The Epilepsy Community Forums are closed, and the information is archived. The content in this section may not be current or apply to all situations. In addition, forum questions and responses include information and content that has been generated by epilepsy community members. This content is not moderated. The information on these pages should not be substituted for medical advice from a healthcare provider. Experiences with epilepsy can vary greatly on an individual basis. Please contact your doctor or medical team if you have any questions about your situation. For more information, learn about epilepsy or visit our resources section.

Work and Seizures

Thu, 01/15/2015 - 12:36

Hello everyone,

I have recently been diagnosed with partial seizures (I don't know if they are simple or complex, but I do know that it's coming out of the left side of my brain). My question is this: What do you all do at work to avoid having seizures? Is there a way if I start feeling weird, to possibly ward one off or is it kind of too late at that point? I know partial seizures can progress into Grand Mals and that terrifies me. And how do I know if I am having a partial at work? How long do they usually last? I feel like I"m having small "spells" but it feels like only maybe 15-30 seconds have passed. I was having very strange sensations in my brain, periods of drifting off, confusion, falling over words (when I could actually think of them), coordination issues with my right hand, short term memory loss at times, not knowing sometimes where I'm at for a minute or two, etc, which is what prompted me to go the neuro, where I seized during an EEG. So I never even knew I was having them. I had one last week too, in my sleep, which woke my husband, but not me. I'm a light sleeper and he's the heaviest sleeper I've ever met. So for him to wake up and not me....that concerns me as well. Also, my work suggested I go on an Intermittent FMLA leave so I can get to appointments, deal with adjusting to meds and the whole thing in general, really. Has anyone else done FMLA for this? Did you find it beneficial. I'm mainly doing it so I can take care of myself and NOT lose my job doing so. Just curious about others work experience with seizures. I'm so scared I'll have one at work and...I don't know. It's just scary.

Comments

Honestly depending on how bad

Submitted by ninaweezer@yahoo.com on Thu, 2015-01-15 - 18:48
Honestly depending on how bad they are and how far they progress will predict if your able to work or not. Not your boss. If they're so debilitating that you can't walk talk or move when you have them then they have the right to deny you work for safety reasons. The doctor told me that.  

I have had 1 grand mal

Submitted by just_joe on Thu, 2015-01-15 - 22:35
I have had 1 grand mal seizure in the 50+ years I have been living and dealing with epilepsy. My diagnosis was before they came up with types of epilepsy and types of seizuresPartial seizures can be varied in length of time in them and how bad they get. Most of mine are now seconds long and I know I am having one but the people arround me will know nothing about it. I went to work and thought of mothing but work. Worrying or wondering about having a seizure is not what you need to be doing. You need to understand that if a seizure happens deal with it then and there. I have had many at work and I dealt with them and my managers and the project manager. As long as I worked with them and explained about the seizure I was fine and they worked with me in dealing with htem at work. Some people don't want people tp know they have epilepsy. It is all because of the stigma associated with epilepsy. I learned early that some people will accept you as you are. Those are the people you need to associate with. Many others want to be friends until they find out which hurts relationships. I hope this helpsJoe

Kathy it can be scary. One of

Submitted by just_joe on Fri, 2015-01-16 - 17:52
Kathy it can be scary. One of the hardest things to do is something that has to be done and the earliest you can do it the easier things will be. That part is accepting that you have epilepsy. Please come back and let us know how things are going Joe

Sign Up for Emails

Stay up to date with the latest epilepsy news, stories from the community, and more.