Living with Epilepsy

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The first time I experienced a seizure I was 15 years old. It was supposed to be one of the most exciting days in a teenager’s young life, the day I got my learners license. My dad woke me up very early that morning so we would be one of the first people in line at the DMV. However when we finally got there after the half hour drive there was already a long line. I remember experiencing one of the worst headaches of my life while standing in the line that stretched well outside the building, but I just figured it was because of the lack of sleep from the night before and the growing nervousness I was having about taking my written test. Before I knew it, I am waking up groggily in a brightly lit small room with a lady standing over me. Not knowing where I am, I begin to panic wanting to get out of the bed and find my dad. Suddenly I hear a familiar voice. I look up and see my dad at my side with tears in his eyes. I had never seen my dad cry in my whole 15 years, he is a manly man who does not show emotion easily. Scared and confused I asked him where I was. He tells me that I had a seizure and we are in the emergency room. I remember laying in the bed so dumbfounded. At the time I was not even sure what a seizure was exactly, all I knew is that I had just had one and I had never felt so physically or emotionally drained in my life.
Now let’s fast forward to a few months later. It was a Friday and I was going home with one of my friends after school to spend the night. It was her cousins 17th birthday so we all went out to a popular restaurant to celebrate. While at dinner with my friend and basically her entire family, it happened again, I had my second seizure. This time while at the emergency room the doctor referred me to ...

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...ould only imagine how scary it must have been for him to see his mother have a seizure. The first thing he asked me was why I turned into a monster. Trying so hard to hold my tears back, I explained the best I could to a three year old that mommy has a brain condition that makes her sometimes makes her shake and scream. He wanted to know if he was going to become a monster to. Hearing that word monster hurt, but I did not correct him since he was so young. I told him no he would not become a monster, that epilepsy is not contagious.
To this day I have suffered through ten seizures in my life time. I think of myself as one of the lucky one because it rarely happens to me. Some people have multiple episodes a day. Like my doctor told me thirteen years ago I am able to live a normal life. Having epilepsy has changed my life in many ways but it will never change me.

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