Hi Kimtwin,

Welcome.I know how you feel about telling people about your epilepsy as I have been epileptic for forty years.It took me thirty eight years to start opening up to my family and other epileptics but do not talk to the general public about it because people are just plain ignorant.That is just life.Everyone (other epileptics) has there opinion and they are entitled to it.I fully support you if you choose to not tell your co-workers about your epilepsy.That is your right.However, I understand there concern as to why they ask how you are.I do not know the severity of your epilepsy / seizures as you have not divulged that information.You only stated that you had a seizure and your co-workers panicked.And for good reason since they do not know you are epileptic.Unlike Rikk told you, I would never wear and did not wear a medic bracelet for the same reason.I was not afflicted with the kind of epilepsy that dictated such a need.And it is not the worlds business to know I am epileptic IF and only IF I do not need there help if the need is not going to arise.I was never in that or going to be in that situation given the type of epilepsy I have.Please judge your epilepsy accordingly !

However, when it comes to dating, I feel you and the entire epileptic community has the duty to tell our potential life partner on the very first or second date that we are epileptic and ask if that is a problem for them in any way shape or form.The reason why even waiting for a second date would be viable falls back on why I support you for not telling your co-workers.If your first date is in public (out to dinner and dancing, etc) you are not going to necessarily feel comfortable divulging that information in public.

Best wishes to you

wear a medic alert bracelet.  answer questions.  people that are around you need to know.  the will need to know what to do.  Not to tell someone you are seeing that is a maybe for a long term relationship is just plain wrong.  if you wait, then the other person will think you are hiding it.  if you tell them at the begining, you have stayed up front and you can get a better idea of what the person is like.  if they leave, it hurts but it is short term pain.  if it is a problem of not knowing and they leave it may be over something other than the seizures.

I too hid my seizures for a long time, but in the end it happened.  I not only hurt myself, from a fall, that was the minor pain, the greater was the shame that i had place on the seizure and thus myself.  i hurt my friends(some of which I lost)for not trusting them.  the truth is this.  people that care will stick with you and they have a right to know how to help you.  those that have more fear about the seizures should go, if they can't handle the situation.  You need to look at the seizures as something you have, not something that has you.  By putting things out there you help yourself in handleing the problem, you help those that care for you to do the same.  the one thing that kicked me in the teeth, was when i realized that what i was doing was hurting other people with seizures.  I did that by continuing the idea that epilepsy is something to be a shamed of.  it is a problem of the brain, not a problem of the mind or the soul.

i hope it helps.  Remember all people will have an opinion.  choose the ones that will give you help.  not necessarily the ones that are saying what you want to hear.   rikk