One word for it. It's limited the work I could do, what I should be doing(no cycling), insurance. And if they do say it's not epilepsy, I'd still have to wait a year before thinking about applying for a driving licence. Year seizure free and signed off by a doctor.
Roughly half a million tablets taken since I started school.
It's not so much what is it? more a case of what if?
Ten years or so with the same was enough for me. Id been suffering with severe migraines all through secondary. The day after my final higher examines it climaxed (or so I thought) when I collapsed with a fit and woke up in hospital diagnosed with epilepsy; that ended any career plans I had. I was sent for the mri, etc. but nothing was found (except for a brain, they didn't say it was working though
). It seemed to settle down in college just the occasional bad migraines for which my epilepsy consultant prescribed stuff. The on first day at uni (Ive no recollections, I'm only going with what the lecturer told me) I walked to the front of the class and collapsed (the first recollection I had was waking up in hospital). Went through a few months of similar, then a GP treating me in one of my blackouts asked my mum what tablets I was on. Straight away he told her to flush them down the toilet. Years later read the migraine tablets in no way should be prescribed to any one on epilepsy tablets, it causes translucent states
The 'specialist' recommended I stay on the Epilepsy drugs, he retired a few month later and all seemed fine again and I finished the year with good marks. But having never had a drink in my life up to then I came down with Pancreatitis (alcoholics disease
); lost a stone and a half in few months. What I didn't realise is that the Phenotoin I was taking was way to much for my weight and my first pints I had totally destroyed me. It was a very scary feeling being trapped with a totally sober head in a collapsing body
Scared me off drinking for a long time. Saw the replacement specialist a few times in the year and a bit after. Then he looked at my record reckoned the only true fit I might of had was that one at school and I had none in the year and a bit I'd been seeing him and didn't need to come back.
A couple of years later I moved out of the house and to Dublin and I decided to wane myself off the tablets; after which I've been blootered a few times but other than self inflicted illness (hangovers) I've (touchwood) been very health in the 15 since.
Sorry for the long post but you know how it is, once you start letting things out sometimes you can't stop
