epilepsy

I'm a 41 year old male & i've had epilepsy ever since the age of 14 months . Through school , work & other trials of my life i've felt like I was sepperated from others . Like I wasn't NORMAL as others were. Through school I was treated like I was a person that didn't understand anything through classes & the teachers ALL treated me like I didn't know half the stuff they were teaching me & other students as well . Thing about it is there was another guy that had a worse case of epilepsy & he had to had a aid everyday through classes. Luckily I wasn't in that catagory , but sometimes I felt like I was . That guy I'm speaking about , he & I got to be good friends after a while of hanging around far from others. But as far as the other kids went they treated me like I had aids . Go figure I had to be stuck with people that were snobs. As far as school went I graduated back in June 10Th 1986 & was proud of myself , Even though my father didn't make it to my graduation I was happy as can be - to be rid of those teachers & the school. I'm not sure what meds you're on but I have a BIG list ATLEAST I THINK SO LOL . Hope this REPLY helpedout alittle bit. All I know is now I have a VERY LOVING & UNDERSTANDING Woman in my life & yes we're ENGAGED to be married BUT not sure about the date yet.

i understand what you mean. its sad that this is still an issue, this is medieval. my adopted brother has epilepsy too and since we know it, we did go to his appointments to inform us about that. and i was very surprised to hear, that nearly everyone in the world had at least one epilepsy attack without knowing it. dont you have any help to find a job? here we have an office in every state for such things. they know where and what. maybe you can find that where you live too. if someone threats you in wrong way, just try to think, they dont know it better. here is hoping that you get the respect you deserve.

You are right there is a stigma attached to epilepsy. I had mild seizures for years and just shrugged it off without medical care because on some level I was aware of the stigma. The sad thing is that untreated seizures often become worse which is what happened to me. I had to be diagnosed when I started having blackouts that lasted for several minutes rather than a few seconds. When I finally had to go to the doctor, I had one neurologist that didn't believe I had seizures because they are unpredictable and couldn't be induced in a clinical setting. I told him I didn't ask for this and he could tell I was very upset so he sent me to another neuro. I think the stigma comes from the unpredictability of the condition and the fact that it is traumatic to have or witness a seizure. Most people probably wouldn't know what to do if they witnessed one. During the time I was having active seizures I couldn't drive and avoided other potentially dangerous situations. You are right that it is a major intrusion into someone's life to have to deal with epilpsy.There are so many jobs that would be dangerous to hire an epileptic, and others that would have pr concerns. That really limits our job possibilities. I was going to be a teacher, but after one year it became clear I was not going to be able to handle it. I later learned that I had been having the absence seizures, so I understood my inability to do the job, but that didn't make me feel any better about it. There is nothing to be ashamed of about having epilepsy. It is something not under your control. Epilsepy is a medical condition, and if someone would not feel ashamed to have the flu or diabetes or any other type of medical condition then they should not be ashamed to have epilepsy. It is perpetuated by the fear and ignorance of the condition.

sue1511, you are not the only person in that situation but all you need do is to visit your doctor regularly for medication for control as it has no permanent cure unless by God.Just put your trust in God. If you are a christian, Pray regularly, fast and trust God. If you are not try receive jesus into your life. There is a testimony of somebody who has it and a man of God prayed for him and he vomitted a life lizard and that was the end of the problem. From your explaination, it seems to be a genetic ailment in your family. Such curse can be broken by the almighty God, just receive jesus and you will not remain the same. i will also continue to pray for you and your family.

epilepsy is a neurological disorder.a physical condition- which causes sudden bursts of hyperactivety in the brain.the hyperactivity produces seizures which vary from one person to another in in frequency and form.a seizure may appear as -a brief stare -a change of awarness -a convulsion a seizure may last a few seconds to few minutes.epilepsy is not a disease,is not a psychological disorder.is not contageous. in approximately 60%- 70% of all cases there is no known cause. indentifiable causes- -brain injury to the foetus during pregnancy. -birth trauma. -aftermath of infection. -head trauma. -brain stroke. although treatments are available to reduce the frequency and severity of seizures there is no known cure for epilepsy as yet.