I haven't posted in over two years, in fact the day after I had a tonic clonic seizure. My seizure occured within minutes after a manager at work verbally harassed and hostilely threatend me on the salesfloor. I was soon diagnosed with epilpesy had a few tonic clonic seizures since then, and many complex partial seizures. One of the reasons I hadn't posted in so long is that my aunt ( my mom's sister) died in November 2009, and couldn't even attend her funeral because a month after my tonic clonic seizure, I had gotten so sick, and with a virus, that I was bedridden for a week, mother died in May 2010, while I was still in the midst of my own health issues, including having a serious adverse reaction to Carbitrol. My mother named me executor of her will, and unfortunately went through a long and nasty succession with my brother. I was overly generous to my brother, even letting him have over half my mother's small estate, but for months he fought me all the way and on everything. He even accused me of screwing him over. My mom's death obviously had a negative effect on me, and continued having complex partial seizures due to all the stress. Meanwhile,my wife suggested I have a sleep study done because she also suspected I was suffering from Sleep Apnea, because I was experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness. She was right, and I certainly had sleep apnea, and the sleep study showed that I stopped breathing multiple dozens of times during the night. I did get a CPAP machine, so things are much better in that regard.
All the while this was happening, the management at the big box store where I had worked, not only puropsely increased my workload (I already managed the largest department in the store, and they added several more), which I maintain was part of an effort to try to get me to quit or get terminated 9 which came to pass anyway), but they intentionally harassed me, fostered a hostile work environment, purposely set me up to fail by giving me impossible tasks ( and knowing I had epilepsy), and thus giving them reason ( albeit false reasons) to have me written up. What ultimately got me fired was that I was having complex partial seizures at home, and had called in sick for two days ( note that I had 192 sick hours and 246 personal hours at my disposal to use in such circumstances), but when I returned to work, I was fired for supposedly having missed 3 days in a 6 month period. And by the way, the store did, and still does have a selective policy on this, because there have been pople who regularily called in " sick" on weekends simply because they didn't feel like working. The rules were selectively enforced. I told the management that I had ever rarely called in sick in the 11.5 years i ah been working there, that i had seizures (Which, incidently were iniated by a mamager being openly hostile to me on the slaesfloor in 2009), but the managers didn't want to hear any of it. I was told that I should have planned ahead and taken a leave of absence, like one can predict seizures. I was also told that even if I had gone to my Dr., that any notes aren't even considered legitimate excuses.I already had several drs visits planned and had a vacation in a couple weeks. I requested them to permit me to make a statemnet on my termination papers that I felt that I felt that I was being wrongly terminated and being discriminated against because I had epilepsy. They said that I couldn't make a statement, and that was that, and even refused to give me my termination papers. Naturally, I was devestated by all this, not just because I was terminated, but felt really betrayed by a company that i had worked many years for, and had in fact, missed very few days since I had been there since 1999.
I did get another job a few weeks later, and i know i could have gone on unemployment, but I really wanted to work. I did try to apply for disability, but was turned down because I ironically worked too many hours, though I'm sure I have all the medical qualifications. Meanwhile, even though I was working, I was still mentally, emotionally, and physically weak for months because of what had happened, not just the firing, but the 2 years of harassment, hostility, retalition, discrimination etc. I eventually gathered the strength to report and file charges with the EEOC late last year, and from my statements, they have decided to proceed with an investigation of my charges. i know that this can take many months or longer. I have also retained an attorney just in case. This has helped me in many ways, and strengthened my resolve for justice.
Oh, and regard to memory, which is the subject here, while I was out of work for a few weeks, I already had a prescheduled appointmet with my and EEG test with my neuroligist on a particular day. Well, all I know is that I remember working up around 8:00 P.M. and asking my wife if I missed my appointment. I had no memory of that day, at least 10 hours of no memory. She said I had cooked hera gourmet meal from leftovers in the fridge, misplaced things, and was acting rather strangely. She had driven me to the dr., I had apparently gone to the dr, had my EEG, called her when I was finished, and she picked me up, and I have no member of that day. I called the Drs office the next day becuase I was concerned, and worried because who knows what i could have doen there, but they didn't notice anything different, but said i could go in that day if i wanted. I said no, that I'd be alright. that certainly was a strange and interesting day, though I had no memory of it. by the way, my EEG was normal, even though I may have had a seizure, and certainly memory loss.