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Feeling Alone and College

Tue, 06/25/2019 - 20:13
My Parents want me to get a degree, my mom mostly. I want to purse college and get a degree but my epilepsy is putting me in such a depressed place. Its making me feel as if I am alone, and I cant change anything to not be epileptic and take away everything it has taken away from me. When College and working becomes a topic of conversation that is directed towards me I get sad, because I cant stay on campus due to me feeling like a burden and scared that if I seize something will be taken or acted against me and I will not be treated as a normal student, I have similar feelings about working. Am I the only person who feels this way?

Comments

I guess what I am trying to

Submitted by dreambeauty on Tue, 2019-06-25 - 20:15
I guess what I am trying to get at is, I would like to make friends or acquaints that are epileptic and pursuing college or the workforce that can help relate with me.

Hi dreambeauty, Thank you for

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 2019-06-26 - 09:14
Hi dreambeauty, Thank you for sharing your story. It’s important to remember that you are not alone. However,we know that being diagnosed with epilepsy can be upsetting and make you feel isolated. One of the most important things to help you live with epilepsy is to find a support network. Learn more about your community support, here: https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/challenges-epilepsy/social-concerns .For information to review when thinking about college please visit: https://www.epilepsy.com/article/2018/8/epilepsy-strategies-transitioning-college  https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/age-groups/youth/work-and-college/choosing-collegehttps://www.epilepsy.com/learn/age-groups/youth/work-and-college/attending-collegeFor resources on independent living and employment please visit:https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/independent-livinghttps://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/independent-living/employment-help-what-you-need-know It is also important to recognize that epilepsy is more than just seizures, overall well-being and emotional health is just as important:  https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/healthy-living/emotional-health   It is common for those living with epilepsy to experience feelings of depression,  https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/healthy-living/emotional-health/overview-depression  and anxiety,   https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/challenges-epilepsy/moods-and-behavior/mood-and-behavior-advanced/anxiety-disordersThe Wellness Institute:  epilepsy.com/wellness ,has many helpful and easy-to-use tips & resources for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and maximizing the quality of life for you & your family.  For practical & effective strategies to enhance your well-being, learn more here:  https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/toolbox/wellness-support-tools  Additionally,  there are plenty of things you can do toreduce these feelings and manage your epilepsy: https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/managing-your-epilepsyCreate a seizure response or action plan: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/toolbox/seizure-forms Tracking your seizures, record your medical history, medications, side effects,moods, or other personal experiences, using a diary: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/epilepsy-foundation-my-seizure-diary Seizure alert device: https://www.epilepsy.com/sites/core/files/atoms/files/DAS100_Seizure_Alert_Devices_09-2018_FINAL2.pdf You may also contact our Epilepsy and Seizures 24/7 Helpline: 1-800-332-1000, contactus@efa.org,  epilepsy.com/helpline , where a trained information specialist can connect you to resources, provide referrals and additional support. 

I have similar feelings about

Submitted by TadzioWD6 on Wed, 2019-06-26 - 16:35
I have similar feelings about my temporal lobe epilepsy.  In childhood, I was told I would outgrow the seizures.  In late childhood and early adulthood my gran mal seizures became more infrequent, but my partial seizures maintained being frequent.  Since epilepsy resulted in many social problems in middle school, I decided to ignore my seizures as much as possible in dealing with other people since the gran mal were then rare.  I only had one set of seizures that included one close to a gran mal in a university class just before getting my first bachelor degree in psych;  my professor told me that despite it looked like I was having a heart attack to students in the classroom, he thought I was epileptic with temporal lobe epilepsy;  the side effects of such an epilepsy was held to be an impediment to many career opportunities in psych, so I decided to also get a university degree in business, and if my epilepsy became too big of a problem in graduate psych (it did, mainly by skewing the MMPI), I could at least get gainful employment as a fall back by being an accountant or bean counter.  I also did very well in the business university, and I made eligibility into various outstanding scholar programs with trainee programs into federal employment, but my partial seizures were becoming more noticeable to other people.  When I started to receive feedback of the negative stereotypes assigned to me from other people based on my partial seizures, I sought help from programs that might provide assistance with dealing with such epilepsy problems;  in hindsight, that was a major mistake, as I was labeled totally disabled and unemployable with any rehabilitation efforts likely a waste of money.  The ADA and courts didn't help, so I'm getting by on subsistence disability and spending my time on reading the greater works of literature (around 5,000 books now) and killing time on the internet and internet video games (I'm really lousy at action video games).

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