Epilepsy: My Personal Story

It was June 15th, 2007. I was sitting at the breakfast bar with my mom eating breakfast. She was clipping her coupons while I was eating my cereal. It was the weekend of Father's Day and my dad had gone out of town on business so it was just the two of us. Our conversation was the usual chatter of what we would spend our day doing. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Then, the next thing I recall is being surrounded by several paramedics, with one sticking my figure to check my blood sugar, one holding a mask over my face to make sure I was getting enough oxygen, one checking my vitals, and another asking me over and over if I knew where I was and what had happened. I turned my head to the side to see my mom sobbing like a child. Tears were rolling down my face as well and once they had started they wouldn't stop. I have never felt fear the way I felt it that day.

One of the paramedics told me that I had had a seizure and that everything was going to be ok. It didn't feel ok and I remember thinking to myself that I didn't want to die. Having a Grand Mal seizure leaves you with feelings that are terrifying. I've lived in my house for twelve years but felt like I was in a foreign place. Nothing looked familiar, nothing felt the same. I was completely lost and had no idea what was happening to me. I was ambulanced to a nearby hospital where they gave me pain medication for the pounding headache I had and started to run tests. They ran the usual rounds of MRI's and CT Scans and scheduled me for an EEG. Though they were telling me what they were doing I was more confused than ever. I was told that the tests they had run at the hospital had all come back normal and that this was probably just a one-time incident. I went home that day thinking that everything was going to be ok. Not a week later I was back in the emergency room with another episode of a Grand Mal seizure. Another EEG test had to be done. The results came back and they hit me with the news, I had epilepsy. I was speechless. I already suffered from severe Inflammatory Bowel Disease. I didn't know how I was going to handle this as well. I was put on medication right away but continued to have Petit Mal seizures. This was something I knew was going to change my entire life, especially considering the other conditions I suffered from.

Today I take medication for my epilepsy and have been seizure free for thirty-five days. I count the days because my condition has left me unable to do things on my own. My driver's license has been taken away from me, I can't be left unsupervised for long periods of time, and I am unable to work outside my home or even go to school. My doctors have told me that I have to be seizure free for three months before I'll be allowed to have any of these privileges back. When I was told this I didn't think I would make it through three months. This condition is something that changes your life but I am slowly learning that this is not something that has to control your life.

Learn more about this author, Dimpel Patel.
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