Hello there people.
As you can see, I am a newbie here.
I am 41, WAS a police officer for 16 years in a larger city until recently but now the department doctor has pulled the plug on my career.
Can't be diagnosed with Epilepsy and be a cop. I don't blame him, but it still stinks.
When I was 21 in college at the University of Alabama (ROLL TIDE) I had a grand-mal seizure at my apartment. Of course I didn't know anything had happened, but that is what I was told. Was put on Dilantin and told I could never go into law enforcement. Well, that wasn't actually the case given it was only one seizure and was controlled with medicine till I was 25 and joined the police world.
Fast forward to a few years ago. I began to have problems speaking, understanding what was spoken to me, reading, writing and all couldn't even do math.
It started off slowly at first, but then over time became more and more frequently and would last longer and longer at a time.
I finally told my wife about the problem and short story is I was diagnosed with Aphasic Seizures, or put another way, I was having frequent partial seizures in my temporal lobe and then would have partial clusters that would last hours. Keppra was added and didn't help. Then added trileptal, and still no dice. We then took me off dilantin all together and adjusted both of the two. Still weren't stopping the partials. My average is 3-5 a day. Some days worse then others. The clusters are about every 2 to 3 weeks and last between 4 to 7 hours. Yuck.
I was able to hide this issue from co-workers for a couple years as I have been a detective since 2009, but in March of this year, either I missed my medicine, or it simply dropped low enough in my system that I had a couple grand-mal seizures. Lucky for me I wasn't driving or at work but rather with my wife at one of my daughters' sporting events.
Well, this left me having to return to work and report what happened. An hour later I was stripped of my badge and gun and won't get them back.
So Now, I am going through the process of having to take a medical / disability pension (I am lucky enough to get one with my city) but also am being mandated to apply for social security disability.
Didn't know if anyone else out there has this type of issue or had to go through the social security process. But any input is welcome.
Thanks
As you can see, I am a newbie here.
I am 41, WAS a police officer for 16 years in a larger city until recently but now the department doctor has pulled the plug on my career.
Can't be diagnosed with Epilepsy and be a cop. I don't blame him, but it still stinks.
When I was 21 in college at the University of Alabama (ROLL TIDE) I had a grand-mal seizure at my apartment. Of course I didn't know anything had happened, but that is what I was told. Was put on Dilantin and told I could never go into law enforcement. Well, that wasn't actually the case given it was only one seizure and was controlled with medicine till I was 25 and joined the police world.
Fast forward to a few years ago. I began to have problems speaking, understanding what was spoken to me, reading, writing and all couldn't even do math.
It started off slowly at first, but then over time became more and more frequently and would last longer and longer at a time.
I finally told my wife about the problem and short story is I was diagnosed with Aphasic Seizures, or put another way, I was having frequent partial seizures in my temporal lobe and then would have partial clusters that would last hours. Keppra was added and didn't help. Then added trileptal, and still no dice. We then took me off dilantin all together and adjusted both of the two. Still weren't stopping the partials. My average is 3-5 a day. Some days worse then others. The clusters are about every 2 to 3 weeks and last between 4 to 7 hours. Yuck.
I was able to hide this issue from co-workers for a couple years as I have been a detective since 2009, but in March of this year, either I missed my medicine, or it simply dropped low enough in my system that I had a couple grand-mal seizures. Lucky for me I wasn't driving or at work but rather with my wife at one of my daughters' sporting events.
Well, this left me having to return to work and report what happened. An hour later I was stripped of my badge and gun and won't get them back.
So Now, I am going through the process of having to take a medical / disability pension (I am lucky enough to get one with my city) but also am being mandated to apply for social security disability.
Didn't know if anyone else out there has this type of issue or had to go through the social security process. But any input is welcome.
Thanks
