I have 'tantrums' really?

[AndrewIrish]

I was talking with this chick at work today... and explained how i broke my shoulder... she seemed nice and all but kind of dismissed it and said she knew others like me who had and i quote, 'seizures and tantrums'.... I imagine a tantrum as a willfull event... do some people still believe we're all insane, jump to the ground and contract our muscles for attention? seriously? wtf...

 

[BlueCat]

Really??? I agree with you, it's willful and we're not. I talked to some of my colleagues after my sz at work last week, embarrassed and afraid of what stigma might follow (we're client facing so can't really be in front of a large client...). Everyone had the same response - that's ridiculous and they're all just concerned for my welfare and health. You should "educate" the chick, she's obviously uneducated....

 

[Ginariffic]

Perhaps she is referring to someone going through kepprage or possibly even confusing you for someone with Tourette Syndrome. People with Tourette syndrome, particularly younger ones, can have rage attacks that they aren't very much in control of.

Still, what she said was very rude even if either of these is the case and I think you should speak with her privately and let her know that what she said would be very offensive to someone who didn't realize what she said came from a place of ignorance instead of malice.

 

[N Sperlo]

Haha. How interesting. Maybe to her, she refers to convulsions as tantrums. Benifit of the doubt.

 

[MrE]

Probably just a simple misunderstanding...I'd slap some sense into her though just to clear things up

 

[valeriedl]

Nine time out of ten when people hear the word 'epilepsy' they relate it to someone who has TC seizures, they don't know there are several different types. They are usually very surprised that there are several different types of seizures.

I tell them what my seizures are like. I may stare off into space, talk but don't make sense, walk around not knowing what I'm doing, pick up things and play with them and things like that.

They also think that you have seizures every day. They don't know that people can go weeks, months to years without having a seizure.

They also think that because you have epilepsy you have some sort of brain damage, which makes you stupid, they don't know that people can have epilepsy without brain damage.

 

[MrE]

I just don't have the patience and I don't like explaining anything...thus I am evasive and always feel misunderstood...

It's a curse but look at it this way...it's a blessing to be able to have a curse in the first place because something is always better than nothing...the universe cares enough about you to curse you and that my friends is a blessing in disguise

 

[AndrewIrish]

I am now dating the chick who referred to it as a tantrum. She was totally not intending any malice... and she's fucking totally awesome, love her to pieces.

 

[arnie]

I am now dating the chick who referred to it as a tantrum. She was totally not intending any malice... and she's fucking totally awesome, love her to pieces.

Nice! It sounds like you are having a good time with her!

 

[petero]

I had the impression that she may have just said a word different from what she really meant! She may have just been nervous because she wanted to hook up

 

[petero]

Maybe she was trying to think of the word "tremors"

 

[N Sperlo]

Glad to hear it. I still think she meant no harm and didn't realize the stigma of the word.