Hi, anxiety, etc.

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vallygirl

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Hi, I'm Val, I'm new here. I was diagnosed with JME in junior high, around age 12. Currently age 27 and seizures are still not completely under control, although infrequent. For a long time (5+ years, around the time I was in high school/early years of college) they were under control. At that time I was taking a combo of Depakote and Lamictal which worked great but as we all know, not great for me to be taking if I decide I want to bear children in the future. Which is why my neurologist switched me to Keppra in January this year. The transition wasn't too rocky but I have had 3 TCs since the switch. I had one TC in February, then 2 unexpectedly last week. Trying to figure out what my triggers are, because they seem to be different with Keppra than when I was on the other cocktail. My current problem is that my desk buddy at work (I'm a dental office manager, do mostly administrative/customer service type work) is now paranoid that I'm going to have a seizure and is monitoring me much more closely than I feel she needs to. I mean, I appreciate the kind gesture but unless I'm flopping around on the floor, I would much prefer she disregard my epilepsy altogether. Her over-concern is causing me to have some anxiety about work. I've always been a really chill, laid-back person who tries not too worry too much about anything, but more and more I find myself in a mindset where I just don't want to be at work anymore when I could possibly be having seizures, plus it sucks even more now that my co-worker is hyper-aware of my epilepsy. I know I'm lucky that I have a job and am able to work, so trying not to complain too much about my J-O-B (I even have a wonderful husband who drives my butt to and from work every day), but can anyone relate and possibly offer up some advice on how to cope with epilepsy-related anxiety? Much thanks in advance.
 
Hi vallygirl, welcome to CWE!

Your desk-buddy's response is normal, if unfortunate. It may take some time before she gets a better sense of what to expect, and will back off. The same goes for you -- when you get a better sense of what to expect with the Keppra, it will help you to relax as well. Hopefully your colleague will take her cues from you and change her behavior accordingly. Can you have a talk with her? Just a very matter-of-fact chat where you acknowledge her concern, and then explain why it's not necessary for her to be so vigilant. She might appreciate a written handout about what to expect during a seizure and what to do -- in some ways, knowing that there's a set of instructions to follow can help put some people at ease.

As for yourself, consider building in some mini-meditation sessions a few times a day. They don't have to be much, just 5 minutes or so where you stop what you're doing, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing. They work well in a pre-emptive way -- just knowing that you have your scheduled 5-minute "timeout" coming up can help you start to relax. And go easy on yourself -- it's normal to feel a little stressed with epilepsy (or other health-related issues), so acknowledge the stress, pat yourself on the back for dealing with it, and then let it go.

BTW, Keppra can sometimes cause moodiness or anger, so if you find yourself getting extremely anxious or angry it could be a side effect of the meds. if that happens, you might want to ask your doc about taking a B6 vitamin -- it helps some people with that particular side effect.

Best,
Nakamova
 
Welcome to CWE

I hope you can find some help here. The community is caring and knowledgeable.

Please realize that your co-worker probably knows little about epilepsy and it may be necessary to educate her. A few minutes of conversation can go a long way.

Tom
 
Welcome Vallygirl!

I agree, maybe she just doesn't know enough about your situation. Talk to her and let her know that you don't need to be watched, and that you appreciate the fact that she cares.
 
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