6 life lessons learned from epilepsy that anyone can apply
Empatica
Dec 11, 2018• 4 min read
How can something unexpected that initially caused so much worry and frustration teach us some of life’s most valuable lessons?
Here some of our customers will reflect on the life lessons they’ve learned from having epilepsy. We can say that for us, here at Empatica, it was inspiring, and made us happy to see how figuring things out in difficult situations makes you a stronger person, perhaps even more so than having total freedom. We hope it stirs a special feeling in you as well.
1. Listen to your body
“When my body speaks to me, I have learned to listen! It’s not always a ‘drop everything and go lay down kind of thing’. Sometimes I just need to chill for a minute and continue on. Sometimes I do need a few days to nap and take it easy. Our bodies tell us what we need, if we listen.”
2. Be your own advocate!
“Doctors are accustomed to the “textbook” case. We are not always textbook. Maybe our epilepsy looks different from others. Maybe we don’t seize as often as others. Maybe our seizures look different, feel different. We explain things differently or have trouble finding our words. Fight for care! Make the doctors listen! If you’re not happy and not getting answers, find a new one. No one else will advocate for you like yourself.”
3. Don’t hold yourself back
“For a long time I held myself back. I didn’t go to movies. I cancelled engagements. I didn’t stay out late. I took my meds everywhere. I avoided the heat. I avoided public places. Not anymore! I live my life now and if a seizure happens, it was probably going to happen anyway!”
4. Have a good support system
“Have one person go with you to appointments so they can help explain the problems. Don’t go to appointments alone! Epilepsy is complex. It’s not like other ‘chronic illnesses’. Epilepsy is on such a spectrum, anything can happen!”
5. You can handle so much more than you thought
“Some of my most embarrassing moments have come from epilepsy. If I can survive the embarrassment of people seeing me at my worst, I can survive anything!”
6. Be inspired
“When it’s your toddler of only 2 years old and you see the fear of not knowing what is going in his eyes as he is coming out of a seizure, it’s definitely one of the hardest things for me to witness. I never knew I could run on empty for 3 months, working a 45-hour week, caring for a sick baby, spending countless hours in the E.R and, if I was lucky enough, to get 3 to 4 hours of sleep a night. If my little child can handle everything they’ve been through, so can I.”
In case you’re in need of some inspiration, read the courageous stories we’ve received from users.
Epilepsy influences your life and many of the lives around you. When something difficult becomes a reality, somehow it’s not a tragedy anymore. It becomes life, you accept it, and become stronger.
Along your journey with epilepsy, you also learn how to manage it better. One of our customers here at Empatica, Patti Long, describes how Embrace has enabled her to have more freedom and feel more in control:
“Mine gives me independence and I love that! I live alone. My loved ones feel a great deal of confidence in the device as it has called them many times to alert them about a seizure.”
To see how Embrace works, check out our video.
For more in-depth knowledge, read our dedicated blog post: Introducing Embrace2!
If you have any lessons of your own that you’ve learned, we’d love to hear them. Please send us an email at support@empatica.com to continue the conversation!
Big hugs,
Empatica Team
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We do not guarantee that EpiMonitor will detect every single seizure and deliver alerts accordingly. It is not meant to substitute your current seizure monitoring practices, but rather to serve as a supplement in expediting first-response time.