Tips For Living

If you had developed epilepsy sixty years ago, living a normal life would have been much more difficult. In those days prejudice and fear closed many doors.

Yet, even today, epilepsy still causes some people to withdraw from the world, to become isolated and lonely.

Don't let that happen to you.

Do everything you can to prevent epilepsy from become a constraining, negative element in your life.

Following are some tips from other people with epilepsy on how to live a full life in today's world:

• Educate yourself and others about epilepsy so you can help get rid of the mistaken ideas of the past.
• Seek medical help you can trust; find a doctor with whom you feel comfortable and who will listen to you.
• Be a part of the treatment team. Although your doctor recommends treatment, it is up to you to follow the treatment and take control of your life.
• Be open with other people. Try to ignore any negative reactions. Be pleasant but assertive about your place in the world and your contribution to it.
• Try to live as independently as you possibly can.
• Hold on to your sense of humor.
• Try not to worry constantly about having a seizure. Don't let those fears keep you at home. Wear a medical identification bracelet and carry a first aid card so if you should have a seizure, people know what to do.
• Don't frighten yourself with thoughts of dying from a seizure. While risks of dying suddenly are increased compared to the general population, it is still very unlikely to happen. The brain has its own special systems for bringing seizures safely to an end.
• Fight feelings of sadness and depression. You may need help from others to deal with these feelings, but the most important part is not to give up.
• If you have seizures so often that you can't work outside your home, develop some special skill which might make it possible to work from home. Learn a computer language. Build a hobby and interact with others over the Internet and through clubs. You'll feel better about yourself as you do, and it could even develop into a career one day.
• Work at developing friendships and contacts with others. Become a volunteer. Helping others is often the best way to help yourself.
• Never, never forget that you're a normal person who just happens to have a medical problem. In every important aspect of life, you are just like everyone else with just as much to offer, and just as much to give.