How long have you had Epilepsy?

[Melpier]

I was diagnosed at age 4, but my mom think I may have had them since birth. They used the forcepts when I was born and that's what she thinks caused them. She can also think of some odd things that she didn't think much of at the time. But thinking back she wishes she had. Oh well, we move on.

[stilldancing_98]

Mine was from the Chicken Pox Vires when I was 10. Already had a low threshold. I guess thats why when ever I get a viris or a flu its really bad for me.

[cher1985]

I've been having grand mal seizure's for about 12 or 13 years now, I went almost ten years without a single one the doctors thought that all I needed to do was to start my monthly visitor(then I had a breakthrough in feb '07).

and since november '08 they've been "hitting" me without any warning in november I fell in the kitchen, in january I fell in the bathroom into the bath tub(small skin infection on my face) my older brother was the one to find me, and then in may I fell in the living room off the chair I was sitting on while watching t.v with my sister. At least I can say my body knows to use the bath room before anything happens.

and I really don't like to share this so not very many friends know.

[Annette]

A journey of 22 years, still alive and kicking

[stilldancing_98]

Be good to yourself. Eat good foods, excercise the most you can. Take time out for your self. Since I have been getting massage therapy, it has been helping me a lot.

[sinistergurlie]

I began having grand mal seizures when I was in my teens. However, we never really knew I was seizing, because I was seizing in my sleep. Until one summer vacation, I had a seizure early in the morning. My Epilepsy was sparked by a head injury from a car accident.

[garfieldlea68]

I also have a Minor form of Cerebral Palsy( you could see it in my left hand but mostly internal which means I don't feel one side of my body) But there is a down side to having complex partial I have seizures BUT I'm allergic to all meds. to treat it.I've had seizures since I was 16 but my doctors spent a lot of time trying Seizure meds.on me (as of now I can only take 2 meds. everything else leaves a reaction on me

[IMgood1]

I've had seizures for 41 years. Seizure free for a little over a year now!

[Cinnabar]

Congratulations! Long over due....

[Ruth]

Hi Everyone, I have had epilepsy for 60 years. I was 6 years old when I was diagnosed. I did not go into remission. My sister has epilepsy and she went into remission at the age of 17. It came back when she was about 60. It is definetily heriditary in my family.

My father and his brother and 2 sisters were all sent to China to be born. They stayed there until they were 17 to make sure that they did not have epilepsy. I wonder how many relatives I have in China. This sounds strange but it is the truth.

I had absence seizures at the age of 6. My mother knew what to look for as my sister all ready had epilepsy. That was in 1949. I hit the 60 mark this year. Mine did not go into remission. I was disowned by my family (except my father) when I continued having seizures. I was not allowed to go to my father's funeral in case I had a seizure at the funeral.

[Cinnabar]

Feast, being disowned by your family is a disgrace. Go to Our Page...where drarvinder speaks of the same. A 66 year old woman patient of his in India who was disowned and abused throughout her lifetime for having Epilepsy. A very similar scenario as yours.
His story should reach you.

[Ruth]

Cinnabar, I did go to Our Page. I read that and I said what happened to me. I was disowned but not abused. When I got married, I have a very supportive husband and he is my caregiver now. He always was but never got the title until recently.

Actually, for me being disowned was a blessing. I did not have to put up with them anymore. Once in a while, I tried to reach them. After a few months I was disowned again. I have quit trying and now I have peace of mind and heart.

Ruth

[stilldancing_98]

I can't even imagine. I have had "friends" do that to me. But not family. We argue, but we recently come up with cue words or phrases to let each other know that we are in a bad mood, and then we make a joke and it helps. Seems to anyway.

[Ruth]

Laughter is the best medicine for everyone in every situation.

[Grazianina]

I think there was always a master plan for me to be Epileptic. I was diagnosed 31 years ago with Grand Mal Epilepsy at age 7 after a funny little breakfast faux pas with my sister. I was going to make toast for her while we watched our cartoons and instead decided to take that toast and grind it into the floor with my face. My sister, who was 6 at the time, told my parents I was acting funny; something I usually did for attention. The paramedics got lost on the way to our house since we lived on acreage and a neighbor had to track them down. At the hospital, the nurse kept getting mad because I "wouldn't hold still" so she she could draw blood and she kept re-sticking me and fishing around my arm for a vein. Thankfully, my parents grabbed me in their arms and drove me to another hospital. But about a year prior I had been at school running back from the nurse's office with some other kids after getting a much needed band-aid on a paper cut and was tripped where the sidewalk wasn't poured level. I managed to bash in the left side of my forehead with a steel beam that holds up the awning and everyone ran away scared leaving me there out cold. They said I bruised the brain tissue and someone should have been watching me for seizures down the road. But the was also my Grandmother. My dad's mom was also Grand Mal Epileptic and died shortly after giving birth to him because they let her keep having seizures while in labor. So.....I think I was going to end up with this one way or the other......

[Ruth]

Hi Grazianina, Welcome to CWE. You will find friends and support here.

I am so sorry that you had to go through those bad expiences. Did the person leave to go call an ambulance? That was the right thing to do. You would have gotten worse if they had not gotten help. It sounds like the steel beam was not put in correctly.

I have the same problems with hospitals and nurses. Most of the time they collapse my veins too. We only have one hospital in the small town I live in. They know me here though.

[Grazianina]

They called the ambulance from our house, but we lived on horse property which was hard to find how to get to which house. As for the beam....it was in correct......the sidewalk was not. You know how sometimes they don't get poured level and you can trip over the uneven part.....well, that's what happened to the kid mext to me and he tripped into me sending me flying into the beam. It was at Catholic grade school no less. What were we gonna do? Sue the Vatican? Naw.........but when I came to school with my head wrapped in guaze looking like the mummy all the kids had a field day. I when I was diagnosed with Epilepsy, they all heard "Leprosy" and so I developed a very thick skin an big since of humor early on. Thanks for the sincere welcome though!

[Shelley]

I think that is whee I became very quiet. All the kids thought it was great sport making fun of me.
What was bad is that all this was encouraged, because according to the bible, we are demon possessed. Actually, I'm not, but I thought the spoiled little rich kids were.

[Cint]

I think that is whee I became very quiet. All the kids thought it was great sport making fun of me.
What was bad is that all this was encouraged, because according to the bible, we are demon possessed. Actually, I'm not, but I thought the spoiled little rich kids were.

Also, in some countries they still believe that ridiculous lie. So much for some religions.......................

I didn't have epilepsy when I was growing up, so I can only imagine how cruel kids must have been to you. But I did make sure I educated the other children my two kids hung around with about epilepsy. And I did go to their school and talk to the school about epilepsy.

I started having seizures at 22, and still have them once in a while.

Cindy

[Bernard]

Let's keep the discussion of religion out of this please.