Epilepsy is so much more than a seizure

As last week was Epilepsy awareness week I thought it would be a good time to talk how Epilepsy is so much more than the seizures itself. Therefore people can have an understanding of what it is like to live with the condition or if you have epilepsy yourself to understand you are not the only one. People unaware of the condition view it as they've had a seizure and then they're fine but please read on to understand what comes along with living with the condition as it involves so much more. Not every point below will someone with epilepsy expeierence but I thought I would discuss a wide range of the area for a better understand to raise awareness.

What it is like to live with epilepsy - 

• Medication side affects 
• Fatigue
• Affecting your mental health
• Not being able to drive 
• Memory Loss
• Reduced independence 
• Affects your relationship with loved ones
• Emotional affect and drain 
• Education/Work 
• Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy
• Not being able to drink 
• Not being able to stay up late
• Strobe lights/flashing lights/night clubs 
• Hopsital tests/A & E
• Eating regularly to keep sugar levels up 
• Being cautious when having a virus/temperature, as this can increase seizures
• ​Reduced social life

Medication - 
Where do I start. Firstly you have the fun experimenting of finding out if a medication/medications will even control your seizures. Then you have the joy of not knowing what side affects you could suffer from. I found when I first started both of my medications - ethosuximide and lamtorgine I struggled greatly for the first two months. As i think my body was adapting to the medications. For example - fatigue, dizziness, nausea, headaches, hiccups, spaced out. I just had a general feeling of not being able to move or function. So every time i started a new anti epileptic drug I would hibernate for the first few months. Ive been on lamtorgine now for nearly ten years and ethosuximide for five years. Even though I've been on them for so long I still experience side affects daily - fatigue, headaches and nausea. But no where near to how bad it was at the start. So my advice to you if you are just starting a medication is to stick at it as it is so worth the pain. As now it controls my seizures and I am able to live a near to normal life. And yes I might feel more tired than others i find personally it is so worth it to control my seizures. 

Fatigue - 
I wont go on about this too much as i mentioned it in the last paragraph. But the fatigue that comes along with it can be challenging. I have to plan my week to the detail of if i have a busy day tuesday i will be too tired to do too much on Wednesday. And also my main trigger for my seizure is when i get too tired so i have to make sure i have a balance of living my life but not getting too tired. As you learn about your condition you learn how to adapt your life around it and learn a safe routine. 

Mental health - 
I went into great detail in my last post about mental health, so ill keep it short. But overall a large percentage of epileptics will experience a mental health condition. I have and occasionally, still do experience anxiety, panic attacks and depression. They have been hugely challenging and taken over my life to the extreme of i was too scared to leave the house. However by seeking help and coping mechanisms I managed to control it and live a normal life. Where I can have an education, go out with friends and live a normal teenage life. If you want to find out more about this topic please read my last post going into detail about mental health. 

Driving -
I started to learn to drive at 17. But three months in I had to surrender my license due to a seizure. This is so painful and makes you so angry as you feel epilepsy is winning. It is so frustrating not having that independence that all your friends are allowed to have. However with patience I managed to control my seizures again and learn to drive again. So again  you may have bumps and it may be a big more challenge but patience and determination will get you through it. 

Loved ones - 
I could go on and on about this topic but I'll try and keep it short. I have done many posts in the past about family and friends so please read them for more detail. Not only have you got to learn how to live with your condition but your family, partner, close friends have got to understand. This can be hard as i spent years withdrawing myself and not talking about how i felt. I know if i had opened up sooner i would of been so much happier and as would my friends and family.

Emotional -
All of a  sudden your life changes for ever. Yes, that sounds super dramatic but its true. You're given this diagnose which you are clueless and uneducated on. It messes with your head an emotions. You have hundreds of thoughts going round in your head. You have gone from being a ‘normal’ healthy person to suddenly someone who is having seizure and why? It takes a while for you to get your head round it and for me years to accept it and how it is going to affect my life forever. But over time you learn to realise its shaped you positively, it makes you a strong, determined and a person who appreciates life greatly. 

Education- 
A couple of posts back I wrote a very detailed and informative post about how epilepsy has affected my education so if you're interesting reading about this area please take a look. But briefly it affects you education as you have to take time off school for hospital appointments and tests, feeling ill from the medications, seizures or struggling mentally. It is a viscous cycle and in my case I found a lot of teachers didn't understand as they where so uneducated on the topic. 

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy - 
This is a tough and harsh one to discuss but it is reality. Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy is when a person with epilepsy suddenly dies, with no other causes present. It is scary in the sense you never know if you're going to have a seizure which you could never wake up from or when you fall asleep you dont know if you'll wake up. But that is the negative way to view it, i look at it as live every moment. Do what makes you happy and do everything you want to do in your life now, set goals. Dont’ be scared, keep yourself and body healthy. 

Sleep patten/not being able to stay up late - 
Sleeping for me is important and making sure i don't mess it up. As if i have a bad night sleep, by bad night i mean only a couple of hours less than normal then i have to cancel everything the next day as i’m at such a high risk of a seizure so i have to rest. 

I hope this post has helped people relate and raise awareness, please don't hesitate to email me if you have any questions or just want someone to talk to about the condition - jasminebanovic@gmail.com