Epilepsy Blog Relay™: An Everyday Challenge

This post is part of the Epilepsy Blog Relay™ which will run from June 1 to June 30, 2017. Follow along!

Jade’s Story: The Train inside Me

Chugging down the track, the train overtook me at age eight. Minding my own business, doing eight year old things, I was zapped inside my tiny little body. I became extremely dizzy; the right side of my body went limp and was impossible to use.

Before I could help myself, I fell straight backwards and the hard floor caught me. While I lay in wonder, a deep scream came from the depths of my soul. Realizing the scream was inside me and I was helpless, I waited for my mom to come to my side. My mom appeared as I slipped into a dark tunnel. There was nothing but blackness all around me. I could hear the sound of a train in the distance. Lying in the darkness, I heard the sound of the hallow train as it ran through me. The train came to a painful stop, leaving me with a pounding sledge hammer in my head. Emerging from the tunnel, I heard my mom’s voice say, “Jade, it’s okay now”.

Living with Epilepsy is an everyday challenge.

Everyday Challenge

When I think back to the day of my first seizure and the many days and years that came after I have a difficult time remembering the struggles. The woman I see in the mirror today isn’t the same person that struggled to survive. My diagnosis made me who I am today and I wouldn’t change one thing about it.

Today I am seizure free and don’t feel I am battling Epilepsy. It has simply become a passenger in my journey through life. Each day I am aware it’s still there by the medication I take and the Diet that has brought me freedom in more ways than one. I have practiced the Ketogenic Diet for 19 months and I have gained hope and a fuller life because of it. I can work a full-time job, drive, not battle the many drug side effects and have hope that one day medication may be a thing of the past for me.

So each day I wake up take my pills, follow the ketogenic diet, and educate myself because living a healthy lifestyle is an everyday job, there are no days off. Day to day I continue to tweak the diet, adjust medications, meditate, practice yoga, exercise and share my knowledge. Everyday life is about putting myself first and not feeling guilty about it. It took me 30 years to find my “new normal” and it has its own set of challenges which seem mild to the ones before. But I wouldn’t change a thing!!

NEXT UP: Be sure to check out the next post tomorrow by Jacob at https://livingwellwithepilepsy.com. For the full schedule of bloggers visit livingwellwithepilepsy.com.