Epilepsy and depression

[LuckyA]

I was diagnosed with epilepsy a few years due to a f*ced up op. Anyway, I'm keen to hear from those of you who also suffer from epilepsy and depression and how you manage with your conditions?

For starters, whenever I feel down I always turn to my music collection containing death metal/rock etc. songs that talk about personal conflicts/issues.

BTW - Trivium and Lacuna Coil are awesome. Check them out.

 

[ladylola]

I'm not a sufferer of either myself personally although I have had a partner who suffered from epilepsy bad enough to warrant a stay in the David Lewis centre . The condition was controlled up to a point with the drugs but would generally culminate in a fit each month. Despite that depression wasn't a problem and she remained quite buoyant and was happy most of the time.
I have to agree with your choice of Lacuna Coil , I think the singer has a cracking voice.

 

[LuckyA]

Yeah I agree with you, she has the voice of an angel. That guy she's dating from Slipknot is lucky.

 

[ladylola]

My former partner wouldn't have agreed , absolutely no taste for decent music.
As I said she would suffer an incident monthly which to us seemed to tie in with the usual female cycles although the doctors disagreed with that . Before any incident it would increase her libido which would then be followed by a short period of confusion just prior to a fit. She took epilum (think that's spelt correctly) regularly and sometimes when she felt an incident coming on would take Valium which seemed to lessen the effects but not eliminate them. However, she preferred not to take that too often. There was a feeling of helplessness on my part as there was really very little I could do , just make sure no injuries such as banging of the head happened and then trying to make her comfortable as she recovered although on several occasions she ended up in a hospital bed for a day or two recovering.

 

[LuckyA]

I'm on Epilim at the moment too. But I also take Zonisamide. I suffer from absence seizures, so I can continue to do things without being aware of them, or yet do something completely different.

I was supposed to chair an engineering meeting. It had just started and the next thing I was outside the meeting room with everything packed and my colleague questioning my sanity - I hadn't told him about my absence seizures. He didn't even believe me when I explained it to him.

It especially sucks when it seems like my employer has no compassion for my disability. During one year, I had 40 days off work due to clonic seizures. But the company deemed it fit to issue me a formal warning!!!

 

[ladylola]

My partner had grand mal seizures so there was no mistaking what they were but your experience does seem to show how completely lacking in understanding or perhaps compassion some people are.

 

[LuckyA]

You're right, it is surprising how little people know about epilepsy or other types of mental issues.

BTW, anything can trigger off a seizure. Tiredness, infection/illness, not just flashing lights like some people think.

I was admitted for a 5 day video telemetry test but these are flawed in a big way IMO.

 

[securespark]

It is important to get your formal warning struck off your employer's record. Your condition is likely covered by the Equality Act 2010 where employers have to make reasonable adjustments to your workplace/ load to take account of your condition.

A letter from your consultant to HR explaining your behaviour should help.

Also, if you are able, join a union as you will then have support and representation if needed.

 

[LuckyA]

I had a union rep present throughout those formal warning meetings, and what angered me was they had no experience of anybody in the union being in a similar situation. That was a first!

Plus when the warning was concluded I asked my rep should I appeal and he said not to, as the company was only following its guidlines/policies. I got a second opinion from an employment law advisor (is that what they're called?) and he also said that even if I did appeal, I would have most likely lost. Still peeves me off.

 

[Nige F]

I'm sorry to hear of the way your employers and moreso the union, treated you. I can identify with a lot of your story as I was thrown out of work in the mid 90's. My T.U. offered similar advice and I took some £ before it went to court. The best bit was my Line Manager who was an a*se to me and others was himself sacked a year later after having the imposition of another manager to "supervise" him.