Hi Tase-and congrats on the christening!
There are quite a few lovely people here that can relate and offer advice and support, and I am glad you found your way here
My son is now 5, he was diagnosed with epilepsy at 1. I can't say it hasn't been a difficult journey. I think any parent of a child with E feels worried about how to cope, just because it is devastating to have ANYTHING wrong with your child and not many in this situation get definitive answers. There is no one set of circumstances, treatments, symptoms, or side effects that can just be dealt with and done.
I grieved for atleast a month at the diagnosis and what it meant for my child, and the first dozen or so seizures sent me into sheer panic.
In the last four years I have run the gamut, it can be an emotional roller coaster to go from seizure control to side effects to breakthroughs, and back again. As they grow, the seizure activity can change and meds have to be adjusted along the way.
One thing I have learned is that with time and experience comes a different perspective. Being a parent and loving your child somehow makes us strong enough to handle whatever obstacle. It's hard to see it that way at first, but I consider myself fortunate that what my child has is manageable. Only very recently do we have the medicines and treatments, information and support that has been unavailable to everyone before us.
In the beginning, it is totally normal to feel sad, angry, helpless....but I think the business of being your child's advocate and getting them the best of what is available to us today can effectively change that mindset. You WILL learn to cope, it happens along the way out of necessity-when your child needs you to be strong it is surprising what you find you are capable of-and the good news is that lots of people find seizure control in meds, supplements, and dietary changes. Once you get past the hurdle of the initial shock....the how's, why's, and what-do-we-do's.....the proactive part of getting on the road to managing their epilepsy is also the way to learning how to cope ourselves.
Education and support are the building blocks to less stress/feeling out of control and more sanity. Whenever we have had roadblocks, I still have moments of upset of course. It helps to know that there are others going through the same, and that I can vent or ask questions and get to a better place.
Please let us know how Jessica is doing along they way!