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Epilepsy and School
Wed, 05/16/2012 - 10:27Comments
Re: Epilepsy and School
Submitted by New2Epilepsy on Wed, 2012-05-16 - 16:42
Re: Epilepsy and School
Submitted by angieh2713 on Wed, 2012-05-16 - 13:06
Hey there! Sounds familiar! My daughter started having them at age 13. She started with a bang, literally. She has unfortunately been diagnosed with intractable epilepsy and has several different types of seizures including tonic-clonic & absence seizures. She is now 16, will be 17 in July and the majority have disappeared. In fact, she has had only one grand mal in the last 8 months!
The "memory loss" your daughter is feeling may be a side effect of the medication, however if she has only been on meds for a week, it seems kind of early. More likely she's reacting to the stress of having a diagnosis such as epilepsy, having the additional stress of not only being a female teenager but having a disorder that is obvious to peers on top of it and starting to take a surplus of medications.
Keep in mind there are many, many adjustments that can be made to seizure medications, and sometimes it can take a while not only to figure out which ones are going to work, but which med for which type of seizure and the dosage, and so on. I have a great neurologist where I live, but because my daughter is still technically an adolescent, he was/is unable to completely manage her care, and has turned her over to the care of an eptileptologist at Childrens hospital. This particular doctor has performed miracles! It might be something to consider, depending on what is available. I have to drive almost 300 miles to go to Childrens, and its a trip we make routinely every 3 months.
As far as the nurse at your daughters school, is she a nurse or a health assistant??? I have serious issues with the HA at my daughters high school, so I can empathize. But lay down the law with her, contact the RN who is in charge of the care plans for the school (may need to call your school district) and get your daugher set up on a care plan (ie. when to call the paramedics, typical seizure symptoms, list of medications, doctor...) and ensure that all of her teachers along with the counselor are aware of the action plan. This will greatly assist those who think she is faking.
Good luck! I hope they find a cause and a cure for your daughter! Please feel free to contact me if you have any more questions or comments!
Hey there! Sounds familiar! My daughter started having them at age 13. She started with a bang, literally. She has unfortunately been diagnosed with intractable epilepsy and has several different types of seizures including tonic-clonic & absence seizures. She is now 16, will be 17 in July and the majority have disappeared. In fact, she has had only one grand mal in the last 8 months!
The "memory loss" your daughter is feeling may be a side effect of the medication, however if she has only been on meds for a week, it seems kind of early. More likely she's reacting to the stress of having a diagnosis such as epilepsy, having the additional stress of not only being a female teenager but having a disorder that is obvious to peers on top of it and starting to take a surplus of medications.
Keep in mind there are many, many adjustments that can be made to seizure medications, and sometimes it can take a while not only to figure out which ones are going to work, but which med for which type of seizure and the dosage, and so on. I have a great neurologist where I live, but because my daughter is still technically an adolescent, he was/is unable to completely manage her care, and has turned her over to the care of an eptileptologist at Childrens hospital. This particular doctor has performed miracles! It might be something to consider, depending on what is available. I have to drive almost 300 miles to go to Childrens, and its a trip we make routinely every 3 months.
As far as the nurse at your daughters school, is she a nurse or a health assistant??? I have serious issues with the HA at my daughters high school, so I can empathize. But lay down the law with her, contact the RN who is in charge of the care plans for the school (may need to call your school district) and get your daugher set up on a care plan (ie. when to call the paramedics, typical seizure symptoms, list of medications, doctor...) and ensure that all of her teachers along with the counselor are aware of the action plan. This will greatly assist those who think she is faking.
Good luck! I hope they find a cause and a cure for your daughter! Please feel free to contact me if you have any more questions or comments!
Re: Epilepsy and School
Submitted by angieh2713 on Wed, 2012-05-16 - 13:06
Hey there! Sounds familiar! My daughter started having them at age 13. She started with a bang, literally. She has unfortunately been diagnosed with intractable epilepsy and has several different types of seizures including tonic-clonic & absence seizures. She is now 16, will be 17 in July and the majority have disappeared. In fact, she has had only one grand mal in the last 8 months!
The "memory loss" your daughter is feeling may be a side effect of the medication, however if she has only been on meds for a week, it seems kind of early. More likely she's reacting to the stress of having a diagnosis such as epilepsy, having the additional stress of not only being a female teenager but having a disorder that is obvious to peers on top of it and starting to take a surplus of medications.
Keep in mind there are many, many adjustments that can be made to seizure medications, and sometimes it can take a while not only to figure out which ones are going to work, but which med for which type of seizure and the dosage, and so on. I have a great neurologist where I live, but because my daughter is still technically an adolescent, he was/is unable to completely manage her care, and has turned her over to the care of an eptileptologist at Childrens hospital. This particular doctor has performed miracles! It might be something to consider, depending on what is available. I have to drive almost 300 miles to go to Childrens, and its a trip we make routinely every 3 months.
As far as the nurse at your daughters school, is she a nurse or a health assistant??? I have serious issues with the HA at my daughters high school, so I can empathize. But lay down the law with her, contact the RN who is in charge of the care plans for the school (may need to call your school district) and get your daugher set up on a care plan (ie. when to call the paramedics, typical seizure symptoms, list of medications, doctor...) and ensure that all of her teachers along with the counselor are aware of the action plan. This will greatly assist those who think she is faking.
Good luck! I hope they find a cause and a cure for your daughter! Please feel free to contact me if you have any more questions or comments!
Hey there! Sounds familiar! My daughter started having them at age 13. She started with a bang, literally. She has unfortunately been diagnosed with intractable epilepsy and has several different types of seizures including tonic-clonic & absence seizures. She is now 16, will be 17 in July and the majority have disappeared. In fact, she has had only one grand mal in the last 8 months!
The "memory loss" your daughter is feeling may be a side effect of the medication, however if she has only been on meds for a week, it seems kind of early. More likely she's reacting to the stress of having a diagnosis such as epilepsy, having the additional stress of not only being a female teenager but having a disorder that is obvious to peers on top of it and starting to take a surplus of medications.
Keep in mind there are many, many adjustments that can be made to seizure medications, and sometimes it can take a while not only to figure out which ones are going to work, but which med for which type of seizure and the dosage, and so on. I have a great neurologist where I live, but because my daughter is still technically an adolescent, he was/is unable to completely manage her care, and has turned her over to the care of an eptileptologist at Childrens hospital. This particular doctor has performed miracles! It might be something to consider, depending on what is available. I have to drive almost 300 miles to go to Childrens, and its a trip we make routinely every 3 months.
As far as the nurse at your daughters school, is she a nurse or a health assistant??? I have serious issues with the HA at my daughters high school, so I can empathize. But lay down the law with her, contact the RN who is in charge of the care plans for the school (may need to call your school district) and get your daugher set up on a care plan (ie. when to call the paramedics, typical seizure symptoms, list of medications, doctor...) and ensure that all of her teachers along with the counselor are aware of the action plan. This will greatly assist those who think she is faking.
Good luck! I hope they find a cause and a cure for your daughter! Please feel free to contact me if you have any more questions or comments!