A Roller Coaster Ride Featuring Epilepsy
Have you ever been on a roller coaster ride? I hope you said yes because if you battle epilepsy, then your entire life is a roller coaster ride. Epilepsy throws so many challenges to those who suffer that some days, we literally feel like we have been on a roller coaster. We experience all stages of a roller coaster ride throughout our battle with epilepsy, and sometimes all of these stages in one day. Why go to Cedar Point to ride a roller coaster when you have epilepsy?
The beginning of our ride starts when we have our first seizure. For the majority of us, it will unfortunately be the most harmful and memorable one. We never planned for this to happen, and we sure did not expect it to happen. For some, that day or night in the hospital is the most dreadful experience anyone wants to be in or remember. Family members try to cheer you up in any way they can, but this never seems to help because you know that your life has changed forever. All you want are answers from doctors who seem to take forever while you are laying in the hospital bed confused, scared, and not sure what will happen next!
Our uphill ride is simply all the doctor visits, medical tests and surgeries we may have to go through. Thus uphill ascent is similar to uncertainty of how we feel after a roller coaster ride and how we will feel after the initial seizure and what may happen next. For some this may include experiencing full brain surgery. If that is not an uphill ride, I do not know what is! We all engage in this process because we know that there is one thing out there that can help our specific epilepsy needs. We refuse to quit until we are cured, and that has been our mentality since the beginning. In the end, we know that we gave it our all and our best fight.
Our light at the end of the tunnel is when we receive the news that the doctors found a way to minimize our seizures. We would give anything to reduce our seizures. Doctors work around the clock with all this new technology to develop new ways to cure people with epilepsy. Even if you do not think you will be cured or have your symptoms reduced, remember that you have fought this roller coaster ride from the very beginning. You have not given up this far and neither have the doctors. The ride is far from over and it is important to always remain strong & positive!
