I’ve been attending the children’s hospital since my diagnosis but now I’m 19 I’ve been forced to change to adult services. The children’s hospital holds a transition clinic for those swapping to adult services so earlier this month I went along to meet my new neurologist.
In the meeting was my new doctor, the epilepsy specialist nurse that works with him and the nurse I will be sad to leave. My new doctor was very nice and every time he asked me a question I couldn’t remember the answer to, my ‘old’ nurse would step in to help. Generally we just talked about the seizures I still have and his plan of action for me. He is really laid back and not at all a ‘stuffy’ doctor so I was chuffed with that.
The general consensus for my medication is an increased dosage of Epilim, a move I am fiercely against. It’s probably a lot to do with my stubbornness but the last time I was on a higher dose I was hungry literally all the time. It seems quite trivial not to go on a higher dose just because of that but it’s a horrible feeling being hungry all the time, never mind the weight gain that comes with it.
In other news I have been asked to talk at a conference full of doctors and medical folk about my experiences with epilepsy but it doesn’t look like I’ll be able to do it due to uni commitments which I am rather sad about. There’s nothing I love more than talking about myself ;)
(Apologies for the somewhat brief blog, the space bar on this uni computer is driving me bonkers)
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5 comments:
Hi Jane, I was diagnosed with epilepsy at 13, I'm 19 now and seizure free for 3 years, lets hope I'm growing out of it.
Did you ever have any problems with anxiety or depression?
What type of epilepsy did you have?
I had a very bad seizure on Christmas Day 2005 and for about a year after that I experienced anxiety. I was constantly worried I'd have another seizure 'like that' and eventually I was diagnosed with a mild case of Post Traumatic Stress. I went to a psychologist for a couple of months and she really helped me with the way I think about seizures.
As for depression, I've never been clinically depressed but I was certainly very down when I put on a lot of weight due to my medication from about the age of 12 to about 14/15. It was a tough time and as a consequence I've never been happy with my weight since (but then what girl has?). Generally I try not to let epilepsy get me down, I just have to accept that it's part of me and it won't be going away.
:-)
..dont worry, the uy at the adult services does look like the guy from the weetos advert but bigger... he may wear braces (from his trousers, not on his teeth) but hes awesome, an dtheother people are dead nice too x
Absence seizures, the weirdest thing about it all is that I was actually having absence seizures months before I was diagnosed.
I used to have anxiety attacks everyday, I suppose it's the fear of another seizure.
Dave - what guy? Mine certainly doesn't look like that...there are different doctors you know! :P Who is yours?
Ennayelsel - Funnily enough I reckon I've had absence seizures from childhood but never known what they were. Now I do :)
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