Why?

I decided to write this as something to do when I'm locked away!!!! Next Monday (23rd February) I am going to be admitted to the Walton Centre in Liverpool for a week long Video EEG. Basically this involves me being hooked up to the EEG machine and unable to leave the room whilst I am videoed and hopefully they catch 2-3 seizures!!! Ironically as I type I have been major seizure free for around 10 days!!! Although I am still having little 'glitches' most days. I am hoping they tell me these 'glitches' are real and not in my imagination!!!! A week sat in a room might sound like bliss...errr NO! I am likely to go insane, so I thought I would bore the world with my ramblings here instead!!

The video EEG is the last test before a final decision will be made by the team as to whether I am a candidate for surgery (I have already made my mind up I am having it!) I have under gone a psychological evaluation and 3 hours of memory and intelligence testing, and an MRI which shows scarring on my hippo-campus, and is the cause of my sudden development of epilepsy.

Here is my story so far...

18 months ago I was getting along just fine! A normal stressed primary school teacher. For around a year I had been having 'funny turns', no-one could decide if it was my ears, stress or my imagination and although they were clustered around mid-cycle and had a typical description of Focal Seizures, no-one though epilepsy (hindsight is a wonderful thing my GP said!). Then on the 16th September I had a funny turn which was quite severe. Thought nothing of it and carried on as normal. Monday 17th September my life changed for ever.

I woke to the alarm, feeling tired I had been woken in the night by a couple of 'funny turns' I couldn't get up. I remember saying to Phil, I think I am having another one. The next thing I remember was a a Dr talking to me on the ward saying 'I was OK, I had Epilepsy!' She said they thought something was seriously wrong with me, but this was OK, it could be controlled with medication and within a year I will be driving again...er NO!!!!!

That brings me to where I am today. Still teaching, still stressed, still running round like a mad woman to get everything done, still not driving and still with uncontrolled epilepsy.

Hopefully this will be the beginning of a solution.