Living with Epilepsy: A Neurological Condition

Fresh out of college, he was ambitious and happy.
To meet his immediate financial needs, he secured a job in one Multinational Companies.

Now, he was able to buy himself books and practice books for competitive exam in the Public Sector.Moreover, his joy doubled when his parents agreed with his decision to marry his sweetheart.

Oh! What is that! While working in his workplace (backend office operations)first attack of seizure
tool place.He didn’t know it was epilepsy though. Nor did he know how severe it was.

However, medicines help him keep the epilepsy under control. It seems nothing serious is coming to come up soon.

Just after one year, his hard work paid off. He had a chance to switch his job and he started working in a Public Sector Undertaking Bank. The Bank happened to be the largest PSU bank in the country.

There, in those moments, they lived happily for the moment.Almost everything seems to fall in place for the time being.

Until this time, climbing the career ladder appeared smooth.

Soon his medication had to be altered many times during which series of hallucinations and side effects of the medicines become a nightmare. Many times he had to bear the brunt of the illness in his workplace and worst effect was in his preparation for competitive exams (for switching jobs).

But still, he was happy enough to secure Masters Degree in Political Science over a period of time.

They had been blessed with a son and a daughter after five years of their marriage. It was a game changing moment for them. It gave him a new lease of life. They are the pupil of his life.

However, they were living in a place far off from their parents. It was hard to find help in times of need. So, he left his full-time job to be with his children while his wife worked hard to put meal on the table. She became the sole bread earner for their family, home away from home.

It was a sad day for him, but his hope of a better future and relationship let him to go on.

Living with seizure:

Nine years since the first attack of epilepsy, the Doctors advice the need for brain surgery to remove the affected portion of the brain.

With no choice available, he willingly underwent right Amygdalohippocampectomy (removing the Amygdala). The surgery was a success it seems. He recovered well. But one more episode of status epilepticus* occurred just one month after the surgery.

After the surgery, he had what they called associated migraine, which becomes a major hindrance in everyday life.

But with the help of medicine it can be controlled at some level though. Life was a challenge and privilege for him to live. The illness becomes a major source of his strength in the Lord. His prayers keep him moving. The Lord God was good enough to spare his life and grant him a chance to be with Him closely.

At times he was depressed but he was blessed good people by his side to help him recover. His wife and children are his cheerleaders for the many moody days that come more often.

He would often wondered, living with epilepsy was a privilege in some way or not. There he was, waiting for better times to come along the way in life. Each day he has something to battle by himself, whether mild or severe pain. Life is hard and that makes it worth living.

Hope:

Hope, yes hope is all he had. That too, he almost lost it sometimes.

Many times he prayed to his God to give him the chance to guide his children in the light of the Lord till they become an adult. Also, to fight for or with them when life’s tempest tossed.

Dear Lord, kindly grant him his prayers but as it is Your will be done on earth. Give him the courage to live on till he came home to be with you!

*a dangerous condition in which seizures last too long or follow one another without recovery of consciousness between them.