TLE is new to me!

[mati]

Hello Good People!

I'm so glad to have found this place. You just don't know, well maybe you do, how frustrasted I've been lately. I had my first grand maul seizure about 3yrs ago and am taking Zonegran to keep them under control. For the last 6 months, I thought that I was going crazy and definitely headed for a mental institution. I was just diagnosed with having temporal lobe epilepsy seizures. (What a relief!) I was having an "episode" EVERY day. I was seeing things, hearing things, feeling...well, crazy. Some of these "episodes" were scarier than any horror flick I've ever seen. It's so hard trying to explain this to someone that has never expierenced it or known someone who has. That's why I'm here. I'm just so desperate to chat with others and maybe find someone out there that can say, "yeah, I totally understand!"

A little about me...I'm a 30yr young single artist. I have a house full of cats. Volunteer at a local animal shelter when I can. My hobbies include art, hanging out in book stores, music, and I love to observe people. It's like bird watching, but much more fun!

Glad to be here. I hope that I meet someone that can relate to me here. Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

[Bernard]

Hi mati, welcome to the forum.

Yes, just about everyone here can identify with what you have/are gone/going through.

Just think... some people drop acid trying to experience what you do naturally. Not really comforting I know...

Is the Zonegran working/helping?

[mati]

Bernard,
I haven't laughed like that in quite a while. Thanks! I must say that sometimes I do feel like the ghost of Jimi Hendrix is sneaking into my bedroom at night and giving the the really good stuff.
The Zonegran is working very well for the grand maul, thank goodness, but not so great for the temporal lobe epilepsy "episodes". I've just recently started a diet that is someplace in the middle of the ketogenic and the atkins. I have found that it's helping a little, so far. It took my doctors a year after my 1st grand maul of expiermenting to FINALLY find something that works. We are now discussing just increasing the dosage. I think that will help too. I really don't want to go through the whole "try this" process of eliminaton again b/c some of the meds were worse than the actual seizures.

[Bernard]

I'm glad I was able to make you laugh/smile. You never know how someone will take a joke when delivered over the internet.

Sounds like you and your doc have a good handle on your situation.

[mati]

So far, so good. No problem, I loved the joke b/c it's so true! I'm loving this forum. I just looked at the time and realized that I've been on here for the past 5 hours. :shock: I was wondering what was wrong with my little feline terrors, they're hungry!

I figured out how to post a few pics. They are small, but you can get an idea of what type of things I paint. Very colorful, like my mind I say!