Epilepsy, This Ain’t For Everybody

When you’re diagnosed with epilepsy, you face plenty of challenges. Both my family and I thought we had seen it all when it came to my epilepsy. Long doctor’s appointments, invasive EEGs, weeks spent in the hospital, etc. However, these past few weeks have been a pure nightmare. Right when you think you have it all figured out, epilepsy changes its course on you.

For those who don’t know what my seizures are like, they are short, partial complex seizures. What that really means is I normally space out for a few seconds and then come right back to whatever I was doing. People rarely noticed my seizures. Sounds great right? Yes, but nothing is easy with epilepsy.

A few weeks ago, I began having longer seizures. This was alarming, but nothing to worry about. Then, for some reason, my epilepsy decided it really didn’t like me. I then began falling to the ground while having these seizures. Now these were something to worry about. I was slowly losing confidence in some of the things I’ve always loved to do. I, along with my family, never want that to happen.

I reached out to my doctor immediately and we made a few changes. I was thinking all would be good from here on out. Longer seizures and bruises that look like I won so many wrestling matches it’s a little scary. I can easily say that epilepsy is definitely not made for everyone, and I know many of you would agree. Through my current journey with my epilepsy, I’ve learned so much that I always overlooked.

Support is your number one asset when battling epilepsy. From my dad actually catching me numerous times to so many supportive texts from my mom and siblings to cousins, the list goes on and on. You can’t beat epilepsy by yourself, so please say thank you to your support system. I can’t thank my coworkers enough for all the times they caught me or were there for me after I had one. It goes a long way!

Finally, it’s never always heaven when battling epilepsy. When I have a bad period of time like this with my seizures, I simply throw on some Eric Church and let my worries go away. You’re a miracle to be on this planet. Yes, epilepsy is a pain, but never let it hold you back (or down in my case 😂).