Hi NewGuy! Welcome to CWE.
Well, let's see about some of your questions...You said that you really hadn't considered the seizures much until the teacher mentioned seeing them too. So, I'm assuming that your child doesn't have grand mals (tonic clonics)...they're the ones that movies and TV usually show with a person falling to the floor, frothing at the mouth (I've never frothed at the mouth..I still wonder why they show that...), and their muscles twisting and convulsing. (I have these.
) So your son has a different form of epilepsy. Some can completely escape notice. If you saw it, it would look like your child just staring off into space daydreaming...Others are a little more noticeable with an occasional twitching spasm or loss of conciousness and repetetive movements. These are just the ones I've read the most about...they certainly aren't the only ones. So first of all, don't feel bad.
Ok...now as to your concerns about how will this impact your son. Honestly, I think that depends on him and you, the parents. There are people at this site who have many different types of seizures, take multiple meds, and have other medical conditions. But they view life as a glorious challenge. Something to be embraced head on. And they have managed to accomplish quite a bit. Education, marriage, career, etc. Other people I've met, they viewed it as a death sentence, and just kind of gave up. They didn't socialize with others, and just kind of faded into their own little worlds. How your son will view his epilepsy will be determined by his life experiences and how he sees those around him whom he loves cope with it.
For example, when I was little and had seizures, my mom would freak out and when I came to she'd be hovering over me, occasionally crying, but definitely looking stressed out. I always felt guilty for making her feel that way, and so to this day, I feel guilty about having the seizures. (and yes, even though mine are controlled quite well, I still on occasion have ones that breakthrough.) My dad on the other hand would be smiling, and crack a small joke (Let me guess, you had a math test today..
. He'd help me to the car, and drive me home, tuck me into bed, and give me a kiss on the forehead. I never felt guilty with him there...just safe. Might be why I love my husband so much.
He reacts like my dad.
Now, there were some restrictions that I had that other kids didnt' when I was growing up. Such as no swimming alone. Which was fine by me because swimming alone really isn't a whole lot of fun anyway. I had to wait a bit longer to get my driver's license (21) but I got it.
My mom and dad never let epilepsy be an excuse for poor schoolwork, so I got good grades and went on to college. From there, I got an advanced degree, made lots of friends (it's much easier in college and grad school, as they tend to react more maturely then kids in elementary and middle school. Although I always did manage to have at least 3 or 4 friends when I was young. With the younger classmates, it was fear that made them avoid me.), entered my career (I work as a schoolteacher, and yes I have on occasion had seizures in class...my kids were fantastic and supportive.), got married, and am expecting a child.
I still drive, although that's been cut back abit due to pregnancy...and I have some marvelous friends. So honestly, I wouldn't worry about your sons future right now.
My sister-in-law is a Doctor at a pediatrics hospital, and also has seizures. My classroom aide also has seizures. And you never would tell by looking at any of us. And yes, we all drive.
Right now, you're best bet is just reading up. Find out the information. Information is power. The more informed you are, the better you can help your son and wife.
So here's some basic info.
First of all, epilepsy is not that unusual. It's just not talked about much. It tends to stay hidden. I'm going to give you USA statistics, as I'm not sure about statistics in the Phillipines. In the US, the Center for Disease Control did a ten state study. They found that 1 in 100 people had epilepsy. That's alot of people if you think about it. Currently in the US there are approximately 3 million people with this medical condition, with approximately 300,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Migraines have recently been reclassified as a form of epilepsy.
Second, read the Epilepsy 101 thread in my signature. It gives some great info on the different kinds of seizures.
Third, if your son ever does have a grand mal, just roll him onto his side, do NOT stick anything in his mouth, move everything away that he might hurt himself on, and try to keep a track of how long the seizure lasts. If it goes over 5 minutes, call an ambulance. Hopefully you'll never need to use this particular piece of info, but if you do, I hope it helps.
So, what to do in the meantime. First of all, remember that he is your son. He is no different now than he was 2 months ago. The only difference is that now you know. It's better to know and be able to help, then to now know and have no clue about how to help. Try to think of epilepsy as being like asthma or diabetes. It's a medical condition that can be dealt with and treated. Now, I'll be honest, meds only work in about 60-70% of cases, and some of them have horrible side effects. So don't expect the doctor to be able to give your son a "magic pill" that makes it go away. Your son will probably have to make a few lifestyle adjustments...like making sure that he gets 7 hours of sleep, that he doesn't get stress out, and probably avoiding caffeine as he gets older. If you and your wife don't want to risk the possible side effects, then investigate the alternative treatments. They're written about in the alternative treaments thread in the library on this site. Also, keep a journal.
While you're waiting for all the tests, start keeping a journal on your son. Write down everything he eats and drinks (how much and what time) as well as how much sleep he gets each night, any stress he's under, and if he has a seizure - what it looks like, how long it lasted, where he had it, and what he was doing before it. The reason you want to keep a journal is to see if you can see if there's anything in particular that's causing the seizure. Here are some "triggers" ton consider: specific foods, flickering light bulbs, lack of sleep, too much stress, hormones (is he getting ready to go through puberty?), low blood sugar, hyperventilating, being too warm, etc...this is just a short list. If you can see a pattern, then try to avoid the triggers and see what happens. So keep the journal and see if you notice a pattern. And take the journal with you to the doctor. You will want to write down any questions that you have for the doctor. That way, you'll remember what exactly you wanted to ask him. It's too easy to let your emotions distract you while at the doctor's office. I hope this helped.
Again, welcome to CWE. Feel free to ask questions, vent in the padded room (E can be very frustrating), or just chime in. Invite your wife to at least the info here. Knowing some basic info and talking to people with E might help her to calm down.
Just remember, you aren't alone. There are lots of people here who are also either the parent, spouse, or relative of someone with E. It's not all just people with E.
We all need to cope, and we all need some help at times.
Oh dear...my apologies that this is soo long.
