see if I can offer some insight on his side. I don't understand the types of seizures you are describing. We are too new to this ourselves and don't have a specific diagnosis. Three months ago, a grand mal seizure lead us to a neurologist, and now we can see that the past three years have all been seizure-related issues. 

On a bad day, when I come home from work, my spouse just isn't present. She thinks she is, she tries hard to be present, but the electrical storms keep her from being able to. When I talk about something that happened at work, sometimes she can't hear what the problem is, and blows it off as something trivial. Other times there is a blankness to her facial expressions and responses that is ...awful...like being ignored. But she isn't aware of it/ can't change it, and all I can do is learn to accept it as the fault of epilepsy- the third person in our relationship. 

That's the part on the surface. Sometimes I am talking about something trivial, because I'm gauging the reaction. Some days I can't risk talking about something important and being ignored- it's just too painful. So I start with something easy. 

The next thing is that if she's had a bad day, I've now come home to a new job. Did the washcloths get put with the dishtowels? Were the towels shoved into the closet, and need to be folded again and put away properly? Who did she call? Please, please tell me you didn't change any of the bills again... it can be exhausting. And all of this comes with the grumpiness and negativity that you mentioned above. 

It's been 25y since we met. There are good years and bad years in a relationship that long. Just keep talking, and listening to both sides of it.  Y estoy feliz hablar con el. I could use some advice myself.

First off, a little general help for a new marriage:  in a relationship, any problem has two sides. Own what you can, and try to understand his side. The only part of the equation that you can change is your own response.

Let me see if I can offer some insight on his side. I don't understand the types of seizures you are describing. We are too new to this ourselves and don't have a specific diagnosis. Three months ago, a grand mal seizure lead us to a neurologist, and now we can see that the past three years have all been seizure-related issues. 

On a bad day, when I come home from work, my spouse just isn't present. She thinks she is, she tries hard to be present, but the electrical storms keep her from being able to. When I talk about something that happened at work, sometimes she can't hear what the problem is, and blows it off as something trivial. Other times there is a blankness to her facial expressions and responses that is ...awful...like being ignored. But she isn't aware of it/ can't change it, and all I can do is learn to accept it as the fault of epilepsy- the third person in our relationship. 

That's the part on the surface. Sometimes I am talking about something trivial, because I'm gauging the reaction. Some days I can't risk talking about something important and being ignored- it's just too painful. So I start with something easy. 

The next thing is that if she's had a bad day, I've now come home to a new job. Did the washcloths get put with the dishtowels? Were the towels shoved into the closet, and need to be folded again and put away properly? Who did she call? Please, please tell me you didn't change any of the bills again... it can be exhausting. And all of this comes with the grumpiness and negativity that you mentioned above. 

It's been 25y since we met. There are good years and bad years in a relationship that long. Just keep talking, and listening to both sides of it.  Y estoy feliz hablar con el. I could use some advice myself.

Re: Non-understanding husband

Submitted by Princess Epileptica on Sun, 2013-06-09 - 22:53
Sunshyne, thank you for sharing your point of view. I am still just learning what epilepsy means in my body, and the third paragraph really hit home for me. I'm just not present. I think I am, and I want to be, but I have to be real--I'm not. I don't hear what he tells me sometimes and it's easy to see why he would think I don't listen to his problems. The part about having to do all of your partner's work when you get home because she didn't do it right was too familiar as well. These are things that he has to deal with and I never really noticed it before. Thank you for your insightful words. I hope we can navigate this as well as you and your partner apparently have.

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