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Overcoming Epilepsy With Motivation

Fri, 09/28/2018 - 15:40
One late evening in November 1979, I was thirteen years old. I was babysitting a small baby. Back then I was a babysitter on weekends to earn extra money. I even went as far as to take classes and get a certificate in my hometown. I remember it was somewhere around 1-2am. The baby was laying on my bed sleep. I was trying to wait for her mother who was out that night at the local club. She usually came to pick the baby up around 2ish because that was when the club closed. My mother was in her bedroom next to mine. I cannot tell you what I was doing. I just remember falling. The next thing I remember was waking up with my grandmother staring down at me. I didn’t recognize my surroundings – I just knew it was not my room or our apartment. It turns out that I was in an ambulance. You see, I never been inside an ambulance before. I had never been to the hospital because I was rarely sick with even a cold. I was an athlete back then and was very active. It turned out that I had a grand mal seizure. It was the first time ever! I was hospitalized for a week. I was diagnosed with epilepsy. After leaving the hospital, I was on various medications. Most times I was on several at one time as they were experimenting which combination would work. I even had to cut some meds in half. If they had pill cutters back then, we didn’t have one. I was having multiple seizures in a month. I recall being in middle school and falling down the stairs because the combination of medicines I was taking caused me to be dizzy and seeing triple. My friends literally thought I was high. I was popular, so the assumption was I was doing marijuana or some other type of drug. I had never even smoked a cigarette in my life. I had to be out of school for quite some time to make sure I was stabilized. Why am I telling this story? This is about motivation! First, those people who have epilepsy must understand it CAN get better. Also, that it doesn’t have to take over your life. I have always been an athlete and a very social person. It got me down for a while. I was very depressed. I was embarrassed because there were quite a few times when I’d get sick in front of friends. My friends were great. They never teased me. They treated me no differently than before I was diagnosed. I finally got to the point where I said enough is enough!!!! I picked myself up and I fought. I decided I was not going to give up and let it take over my life. I was too young, and I had too much to do in my life and I refused to let it stop me. Since then, I continued to participate in sports in middle and high school, a men’s industrial league and college! I have graduated from Lord Fairfax Community College and Shenandoah University. I delivered two of my own children and made it through the pregnancies. They do not have epilepsy praise God! I have been driving since I was about 21. I have had a successful career for over 20 years in my chosen field. And I have saved the best for last – instead of having multiple seizures every month, I now go years without 1 seizure. I haven’t had a seizure in 5 years!!!! I give all the glory to God.

Comments

I have created a business to

Submitted by byrdmom2 on Fri, 2018-09-28 - 15:44
I have created a business to motivate others. It is my hope that I will also motivate those who have epilepsy, parents and friends.lisambyrd.com

It took more time back then

Submitted by just_joe on Sat, 2018-09-29 - 19:46
It took more time back then then it does today to find the right medications and dosages to stop seizures.I was in middle school but back then it was Jr High when I had my grand mal. I had friends back away from me for a short period of time. But I showed them I was going to go on with m life either with or without them. It was and in some cases the stigma associated with epilepsy that causes people to not really look at people as people. We all have something wrong with us. It is how we deal with what we have helps us get control of our epilepsy rather then letting epilepsy control us.I still have a seizure every 7-14 days. But today with the new technology and newer medications with fewer side effects that have helped me nd others. I can have a seizure while in a meeting room full of people and none of them would know I had it. they are a few seconds long.I am glad to have read this and I do hope you stay seizure freeJoe

Mine came from a motorcycle

Submitted by bebop7 on Thu, 2018-10-04 - 10:26
Mine came from a motorcycle cresh when I was 20. I had my first seizure at about 24 and didn't know what it was. I woke up in an emoty train at the end of a subway line and didnt know where I was or how I got there but had a big bite mark on my tongue. 2nd was when I was 27, was diagnosed and went on Dilantin. One more after that because I was not taking the meds on weekends. I had to hide my affliction my entire life and recommend that you do so as well to avoid discrimination (if you are controlled with medicine) (some states will not even let you drive a car. I made it work by buying my dilantin with cash so it never appeared on my health records. There is much discrimination against people like us. I was lucky to be controlled by meds.

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