Newbie sayin' "hi"

[Jimmy Joe]

Hello, my name is Jimmy and I'm new here. I currently live in sunny and warm Seattle and was diagnosed with epilepsy about three years ago. So far, nothing has been able to control my seizure activity. Mostly, my seizures are of the absence variety but lately I have been having mixed seizures as well.

I never knew that epilepsy could be so difficult, between the seizure activity, memory loss and depression caused by it... It's pretty much turned my life upside down. I can't work anymore and I can't even read because I can't remember the paragraph prior to the one I'm currently reading. But on a good note, it makes watching movies fun.

I have to say that the memory loss has been the most difficult aspect of it. My daughter passed away five years ago and I have photos of her and I at Disneyworld, but I don't ever remember even going there. looking at the pictures, its like looking at someone else's life. Does anyone else have memory loss issues and if you do, how do you fix that?

[epileric]

I've got a pretty bad memory myself (always had) I know when I have a seizure I'm more likely to forget things that happened or things I've been told that day.

I know it was never as bad as not being able to read for forgetting the previous sentence except for when I was on keppra.

What medication (if any) are you on? What you described sounds more like what medication did to me than my seizures.

[Jimmy Joe]

I haven't been on any medications since I was laid off more than two years ago. I lost my insurance and under state law I made too much money on unemployment to get state medical. I have filed for dissability but that was denied and we are appealing the decision. But no, there shouldn't be an issue with medicinal side effects.

[CrunchyFrog]

Welcome to the forums!

I don't know if it'll help, but there is a sticky post in the kitchen about what you can do if you can't afford medication. I'd post the link for you but I'm new too and they won't let me post pictures and links yet.
It might be worth checking out though.

[Jimmy Joe]

Crunchy Frog... Thanks for the welcome and I'll definitely check that out.

[Nakamova]

Hi Jimmy Joe, welcome!

Here's the post that CrunchyFrog referred to When You Can't Afford Medication I hope it helps.

In the meantime you might want to checkout some of the alternative/complementary treatment approaches out there: http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/...ive-treatments

Best,
Nakamova

[huskymom]

Hi Jimmy and welcome! I hope that we see a lot of you here. Relax and make yourself at home

[stephanieholly]

Hey, I am kind of new to Epilepsy so I will be rubbish at answering questions however I can listen I am good at that

[BigWill]

Welcome. I have terrible memory loss as well. Im not sure if its the medication im taking or the seizures themselves. It has to be something pretty major for me to have remembered it withtin the past 2 years. I have lost some loved ones in the past 2 years, I can remember that. And I got my AA degree I can remember that. Its just the smaller things and things that I seemed to used to remember that now arent there anymore if that makes sense. Its short term memory for me as well. Ill get up to do something and completely forget what it was I was gonna do.

I have no idea how to fix it. It seemed to hit me really bad when I started taking topamax. I am now getting weaned off it, so hopefully I will start to see some changes.