Epilepsy and me

November 2010 was the year I was diagnosed with Epilepsy.

There was nothing that would make me think that I would have this condition. There were no signs. No warnings. It just happened all of a sudden.

There is no history of Epilepsy in my family, so this was a shock for us all. After my first seizure, I thought ‘this won't happen again, maybe it’s just a one-off thing’. A few weeks later, I had another one and soon after that, another one.  It was at this moment; my third seizure, when I was officially diagnosed with Epilepsy. The next step was finding the cause. I remember going through MRI scans and a few other scans to determine what the actual cause was and they found nothing. It was a very strange time for me.

A year later when I was in Year 9, I was put on medication. Lamotrigine is what I was, and still am, taking. It really helped with controlling my seizures and for the next two years I was seizure-free. At some point, however, I was allowed to reduce my medication to the point where the nurse said I don’t have to take medication at all, since I was doing so well. At that point I thought ‘no more hospital visits and no more seizures.’ About a month later, my seizures came back. I was back on medication and have been since then. It was hard adjusting back to the medicine, but it was worth it in the long run. 

Prior to 2021, I would only have a seizure sporadically. Once or twice a year. I am taking my medication seriously and now I have been seizure-free for almost three years. My epilepsy is still something I have to think about but nowhere near the same extent it had been a few years back.

My relationship with Epilepsy is like seeing an old enemy from school you haven't seen in a while. It’s unpleasant and annoying but I somehow made peace with it. Even though my seizures are well controlled now, there are still concerns I need to think about or put in place. For example, I cannot leave the door locked when taking a shower and if I plan to drive, I have to make sure I am seizure-free for a year. Living with Epilepsy is something I always have to be careful about no matter how long I have been free of seizures.

The way I see it, is that as long as I am taking my medication the thought of Epilepsy is always going to be there. As long as I have my medication, I will be just fine.

Ubah Hussein

Ubah Hussien is a full time university student studying English language and literature. Aspiring writer, she has already published poetry in different anthologies and is hoping to find more writing opportunities. She is passionate about writing stories and continues to find inspiration to write.

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