Darren;

Hi my name is Terri, I'm new to this fourm and I've been reading some of your past post's.  I have a 29 yr old son who has epilepsy and he talks often about getting his drivers license back too. Currently he is in the hospital with back to back seizures.  I'm so glad I found this form.  I told my son about it and he is looking forward to chating here.  May I ask how old you are?  If you choose not to say I understand. I'm trying to fully understand what my son is feeling and how I can help him.  Currently they have him on Depakote,Lamictal,Dilantin,Capra, I am amaized at how much medication his body can handle. Plus they are giving him Ativan when he is seizing which makes him very loopy.  I hate seeing him in this state.  I wish I knew what to do to get him back home.  Darren; what medications are you on?

Terri

Bernie's mom

Terri,

I am 56 years old, gosh, almost 57 and I am on three seizure medications.  I was just diagnosed about a year and a half ago.  I take Keppra, Topamax and Klonipin.  I was lost before I found this forum.  As Darren and some of the others can tell you, I always had a real hard time when they would add/change a new medication or increase the dosage.  It took me 15 months to get 90 days seizure free so that I could drive.  Then I had a seizure during the holidays because I did not realize my pharmacy was closing early on Christmas Eve and was out of one of my medications for a day and a half.

Will he be coming home to stay with you when he gets out of the hospital for awhile?  Please keep posting and tell your son we look forward to hearing from him when he gets out of the hospital.

Take care!

Carla

Hi Terri,

It is normal for people to rebel against a diagnosis, especially one which is life long. Whether its Bi-Polar, Depression, Epilepsy or Lupus people are often angry about it. I can only speak from personal experience but the main things people worry about when they are diagnosed is that they are different to everyone else and that their life is going to change so dramatically, it will stop them doing anything they want to.

Yes it is true that being diagnosed with a disorder makes you different to a lot of people on the surface. But when you think about it... everyone (mostly) has something. I have epilepsy, my friend has ecxsma(sp), another friend has Asthma, my sister has Bi-Polar, my dad has a bowel condition that I cant remember! etc... The point is that everyone has something that affects their lives to a greater or lesser extent. If we accept that everyone is unique (Which most people do) how can there be a 'normal' category if we are all different? Allow him to come to terms with it at his own pace... it will allow the anger to pass quicker.

As for his life changing... yes it will. As an epileptic, you have to avoid your triggers. For me its stress. But thats much easier than it sounds once you get the hang of it. He will still be able to drive. In the UK you have to be seizure free for a year... in the states I think it is 90 days (But I think that depends where you live). Who Vernon is has not changed. He is still Vernon, he is still a son etc... right at the bottom of the list is: He is epileptic. He needs to understand that it only controls your life if you let it.

I can completely understand how he feels as I was in the same position in 1999 when I had my first seizure. But it will pass. Video EEG's are very popular at the moment as they can tell people much more that a normal EEG since they can also see the patients reactions, their activities before and after the seizure as well as what kind of seizure it is. They are not dangerous in any way so please dont worry about it.

Please keep talking

Darren

If Vernon does not have a seziure during the video EEG it is a possibility that they will want to repeat the EEG a little way in the future. Do you know what triggers his seizures other than stress? I mean, can you be more specific with the doctors? This may help them.

Darren