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28 yr old woman: had my first seizure, please help.
Thu, 11/04/2004 - 04:59hello out there. it feels so wierd writing on a forum about this. adamantly against telling my closest friends, but instead announce it anonymously on a bulletin board. okay. well, i experienced my first seizure three nights ago when i was sleeping. i woke my boyfriend up when i was in the middle of it and i don't recall being in it at all, except for the cut on my tongue and the next morning with a purple lip. so from heresay, my arms were shaking. my mouth was bleeding and i was foaming at the mouth. the next day i was a little confused. dizzy and mild headache. day one, major denial. i just went about my business working on projects and so on just as if it didn't happen. i told my parents who drove down three hours to see me for a few hours. made an appointment with a doctor and will be going in on thursday to get set up with a neurologist. so day two, the reality that i had a seizure sort of sunk in a bit. i couldn't fall asleep last night and i was really scared. and day three, today, i've been a bit upset. rather down. i've only told two of my close friends and my boyfriend knows of course, but i'm sort of going through the whole stigma thing. i mean, i'm wondering how much people are going to look down on me, or feel that they need to baby me or feel sorry for me. and with my boyfriend, i'm really worried that this may affect the future of our relationship. like how is he taking this on a subconscious level. if this could be the reason why we may not get married one day. i'm not sure if that makes sense. but basically, if people somewhere buried in the cobwebs, has a partial bias to the person they're with because of something like this. and i know, if he truly does love me, it wouldn't matter. so, i guess i'm just going through the first swings with all of this. also, are seizures the only symptoms? any good meds or ones to stay away from? if there's anyone out there has any advice, suggestions or personal experience with any of this, please let out a shout. thanks for reading my post.
;)
anonymous
Comments
RE: 28 yr old woman: had my first seizure, please help.
Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 2004-10-25 - 09:09
Dear ****,
My husband has Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy and has had seizures since he was about 15 years old. When he has seizures they occur in the morning when he wakes up. Otherwise, he is a fine and healthy person who holds a fulltime job, is an artist and, yes, drives. I first saw him have a seizure while we were dating. That was over 6 years of dating and four years of marriage ago. If your boyfriend is an understanding person then he will be strong and supportive for you. It is possible that he and your family may try to baby you, but that might mostly be out of a desire to try and protect and keep you safe. Watching a loved one have a seizure can be a very scary thing to witness.
By getting in touch with a neurologist, you are taking the right first steps to finding out whether or not you even have epilepsy. Some people have one seizure and never have them again. If you are fortunate, that might be the case. But even if you do have epilepsy there are a lot of treatments out there that may help you.
Remember, you are still you even if you have epilepsy.
Good luck, take care and keep us posted!
Sarah
Dear ****,
My husband has Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy and has had seizures since he was about 15 years old. When he has seizures they occur in the morning when he wakes up. Otherwise, he is a fine and healthy person who holds a fulltime job, is an artist and, yes, drives. I first saw him have a seizure while we were dating. That was over 6 years of dating and four years of marriage ago. If your boyfriend is an understanding person then he will be strong and supportive for you. It is possible that he and your family may try to baby you, but that might mostly be out of a desire to try and protect and keep you safe. Watching a loved one have a seizure can be a very scary thing to witness.
By getting in touch with a neurologist, you are taking the right first steps to finding out whether or not you even have epilepsy. Some people have one seizure and never have them again. If you are fortunate, that might be the case. But even if you do have epilepsy there are a lot of treatments out there that may help you.
Remember, you are still you even if you have epilepsy.
Good luck, take care and keep us posted!
Sarah
RE: 28 yr old woman: had my first seizure, please help.
Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 2004-10-26 - 09:46
Hello ****!
I am 28 years old and have epilepsy 19 years. I had only few grand mals(like you did) in my life. All of the other my seizures were petit mal, which are little seizures and after that I am not so much without energy like after grand mal. I have about 7 petit mals in a month.
My best drugs were Tegretol and Tegretol CR. Now I am taking Keppra and that is also good for me. I couldn't sleep few weeks, but now I can sleep again. The worst drug for me was Topamax. But we are different and react different on some drugs. It can be great drug for someone else.
About you and your boyfriend - I think that your relationship can stay a good one, if you both want to, if you try to understand each other. When I started to date with my boyfriend 6 years ago, I told him for my epilepsy at the first date. That was OK for him, but in the first year of our relationship he needed a time to understand me completely. Now he understands me very good and he loves me very much. He is my biggest love and best friend in the world, and also I am his. We are married now. So, you have to give a time to your boyfriend to understand you, and you have also to understand him and his scare (if he has it). If he really loves you a lot, he will try to understand you. And if he will not understand you some day, than he isn't worth for your love and relationship with you, ****.
****, people will not look down on you, if you will not look down to yourself. You have to respect yourself. J If you have epilepsy, it doesn't mean that you are not person with values. That is only one part of you now, and it is OK. I am looking on epilepsy like a part of my personality, and not like disease. Because of my epilepsy I can understand people around me and their problems much better than some other people can. I am working with kids and help them with their problems. You see, my epilepsy has also a good part. Because of epilepsy I also like my life, I like to live. I value a life because of pain that I went through.
I hope that you understand me, because English is not my mother tongue.
Yes, some people will want to baby you or feel sorry for you, but don't allow them to do that. Everything is on YOU, on your personality, on your behaviour and respect to yourself. J I respect myself, and so people respect me. I had some negative experiences with some people, but they are minority and aren't so important to me. And if some people don't understand you now, that don't mean they will not understand you some day. Just be patient with them, if they mean a lot to you.
Of course I had also a big problem – with my father. He doesn't speak with me 5 years. But I am OK now, and that is his problem and not mine. Sometimes I am sad because of that, but that is only few times a year, and I am not thinking of this so much. It isn't on me, ****. That is his problem with his personality. I am proud of myself that I am so strong person. I am trying to understand him, and that's all I can do. He never gave me support because of epilepsy and he was just pretending that doesn't exist. But my mother was a big support for me. And we have to look at persons who support us and don't be angry to the others. They are just too weak persons.
I hope that you will send post and tell us how you are now.
Bye!
Elena
Hello ****!
I am 28 years old and have epilepsy 19 years. I had only few grand mals(like you did) in my life. All of the other my seizures were petit mal, which are little seizures and after that I am not so much without energy like after grand mal. I have about 7 petit mals in a month.
My best drugs were Tegretol and Tegretol CR. Now I am taking Keppra and that is also good for me. I couldn't sleep few weeks, but now I can sleep again. The worst drug for me was Topamax. But we are different and react different on some drugs. It can be great drug for someone else.
About you and your boyfriend - I think that your relationship can stay a good one, if you both want to, if you try to understand each other. When I started to date with my boyfriend 6 years ago, I told him for my epilepsy at the first date. That was OK for him, but in the first year of our relationship he needed a time to understand me completely. Now he understands me very good and he loves me very much. He is my biggest love and best friend in the world, and also I am his. We are married now. So, you have to give a time to your boyfriend to understand you, and you have also to understand him and his scare (if he has it). If he really loves you a lot, he will try to understand you. And if he will not understand you some day, than he isn't worth for your love and relationship with you, ****.
****, people will not look down on you, if you will not look down to yourself. You have to respect yourself. J If you have epilepsy, it doesn't mean that you are not person with values. That is only one part of you now, and it is OK. I am looking on epilepsy like a part of my personality, and not like disease. Because of my epilepsy I can understand people around me and their problems much better than some other people can. I am working with kids and help them with their problems. You see, my epilepsy has also a good part. Because of epilepsy I also like my life, I like to live. I value a life because of pain that I went through.
I hope that you understand me, because English is not my mother tongue.
Yes, some people will want to baby you or feel sorry for you, but don't allow them to do that. Everything is on YOU, on your personality, on your behaviour and respect to yourself. J I respect myself, and so people respect me. I had some negative experiences with some people, but they are minority and aren't so important to me. And if some people don't understand you now, that don't mean they will not understand you some day. Just be patient with them, if they mean a lot to you.
Of course I had also a big problem – with my father. He doesn't speak with me 5 years. But I am OK now, and that is his problem and not mine. Sometimes I am sad because of that, but that is only few times a year, and I am not thinking of this so much. It isn't on me, ****. That is his problem with his personality. I am proud of myself that I am so strong person. I am trying to understand him, and that's all I can do. He never gave me support because of epilepsy and he was just pretending that doesn't exist. But my mother was a big support for me. And we have to look at persons who support us and don't be angry to the others. They are just too weak persons.
I hope that you will send post and tell us how you are now.
Bye!
Elena
RE: RE: RE: 28 yr old woman: had my first seizure, please help.
Submitted by fishfry on Sun, 2004-10-31 - 10:34
Hi, First of all, I want you to know I am sorry that you had a seizure. I was diagnosed when I was about your age. Just remember, it doesn't change who you are. As far as curing them with herbs and vitamins, don't put any stock in that. If that were the truth, noone would have epilepsy.