Forums » Smalltalk » AMA: Ten years of pain.

So....This isn't something I normally talk about but I feel that if someone else has had this or is going through this perhaps it will help them.

So the way I'm going to do this is basically interviewing myself. It's easier to do it this way for me but also make it feel a bit more interesting in true Roleplay fashion.


So Tell us about your seizures?

Well, what is there to tell? About eleven years ago when I worked for this company I had an accident and that being around this time of year is when it happened. I fought with this for well over eleven years to finally get control.

So what happened?

It was after Thanksgiving and I was working the sales rush. I had some customers mob me and well one thing after another I was thrown into a shelf and hit the back of my head where my skull connects to my spinal cord. I was rushed to the hospital and they found nothing wrong at first.

When did the seizures start happening?

See that's the thing. It just didn't come on all at once. What I was told was laying passed out I was shaking violently having seizure-like events that day but after that, I didn't have anything. Though Over time the coming weeks I felt Weak, Tired, Dizzy, It was all odd to me being a guy who was always full of energy always able to walk with perfect balance. Now here I was losing my balance, Barely able to do anything. So a few more weeks went by and the stuff got worse.

Did your job do anything to help you?

No sadly. I was terminated after the event so it became harder but thankfully I had my family.

So what happened next?

Next, I found myself lost not understanding what was wrong with me...I began to seek out doctors thankful that I was still young enough and able to stay on my parent's medical. We tried to find things out. Doctor after doctor. One saying I was faking it to get on disability, Another saying it was all in my mind. for eight years I was put through the ringer. Medications, Therapy, Nothing was working I was beginning to think It was all in my head...that I was crazy and it was my way to deal with some form of PTSD.

Did you find out what it was? What was happening Did it get worse?

Yes, it got worse. I began to collapse...Pass out, have no memory of it happening...I would close my eyes and next, I would wake up 8, 12, 24 hours later. No memory, Time lost....Then I began to shake violently begin to have full-blown body seizures. So bad that my heart would stop beating then would restart beating even having EKG's show I had flatlined. But...It got worse...My girlfriend at the time left me cause she didn't want to deal with me...Then my next girl friend did the same thing. I was alone. No one save my parents believed I was sick. Even my own brothers turned against me saying I was faking it for attention. I entered a dark time and place and it wasn't pretty...But a friend of my mom's recommended a doctor. Careful scanning revealed I had brain damage, I also had a disk in my neck that was pushing against my spinal cord. With slow and safe work and not using surgery which would of taken away all my movement in my neck, we were able to get it under control.

So did your doctor explain it as a form of Epilepsy?

Yes and No. What he said was in fact that I was a super rare case. The right damage in the right areas caused this. Only 5% of people have what I have. But there were also triggers. What we found out was high amounts of caffeine would cause these seizures. Being an energy drink, soda, a coffee lover that was hard but...It was my vices or my life.

So now what? Do you have Seizures anymore? Can you work?

Of course, I can work silly! Yes, I have been Seizure free for almost four years now. I am able to work, drive, and well as many of us call normal things I have a semi-normal life. I have to watch what I drink such as things that have high amounts of Caffeine, But I can enjoy Caffeine-free soda, I can go out, I can walk, I can do a lot of things that believe it or not a lot of people sometimes take for granted.

So why share this with us?

Honestly, I want people to know who may have an illness or something that there is a light at the end and that you are not alone. Those things can and hopefully will get better. That you have a friend out there who may not be going through what you are but has gone through their own form of things. I mean look at me. I went from being confined to a wheelchair or my bedroom to now being able to walk, enjoy life...But the biggest thing was I had a few friends that stuck it out with me. that helped me and inspired me in my darkest moments to actually keep on fighting, living, smiling. I want this to be that beacon in the dark for those who are also having moments, Might be going through rough times, You're not alone.

Thank-you for sharing Lanx