A Little Bit About Me

As I mentioned, there are more than 20 kinds of seizures.  Seizures come in all shapes and sizes.  That is why they are so hard to control. 

You can get epilepsy at any time, and the kind of seizures you have can change over the course of your lifetime, or if you are lucky, they may stop altogether.  Some children “grow out of” their seizures, never to be bothered by them again.  However, others
, no matter how many different treatments they try, never get their seizures under control.

As for me, I’ve had epilepsy since I was seven years old.  During my life, I’ve experienced several types of seizures, ranging from the very mild to the very severe.  I’ve had to go to the ER many times because of seizure-related accidents.  I’ve had my head stitched up, I don’t know how many times.  Also, I’ve been in the hospital to be evaluated for epilepsy surgery three times, each time being rejected.  My seizures are just too complicated—they are not localized in one specific area.  Like most people, it feels like I’ve tried all the medications.  At one point, I was on five medications and survived with my seizures sort of controlled but not 100%.  I could work, but I tired easily, and when I tried a new medication in hopes of gaining better control, this turned everything upside down, as I had to adjust to it and had to deal with the new side effects.

When I moved to Southern California, things changed for the better.  For one thing, the weather is incredible!  The sunshine has done, and still is doing, me a lot of good. In addition, my new doctor cut me down to only three medications, which has made me much more awake and alive.  There is also a great support system here.  California has many support groups and educational programs to help people with epilepsy. I regularly attend the Epilepsy Support Network of Orange County’s support group meetings.

Still, the challenges remain, and as of yet, I am not seizure-free.  And for the other 65 million out there, we still need to find a cure.