If you didn’t have epilepsy, how would you change your life?

[IMgood1]

My life most likely wouldn't be much different. I still can't drive.

[CrunchyFrog]

If I didn't have Epilepsy I would probably be more social, not being able to drink and being tired all the time is not conducive to an active social life. I would have have finished university a lot sooner as I started having my seizures in my final year and couldn't attend full time anymore.
My Epilepsy is pretty much under control and the majority of my seizures are sleep seizures, so it hasn't affected my life much in terms of employment. But, I do think I could be better at my job if I wasn't always tired. In fact I think I would be a much easier person to live with if I wasn't always tired.
I got dumped by a few friends because of my Epilepsy I was judged for not being able to finish uni with them and for being 'sick' without actually looking sick. Ultimately though, I can't say that I think that's a bad thing my real friends stuck around.

[Shelley]

I have had epilepsy since childhood. So my concept would be that my life would be very different.
My parents probably would have loved me more. Nobody would have bullied me.
I'd have more self confidence, so I would have finished school and I wouldn't have this crap job.
I would ride motorcycles, because my balance would be better than it is now.
I would be in a stable marriage with my life companion (right now, I am very single) enjoying grandkids.
The list goes on.

[Shelley]

Come to think of it, it would be better without Aspergers as well.

[Bee91]

i have aspergers and without that i would have my personality! But i would definaly rather be without AS than E because I wouldnt have to explain my quirkiness

[stilldancing_98]

I would also be a music teacher. Maybe I will do that now. hmmmmm.

[Blythe]

My everyday life would not have been changed much due to my Epilepsy, but the medications that help with the control have affected me. I would not have been able to function without them so they are crucial in maintaining our individual functionality. ( I threw mine away at 19, didn't do any good!!!!
I would like to start a thread on Bone Density and Medication side affects. These are extremely crucial medications affecting our bone density in our younger years, to mitigate a "fateful" accident in our golden years. (Jeez, I just identified me as being in my golden years.)

[Shelley]

Without 'e', I would not have met Speber. But it's a rotten way to meet people.

[stilldancing_98]

Bee91 my son has Aspergers and epilepsy. He is so smart. You have a personality that so much of us long for. I have learned so much from him. This is your challenge. You have a brain.My brain is so gone.Get special help. Find what your assests are. I believe in you like I believe in my son. There are battles I know,But if anybody knows how to figure out something, you do. You are blessed. And you could run a company, a school, You tell the truth. And once again, I believe in you.

[stormydys]

not having epilepsy would completely change me! I have had it since 7 yrs old , 31 years ago, I would have a drivers license, never had one in my entire life, have children , be independent instead of dependent, and not have the problems the medicine side effects have caused , wow , this is a fantasy!

[stilldancing_98]

I would love to wake up at this point and not have epilepsy. I would drive. I would do a lot of things different. But I think the one thing that epilepsy gave me was an open mind. Not to judge others for what they look like. Everybody has a story. I have done some silly things because of my epilepsy. And I have been treated really bad. I think my IQ would be higher. It used to be anyway. I know what I would do now if it went away. I would teach about ignorance, travel the world, learn different languages and teach that we are all one so stop treating each other like we are so different. That is what I would do. But I am not innocent.

[Dutch mom]

I would immediatly stop this unbelievable restrictive ketogenic diet my son is on for 7.5 years and feed him all those things he hasn't tasted since he was 5: bread, milk, potatoes, rice, pasta, oranges, bananas, chips, happy meals, cake, candy and never give him any mayonaise again.

[stilldancing_98]

I am so sorry.

[gigi]

If I awoke to a different me, w/o E. - I would need to have this enormous chip removed from my shoulder that has developed over the years and turned me into a frightened individual with almost no life. I hate thinking back to the years living with this and the what if's. Regrets I can not shake at times. My older brother is two years older than me, and smart, educated, very successful, and w/o E. When we were little kids, I taught him how to tie his shoes...then E. came in like a wrecking ball when I was 11. I have had my share of grief sessions. Thanks to the internet, I now know why I am weird, in addition to E.!

[stilldancing_98]

I hate being weird.

[Shelley]

I hate being weird, being treated like a freak, treated like I'm retarded, harassed, bullied.
The frustration I have in not being able to tell these people (in a way that they will understand) that I am not in league with anything evil, and my friends outside of work are true and better adjusted for what we have to endure daily.

[Belinda1961]

If I never had epilepsy I would of done better in school and I would of gone to colege.
Dilantin wiped my memory clean.
I would have driven and gotten a career which I've never had.

I wouldn't of had my family tel me what to do and thanI never would f met my husband either.
Belinda

[rousseaux19]

I would have had a normal adolescence. With a rite of passage at both 16 and 18... I had to wait until I was 21 for my parents to finally treat me like an adult. That was not a fun talk.

I was able to drive for almost a year of my life when I was 18-19. It was the happiest I have ever been and I'll tell you why. I had freedom. I could go wherever, whenever.

While that is a dangerous mindset, it lead to me having some of the greatest times of my life. I drove all of the way to Chicago for Lollapalooza and met my sister there. I drove into the mountains and met my friends at one of their mountain houses all of the time. It was the time of my life.

However, that brief happy year (during which I took advantage of every minute) halted violently in August of 2009, when I got very, and I meanvery, lucky.

I had just gotten in a stupid fight with my girlfriend (whom I'm still with). I drove angrily, averaging around 20-30 mph over the speed limit, to a party at my friend's apartment.

I will always be thankful of the decision I made that night to avoid the highway.

I remember entering my neighbors cul-de-sac. But after that I was out, having a seizure in my jeep's driver seat while heading straight for his apartment complex. I remember nothing until coming to in my car, crashed into the corner of the apartment complex with cops yelling at me to get out of the vehicle (the stupid buggers thought I was drunk).

I got lucky that night... I didn't take the highway, my foot tensed up on the brake pedal instead of the gas pedal (so I rolled into the corner of the complex at about 10 mph, doing minimal damage.) And luckily my friends hadn't began their night of drinking yet, so they didn't get arrested.

I just never think about it... I really could have died that night. But I took the side roads instead of the highway. I'm not religious at all, but I think I had a guardian angel that night. So Death really Waits for No Man... except that night, it decided to wait for me. Respect your mortality my fellow epileptics.

To end on a happy note, It turns out that my temporal lobe epilepsy has helped me become a skilled writer for my age (20's). I believe that it's helped me to finish my one novel (90,643 words) out of an expected trilogy.

[stilldancing_98]

I have been thinking about this. And the only thing really different would be I would be driving a car, I would be more judgemental,and I would not be the advocate I am today. So, I think I am a better person for having epilepsy. I have met some wonderful people and some very cold people.So if I was asked by god, would you do this again? As humbly as I can. I love you all. Teresa

[Dezz]

I want 2 b a state police officer! I had my firste seizure at 21 two grand mal seizures in one night. Then I'd stopped takin my medicine 3 months later, & had a seizure after 4 months of not taking my med another grand mal & i was 4 months pregnant... I took my med religiously after this but stopped after my daughter turned 1, she's going 2b 3 in March & its been almost 3 yrs since I've had 1. I was wondering since it's been so long is it still possible that I've grown out of them? Have I raised my thresh hold for them? I would love 2b a police officer especially since finding a job within my field has been impossible.