I'm new on this forum, so I thought I'd introduce myself.
-My name is Emily.
-I live in Georgia.
-I'm currently 16, 17 in two months.
-I was diagnosed with epilepsy in November of 2008.
My first experience was at school. It was about 6 or 7 in the evening. I play the trumpet in the school marching band, and we were all in the school parking lot preparing for our performance in a marching festival that we would be marching in in 20 minutes or so. We were all circled around our band director, who was warming everybody up. Suddenly, I got that weird "panic/deja vu" feeling that I'd had in the past. This time, it wouldn't go away. I began to feel dizzy, and my heart began pounding. I felt like I couldn't breathe. Suddenly, my neck/muscles seemed to tense and squeeze together, and I couldn't control them. I recall sort of twirling to the side, and then I went completely unconscious.
The rest kind of faded in. I didn't immediately become conscious again, but the first things I remembered were about 40 minutes afterward. I was on my back, in an ambulance. It hadn't begun moving yet, but I had no earthly idea what was going on. I was disoriented and confused, and crying. A woman took a needle and tried to stick it in my arm, but I began to scream like a two year-old, and tried pulling away. My mom and another man had me pinned down while the woman held my arm, and I felt really scared. I understood what they were saying, but for some reason, I couldn't form words or sentences. It was all just mumbled. We finally left, and the ambulance was driving at lightning speeds, which scared me even more. Although I was still crying and shouting, I began to come to my senses and I kept asking what was going on. The man in the back told me that I'd had a seizure, which completely shocked me, because I'd never had anything like that in the past.
When we arrived at the hospital, I had to be carried in, since I couldn't walk or stand upright without falling down. I had to be changed out of my band uniform, since I lost control of my bladder after I had my seizure. We stayed there for several hours, until I finally got to go home at 11 or 12. I remember my family stopped by to pick up barbeque or something, but my head hurt so bad that I couldn't eat anything. I skipped school the next day, since I felt really drained and dizzy, so I just slept.
The day after I went back to school, everybody seemed scared, and asked me what happened and if I was okay. They all said that I spun around in circles, then fell onto the ground and began shaking violently. My trumpet was also damaged, and my lips were swollen since they were the first to hit the ground (I had braces, too.
). I'd also bitten my tongue REALLY hard, and it hurt for at least two weeks.
Anyways, I've had some more since then (4 at home, 1 in history class, 1 at a minor-league baseball game). They're kinda embarrassing, but they don't really bother me that much anymore. I can even make jokes about them with my friends now. The only thing that REALLY sucks about it, is that I can't drive.
I'd gotten my learner's permit a month or two before I had my first seizure, so I had to wait 6 months. The seizures kept coming though, until I had one in June, and then I didn't have any more. I waited and waited until it was December 19, just ONE FREAKING DAY before my six months were over, and guess what? I had a seizure in my bedroom (my brother noticed sounds from my bedroom and checked to see what was going on. I don't know WHAT happened, but there was blood all over my walls, and my mouth was bleeding, so apparently I was flinging myself onto my walls. I really dunno.). So now I have to wait another six months before I can drive. Argh!
Anyway, I know that was a little long, but that's just some background info.
Aaaannnddd I take 250mg of Lamictal every day. I can honestly say that Lamictal is the nastiest pill in existence.
By the way, it's almost 1am here, so please excuse my horrendous grammar.
-My name is Emily.
-I live in Georgia.
-I'm currently 16, 17 in two months.
-I was diagnosed with epilepsy in November of 2008.
My first experience was at school. It was about 6 or 7 in the evening. I play the trumpet in the school marching band, and we were all in the school parking lot preparing for our performance in a marching festival that we would be marching in in 20 minutes or so. We were all circled around our band director, who was warming everybody up. Suddenly, I got that weird "panic/deja vu" feeling that I'd had in the past. This time, it wouldn't go away. I began to feel dizzy, and my heart began pounding. I felt like I couldn't breathe. Suddenly, my neck/muscles seemed to tense and squeeze together, and I couldn't control them. I recall sort of twirling to the side, and then I went completely unconscious.
The rest kind of faded in. I didn't immediately become conscious again, but the first things I remembered were about 40 minutes afterward. I was on my back, in an ambulance. It hadn't begun moving yet, but I had no earthly idea what was going on. I was disoriented and confused, and crying. A woman took a needle and tried to stick it in my arm, but I began to scream like a two year-old, and tried pulling away. My mom and another man had me pinned down while the woman held my arm, and I felt really scared. I understood what they were saying, but for some reason, I couldn't form words or sentences. It was all just mumbled. We finally left, and the ambulance was driving at lightning speeds, which scared me even more. Although I was still crying and shouting, I began to come to my senses and I kept asking what was going on. The man in the back told me that I'd had a seizure, which completely shocked me, because I'd never had anything like that in the past.
When we arrived at the hospital, I had to be carried in, since I couldn't walk or stand upright without falling down. I had to be changed out of my band uniform, since I lost control of my bladder after I had my seizure. We stayed there for several hours, until I finally got to go home at 11 or 12. I remember my family stopped by to pick up barbeque or something, but my head hurt so bad that I couldn't eat anything. I skipped school the next day, since I felt really drained and dizzy, so I just slept.
The day after I went back to school, everybody seemed scared, and asked me what happened and if I was okay. They all said that I spun around in circles, then fell onto the ground and began shaking violently. My trumpet was also damaged, and my lips were swollen since they were the first to hit the ground (I had braces, too.
). I'd also bitten my tongue REALLY hard, and it hurt for at least two weeks. Anyways, I've had some more since then (4 at home, 1 in history class, 1 at a minor-league baseball game). They're kinda embarrassing, but they don't really bother me that much anymore. I can even make jokes about them with my friends now. The only thing that REALLY sucks about it, is that I can't drive.
I'd gotten my learner's permit a month or two before I had my first seizure, so I had to wait 6 months. The seizures kept coming though, until I had one in June, and then I didn't have any more. I waited and waited until it was December 19, just ONE FREAKING DAY before my six months were over, and guess what? I had a seizure in my bedroom (my brother noticed sounds from my bedroom and checked to see what was going on. I don't know WHAT happened, but there was blood all over my walls, and my mouth was bleeding, so apparently I was flinging myself onto my walls. I really dunno.). So now I have to wait another six months before I can drive. Argh! Anyway, I know that was a little long, but that's just some background info.
Aaaannnddd I take 250mg of Lamictal every day. I can honestly say that Lamictal is the nastiest pill in existence.
By the way, it's almost 1am here, so please excuse my horrendous grammar.
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