My Epilepsy Life

This is quite a long story and I advise those who are losing hope to read this story. I was diagnosed with Epilepsy when I was in fourth grade and am now 21 years old. I remember that day so clearly even though it was 11 years ago. I woke up and was not feeling well at all with a strange feeling in my stomach, got a headache and felt like I was not here on earth. It would get worse throughout the day. Eventually I put my head down on my desk and next thing you know I wake up in the hospital. From there I was put on Tegretol for 10 years of my life. Within that next 10 years I had about 5 more grand-mals. I would feel out of place and non-living like crazy. I thought everyone at times felt that way until last year. January of last year I found out that I was having way more seizures than I thought. I had been experiencing complex partials for the longest. I had some while driving, taking the ACT and other tests, conversations with people, while sleeping, and during many other things. They started happening more and more and that is what made me check it out. After a 3-night EEG sure enough they were seizures. From there I cannot believe how fast I started going downhill. I never knew for sure that they were seizures in the past because I would feel extremely different for days to hours ahead of the time the seizure would occur but the second that seizure happened I would black out, not even realize it happened and lose some memory. I started having up to 20 seizures a day. They would all be complex and partial. I never felt real and I thought I was going to continue to go downhill forever. I had tried the Tegretol, Topamax, Oxtellar, Banzel, rufinamide and a couple other medications and they may have helped a little but not completely. I would take a Clonazepam every day to help but then I would just be knocked out for the day. Eventually I met my new amazing neuropsychologist and he suggested surgery. That was the place to go. I figured I am either going downhill forever or finding a way out of this. I did the surgery and got the damage out of my left temporal lobe and my whole left side of my hippocampus and was not doing too well at first. I got better as time went on though. I never had another seizure after that surgery and have never been this happy in my life. The fight against epilepsy is getting stronger as time goes by. We must make smart decisions to shorten the risk of having them like fight against depression, be careful with drinking, don’t miss the medicine, and much more. We must all stay strong and never give up hope because there's always light at the end of the tunnel. I pray and think of you all every day and hope for changes in your life to show you this happiness. I believe in all you and don't ever give up!