newbie from the uk

[mummy2madness]

a big hello to you all my name is emma and i was dx in july 2009 combination of total seizures and absence seizures.have has absence seizures since i was a child my family just though i was day dreaming!!
total seizures started when i was pregnant then total seizures needed medication after a viral infection after the birth of my second son after trying 4 different meds i have settled well on troprimate.

then just before the new year i got the flu and my seizures kicked off agin big time and my absences seizures have just been getting worse the control i did have has not been lost and i feel so low about it i feel like it's 1 step forward and 3 steps back!!

to top it all off i'm having no support from my work i work as a nurse and i was off work sick for 7 months while they got my seizures under some sort of control i returmed to work in nov and now i'm off sick again i have been off a week and i know my work are not happy at all but what can i do?? i'm having at least 2 total seizures a day and absences onces or twice an hour!! it makes me forgot what i'm doing or sometimes where i am for a minute or 2 do they really want me to be around patients like this what i i gave the wrong medication or gave to much if i had a absence in between??? i so worried i'll lose my job

as you can tell i'm so stress out about this and i really don't mean to rant an like i have!!!

nice to meet you all xx

 

[Meetz1064]

Hi hello

and how do you do, Emma!! It's very nice to meet you! I'm Meetz, and I'm one of the many people that you'll meet here. There's quite a few people that will help you find your way around here--the Library and Kitchen are chock full of all sorts of information--in regards to how diet and hormones affect E, meds and all sorts of other good stuff; and the Padded Room is great for the days that you really need to vent! And trust me, we've all been there at some point in time!

I think you're going to find that Mr B, our host, has built us an AWESOME home here....

Sorry to hear about the loss of control of your seizures...that sucks a hill o'beans. It's not too surprising though...pregnancy does trip off hormones that do affect seizures in women. And it's that surge of estrogen in our female bodies that will send our seizures into overdrive. Estrogen is a PRO-convulsant, and progestrerone is a natural ANTI-convulsant. If you can get your gynecologist to prescribe you a bio-identical progesterone of some sort, it SHOULD help you. No promises, but that has worked for a number of us in the past.

RobinN is a great source for nutrition information--and you'd be SHOCKED at how much nutrition actually plays into E. I'm proof of that, as are many on this site.

So feel free to kick off your shoes, put up your feet, and relax a bit. Hopefully one of the others will be around with a decent cup of (decaf) joe (coffee). I keep burning what I make. You'd think I'd learn by now....*scratching head* But NOOOOO........*rolling eyes*

Take care!!

Meetz
:rock:

PS, if you don't already, you might consider keeping an E journal........

 

[Nakamova]

Hi Emma, welcome to CWE!

Along with hormonal changes, infections can lower your seizure threshold too, so blame the flu for the recent spate. It's hard not to worry about your job, but if you can, focus on getting better and building up your immune system so you can stay healthy longer. As you're well aware, you have to take care of yourself before you can take care of others. Be good to yourself! Try and relax, and also consider as Meetz says above keeping a journal to help track potential seizure triggers.

Best,
Nakamova

 

[skillefer]

Hi mummy! Welcome to CWE. Wow! You are under a lot of stress! I'm sorry to hear about your loss of control..I would suggest, if you haven't done so already, that you start a journal. Write down things like:
1. sleep
2. food and drink (how much, what, when)
3. sources of stress (physical like the flu or infections as well as emotional)
4. how you are dealing with the stress
5. seizures/auras (when and how long, as well as what you were doing prior to the seizure/aura)

Illnesses can lower the seizure threshold..and certain medicines can screw up medicine absorption. By keeping this journal (this is the abbreviated list of things to track...a more extensive list is in the library I think...), you might be able to find a pattern..things that might be acting as triggers to your seizures. If so, you might be able to avoid the triggers or at least think of strategies to work around them. Just remember that stress itself is a huge trigger. so try to find ways to deal with stress...

 

[Loopy Lou]

Hello Emma nice to meet you

It's like one step forward and 3 steps back

You know what? I was thinking this literally two seconds before i clicked on this thread too!

I think it very unlikely that you will lose your job due to your epilepsy - it's counted as disability discrimination. Do your managers know that you have epilepsy? I do a similar job to yours (I am also in the UK, in Blackpool) and whilst i've had to get a risk assessment which says i can't work on my own, i still have my job.

It's not the same job i applied for, and i get very frustrated sometimes, but it pays the bills.

Anyhoo - if you want to chat, talk about it and share experiences and advice, then this is the best site i've come across for people with epilepsy.

Welcome to the site!