I have TLE, simple partial, complex partial and tonic/clonics. I've gone status twice. We have what is called, "familial temporal lobe epilepsy." This means it runs in my family. I am the eldest of 7, and I have 3 grown daughters and 4 grandsons. Three of my siblings and I have TLE; one of my daughters has TLE; and we now suspect another of my daughters has it, as she ended up in an ER recently with what they believe was a seizure. Needless to say, we're watching out for it in my grandsons. One of my daughters who does not have TLE has a little 2 year old who fell down while my daughter with TLE was babysitting him--out cold, just like that! So, my daughter took him to the ER and gave them the history of TLE in our family. They did the EEG and so far, they say he does not have it. I have "olfactory hallucinations" from my seizures--I smell stuff that simply is not there. My brother has visual hallucinations from his seizures, and my youngest sister has auditory hallucinations from her seizures. Everybody's seizure experience is a little different, although some things are common. And everybody's experience with various medicines and treatments are different. My brother, my daughter and I cannot take Tegretol, but my little sister can, for example. I, my brother and my daughter all stopped the drugs due to side effects and/or severe reactions. I, however, had to go back onto the drugs again because my seizures worsened, and became more severe and debilitating over the years. I don't know about your loved one, but I find my seizures to be terrifying experiences and I am even more afraid of the drugs. So, if your loved one is anything like me, she will need lots of love and support as she journeys through the experiences of seizures, diagnoses, treatments, etc. My little sis and my daughter also find their seizures to be terrifying; but my brother actually likes some of his seizures. So, you see, everyone is different. My little sis has great seizure control with Tegretol, and tolerates it well; whereas my brother, my daughter and I had to stop it due to severe reactions and debilitating side effects. In fact, the neurologists nearly killed my daughter when she was 4 with near-lethal doses of Tegretol and Dilantin. She got toxic levels of both drugs, and nearly died of liver failure from it! Needless to say, I flushed those drugs down the toilet, and refused to let them near my baby again for a long time thereafter. Years later, she took a very low dose of Tegretol again when she was pregnant with her second son (she has 3 boys now) because the hormonal changes of pregnancy made her have more seizures during that pregnancy (just like I had had during my pregnancies!). Again, she had to stop taking it due to side effects. She continues to suffer from untreated seizures to this day. I did, too, til taking the drugs again. Although I've better seizure control now than ever before, I want to stop the drug I'm on due to intolerable side effects. My brother continues to suffer seizures because, so far, he hasn't been able to tolerate any drugs they've tried. And so we all trudge this road. As I understand it, some people do swell after finding the right drug or drug cocktail. Others do not. No matter what, however, my and my family's experiences suggest that love and support from family and friends is the most potent treatment. And, frankly, this forum has helped me tremendously!