Sweet Freedom: Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, Day 3

This morning, when the nurse came in to check my vitals (after six whole hours of sleep!), she asked me a bunch of questions to see how “with it” I was, and she asked me if I knew what day it was.

Ohhhhh, I knew. 

I knew because one year ago today, on January 21, 2014, I had a seizure while driving home from work.  That incident completely changed the trajectory of my life. 

And today, one year later, on January 21, 2015, I was told that I am being released (earlier than expected, even!) from the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit in Rochester later this afternoon. 

Funny how that came full circle, on today of all days—a good omen, I hope.   

These tests proved that I am actually epileptic.  There was a concern that I might not be—that there might be something else wrong instead, some new horror.  So that’s good.  And it also means that I don’t have to change the title of my blog.  (Whew.) 

They found that in addition to seizures, I am also having these unexplainable “spells.”  (The doctors could not describe them any better than that.  My body seems to act like it’s having a seizure, but my brain waves were not showing any seizure activity, so…?)  They want me to come back for more testing if the spells do not improve.  

Some of these “spells” happened while I was on that second medication, so I didn’t actually have any seizures while on the Vimpat like I had thought.  (Which is good news.  They prescribed a combination of Keppra and Vimpat for me to try, and hopefully, that helps.)

As for the spells, they are most likely stress-related.  (I have been a nervous wreck since I was diagnosed—I live in constant, sometimes paralyzing fear that I’m going to have a seizure, and I’m sure that has taken its toll on me.)  The doctors said that I might have to have further testing in a spells clinic someday, but in the meantime, they told me to try Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to try dealing with them.  This means I need to try talking through my problems with someone.

Or, better still, writing about them.

Yeah.  The doctors actually told me to write.

It sometimes seems like the whole universe is telling me to just…write.

So I’m going to get back in that habit, and let writing save me, and hopefully, a year from today, I’ll have some more awesome, life-changing news to report.