Hi cosmiclove23, welcome!
Truly, these are questions that you should be discussing with your boyfriend. But here's some general info to get you started:
Epilepsy is a catch-all term for a lot of different seizure disorders. Everyone has different experiences with it in terms of causes, medications, side effects, seizure control, etc.
Not sure what you mean by a "normal" career, but depending on the kind of work and the degree of seizure control -- yes, it's very possible to have a successful, satisfying career.
Some kinds of epilepsy have a genetic basis, but as Fedup notes, that's not the only factor in determining whether someone develops epilepsy. Environmental factors play a role as well, and people can develop epilepsy who have no genetic epilepsy factors whatsoever. Generally speaking, the genetic risk for a child developing epilepsy are very, very low. Even for patients in the highest risk groups (women with epilepsy or individuals with early age onset), the risk that an offspring will develop epilepsy is less than 10 percent.
What kinds of seizures does your boyfriend have? if he has tonic-clonic seizures (with convulsions and loss of consciousness) here's the scoop:
WHAT HAPPENS IN A TONIC-CLONIC SEIZURE:
The person goes stiff, loses consciousness and then falls to the ground. This is followed by jerking movements. A blue tinge around the mouth is likely (and normal -- this is due to irregular breathing.) Loss of bladder and/or bowel control may happen. After a minute or two the jerking movements should stop and consciousness may slowly return.
DO:
-- Protect the person from injury - (remove harmful objects from nearby)
-- Cushion their head
-- Aid breathing by gently placing them on their side once the seizure has finished
-- Stay with the person until recovery is complete
-- Let the person know what has happened, and reassure them
DON'T:
-- Restrain the person’s movements
-- Put anything in the person’s mouth
-- Try to move them unless they are in danger
-- Give them anything to eat or drink until they are fully recovered
-- Attempt to bring them round
CALL AN AMBULANCE IF:
-- You know it is the person’s first seizure
-- The seizure continues for more than five minutes
-- One tonic-clonic seizure follows another without the person regaining consciousness between seizures
-- The person is injured during the seizure
-- You believe the person needs urgent medical attention
There are other kinds of seizures (absence, simple partial, complex partial, myoclonic) that may or may not require interventions -- if your boyfriend experiences any of these varieties, you'll need to follow his lead for what the appropriate response is.
Best,
Nakamova
