I’ve always wondered at what age is it the hardest to cope with epilepsy? It’s tough for me to answer that question because I’ve been through almost every stage of this condition.
I’ve had epilepsy since I was 10 years old. Now that I’m an adult, I believe that my life has been practically molded to live with these constant challenges (although there are times when I think the opposite, that epilepsy got used to me). When I think about the future, I think about what it would be like to live without the disease. Although after so many years I can say that I have gotten so used to it, that it is like a companion you learn to live with.
Epileptic seizures usually start in childhood. Besides, it is also known that this condition is one of the most common neurological diseases that exist. I know that I am not alone, I know that whatever age this “little friend” called epilepsy would have appeared in my life, at first it would have been complicated to live with her, like meeting anyone else new. But then, after spending some time with her and recognizing her triggers, her defects (and she got to know mine), I comprehended that we could get along.
After some time with epilepsy and knowing its triggers and defects (plus the condition discovering mine), I know that we will be able to get along.
I think the most difficult thing to face is not the disease, but the future. Getting to know whether we will be able to study, swim, have children, live alone, travel, fall in love, have sex, sleep… in short, if we will be able to have a normal life. The odd thing is that we can clear up this doubt from the first moment, from the day we are told that we have epilepsy. Whether it is asking our doctor or googling it because there is a lot of information available to discover all about it. And when we realize what is it like, it is up to us how we process this information and in what way it will influence our future.
