A Letter - Dear Strong Beautiful Woman (who just so happens to be living with Epilepsy)

(Adapted from a personal email I sent out the other day.)

Dear Strong Beautiful Woman,

Thank you for writing to me the other day. Good to hear from you!

I experience a number of different types of non-convulsive seizures including the type that you mentioned having. I too have fallen down stairs and lost consciousness at the perfect moment, including in front of large crowds. I'm REALLY good at pretending that I must have tripped over nothing and I'm REALLY REALLY good at walking with two badly twisted ankles for long distances. Years of practice!

Normally those types of seizures I have once or twice a year. Although in May I had three of them. Neurologists sometimes lump these in with Complex Partial seizures or label them individually as Atonic seizures.

I have many types of other seizures though and some of them I will have up to 12 times per day. May was a month where I averaged 12 seizures per day. June was much better. I had 5 seizures TOTAL for the entire month.

Why was June so much better for me? Why did I have so many fewer seizures?

I stopped being so hard on myself. I started eliminating stress from my life. If it caused stress and was not absolutely necessary it did not belong in my life.

Some things were easy to delegate or decline.

Other things were not so easy.

Letting go can be painful. I lost a relationship in the process.

My top three daily priorities are to take my medicine on time, take a 30 minute nap and document any seizures.

You might think I spend most of my time at home, being careful, worrying about seizures and brain tumors and the next batch of tests my Neurologist has ordered. I don't. I spend most of my time surrounded by friends and family - laughing, living, going on crazy adventures.


Take care and don't be afraid to fall,

RQ