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my epilepsy and the effects it has on me!
Tue, 03/21/2006 - 15:12i have had epilepsy since i was about 16yrs old. it has changed my life big time. i cant drive, because i black out at the wheel and almost get into accidents. i cant work because my eployers are scared that i am a risk and dont want me working for them, or i am calling in sick all the time because of having a seizer. i have to limit what i can do or see. i get constant headaches which make my eyes all blurry. i cant concentrate on any tasks that i am doing. my brain just doesnt function right. i am currently fighting for medical from the state just so i can keep my epilepsy under control. no one will help me and everyone is telling me that epilepsy is not a disability. what should i do now?????
Re: my epilepsy and the effects it has on me!
Submitted by mrtigre on Fri, 2006-03-24 - 08:09
Hello; I can really relate to what you going through, I am pretty much in the same situation. I don't drive after having a blackout seizure and three people were injured in the accident. I have had epilepsy since birth. with an MRI they found a black spot on the temporal lobe. they narrowed it down to scar tissue. being it's only on the temporal lobe,the neurologists can answer for the poor memory and the mood swings that I go through. I have tried almost every medicine with no luck. I am currently on Lyrica 100mg 2 caps 3x daily. This seems to be the best so far. I had a VNS implant done to miminize the seizures as long as I am taking my Lyrica. The neurologists that i am currently seeing, have two schools of thought as what to do at this time. Since the scar tissue is concentrated in one temporal lobe, they tell me that I make a perfect candidate for a removal of the scar tissue. this operation only has an 80% success rate and even with that "SUCCESS RATE" there can be yet seizures. In talking to those who have had the operation, those who were successful are glad they did it, however those who were initially seizure free got other problems 6 months down the line (paralysis, loss of memory) and some said the operation had no change on their situation. I am 57 and with a family, at this time I don't think the odds are in my favor that It would be a good idea to have this operation. The other neurologists had suggested taking a anti depressant, based on the data that mood swings and changes in you disposition could cause seizures to appear. in my life this looks like this could help me greatly. The other two areas that seems to initiate seizures in my case are stress(mental) and Heat. So I am inside quite a bit during the summer. I also had to limit my time drawing and painting because of blacking out. It's either the odor of the paints , the dust from the pastel chalk or the desk light. thse are three possible origins of seizures. I am eliminating one at a time hoping to find out what is causing the problem. I keep a note book of events between doctor visits hoping to find a link to the source of this situation. hope this helps