Glad to be here

[Ghillie]

Hi all... This is very unlike me, I always thought of people who posted on medical boards as dwelling in their illness, but here I am. I was diagnosed with complex partial seizures a year ago, and am still trying to come to terms with it. I feel like a child, but I want to stomp my foot and make this go away. Two things bother me most... not driving and medication. I hate this loss of freedom and I hate taking meds!
I had no idea that someone could be diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 30, and part of me still thinks that the Dr.s might be wrong somehow. Though its unlikely considering I am on my third neurologist .

I hope these boards will help me own this, and not let epilepsy own me.

Sorry to have such a negative forst post... I am usually such a happy person!

[Birdbomb]

Welcome Ghillie

Sudden onset seizure disorder is not all that unusual. The same thing happened to me 6 years ago. I was 47. Still mad about it, too. These forums really have been a God send for me. Not for the dwelling, there are plenty of folks who do that, but for the vast wealth of information.

Much more than most doctors are willing to tell. My doc gave me meds, said go home and take it easy. GRRRRRR!! I wanted info, all of it and I wanted it now! They just didn't see the need.

May I suggest you seek a support group in your area, They can be a tremendous help. I went to one until I no longer needed them.

[Bernard]

Hi Ghillie, welcome to the forum.

I was pretty surprised at how frequently I saw posts like yours when I started reading epilepsy boards to learn more about Stacy's epilepsy. It seems that there are quite a lot of people who start having seizures and/or are diagnosed with epilepsy in their 30s/40s.

Stacy (my wife) probably hates the lack of freedom from not being able to drive more than anything, so I sympathize with you there. Hopefully you will be able to find good seizure control though and regain legal driving privilages.

I've learned a lot from these boards. Don't be afraid to ask questions. That's the best way to learn.

[TBI]

Ghillie,

I understand where you are at and I applaud you for posting on the forum. It took me a little over a year before I would tell anybody other than my immediate family and my closest friends. I didn't want them to tell anybody because I was afraid of social stigmas and ignorant biases.

Do your homework, ask lots of questions and use a neurologist who specializes in epilepsy. I changed doctors multiple times because the neurologists either told me to learn to live with it or they were not willing to try anything new. I wish I had found the epileptologist from the get go.

Keep smiling,
Karen

[brain]

Ghillie!

Welcome to CWE, I have Intractable
Complex Partial without or with Secondary
Generalizations. So I can FEEL your frustrations.
But never mind that... you don't need to let
it run your life; while it can be irritating at
times ~ but I'm going to pervert a famous
quote "never complex the partials, paralyze
them instead!"



I wish I could do that quote though *laughs*


(Are my meds showing?)