Introduction
Living with epilepsy is a challenge. It can be hard to get around and even harder to have a normal childhood. But it’s not all doom and gloom—I still have plenty of fun, hang out with my friends, and live an active lifestyle.
I was 5 years old when I first remember having a seizure.
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that affects the brain. It is not a mental illness, but rather a medical condition in which the brain receives faulty signals. The electrical activity in the brain becomes uncoordinated and generates seizures.
Epilepsy is not contagious, nor does it have any negative effects on your personality or intelligence. You can do everything that you used to do before having epilepsy; it’s just that now, you also need to take medication for control of your seizures because they are caused by an imbalance in chemicals in your brain that disrupts normal functions like sleeping, eating, and thinking.
My seizures are not like the ones you see on TV.
Epilepsy is a very complex condition, and it’s important to understand that there are many different types of seizures and seizure triggers. We’ve all seen people on TV having seizures, but these are usually nonepileptic events (NEEs). NEEs can look like a seizure but are caused by something other than epilepsy. Epilepsy happens when the electrical activity in your brain goes haywire for unknown reasons – this causes a change in behavior or physical movement that could last from seconds to several minutes (or longer if you have status epilepticus). The symptoms of each type of epileptic seizure depend on which part of your brain is affected first – some people may experience visual changes like seeing spots or flashing lights; some people may feel dizzy or confused; some may lose consciousness completely while others remain awake during their entire episode.
It took a long time to find the right medicine for me.
It took a long time to find the right medicine for me. Some of the medicines I tried were very strong, and it was hard to remember when to take them. In order to make sure that I was taking my medicine at the right time and in the right amount, I had to get a pillbox that had compartments for each day of the week. Then I could fill each compartment with my daily dose of medicine so that it would be easy for me to follow my schedule. Sometimes it was hard not missing any doses because sometimes my body would feel different from one day to another, so changing dosages was important if something didn’t seem quite right with how I felt physically or mentally after taking medication for epilepsy.
I have to be really careful around water.
- Do not swim or go in the water. This is a big one! You can drown from epilepsy, and you’ll never know when it might happen.
- Don’t take a bath or shower. Wetting yourself is also very dangerous for an epileptic, so try to avoid this at all costs.
- Avoid going into any bodies of water, including lakes and rivers! And if you’re on a boat ride (like those ones at amusement parks), just get off as soon as possible because that’s not safe either.
Living with epilepsy is complicated, but it can also be fun.
Epilepsy is a complicated disorder, and it’s important to treat it as such. If you have epilepsy, it’s important that you take your medication every day and follow your doctor’s instructions. You should also avoid activities that can cause seizures or make them worse. For instance:
- Don’t swim for long periods of time or in deep water.
- Don’t use alcohol or drugs (even over-the-counter ones).
- Don’t drive unless your doctor says it’s okay.
These are just a few of the things you should keep in mind if you have epilepsy!
Seizures don’t have to stop me from reaching my goals.
The effects of my epilepsy have limited me in a lot of ways. But it has not stopped me from trying to reach my goals. I want to be an artist, writer, scientist and politician. I also want to become a chef and actor.
The most important thing to remember when living with a chronic illness is that it doesn’t define me as a person.
One of the most important things to remember when living with a chronic illness is that you are not your illness. You are still the same person you were before you had the illness, and it’s important to remember that. Just because I have epilepsy doesn’t mean I can’t do things I love or be successful in life. That being said, there are certain aspects of my life that have changed as a result of having epilepsy—but these changes don’t define me as a person!
Conclusion
I know this has been a lot to take in, but hopefully it helps you understand me and my condition better. This isn’t just a blog post—this is my life! I’m sharing all of this information with you because I want everyone to know how important it is not only for people with epilepsy to be treated fairly, but also that we are humans too. Yes, I may sometimes have seizures and fall down on the ground without warning (and yes again—that’s scary). But just like anyone else out there who’s going through something difficult right now…I still deserve respect!