Epilepsy Blog Relay™: Leila’s Epilepsy Resolution Update

This post is part of the Epilepsy Blog Relay™ which will run from June 1 through June 30. Follow along and add comments to posts that inspire you!

In January, I made a few Epilepsy Resolutions. I wanted to re-energize myself and do a better job at managing my epilepsy. I promised to keep you updated on how I’m doing…it’s not pretty, but here’s my first self-evaluation.

Resolution 1: Consistently document my episodes

I told you that I was terrible at this. Update: I’m still terrible. I can come up with excuses: I’m busier at work with less time to pull out my spreadsheet, I’m planning a wedding and am focusing on that and not my brain, I simply forget to use my tool. Those excuses are useless though…it really comes down to me not prioritizing this part of my healthcare. I realize that I’ve come to accept a lot of the headaches/migraines/seizures that I have and just chalk them up to a part of my life. I have neglected to remind myself that I don’t have to accept these things; these events can potentially be decreased if I actually put work into keeping track of them.

Resolution 2: Use a pillbox

Confession: I’ve failed at this one. I didn’t get out my old pillbox and I didn’t purchase a new one. Again, there’s a slew of excuses I could use, but it won’t rid myself of the responsibility I have. I can say, though, that I’ve added additional pills since January and have successfully integrated them into my routine. I’ve only slipped up once, when I took 1 of my nighttime pills in the morning. Luckily, it didn’t cause too many problems other than complete exhaustion at work!  Believe me, I understand the importance of taking my pills and not skipping, so I have not been neglecting my responsibility of taking them. They are one of the first things I do when I wake up and one of the last I do before I go to bed. Maybe I’ll go home today, fish out my old pillbox, and actually follow through with this one.

Resolution 3: Staying Away from Triggers

Good news: I have stuck to this resolution! Despite my initial thoughts, I was able to avoid both of my triggers. I cannot eliminate these triggers, as both of them are functions of my job. That being said, the one I thought I could not avoid worked itself out. The second, being spending too much time at laptop screen, I remedied. I take breaks at work and walk around my little office. Sometimes I put on some music and dance around!  I also space out paperwork I can complete with a pen and paper so it is spread throughout my day, giving my eyes a break from the screen. I have also limited myself to my phone use after work. I don’t spend as much time on social media, so less time is spent staring at my phone screen. If I was tracking my episodes, I could tell you exactly how much this resolution has helped. I can’t do that, but I can say that I am not experiencing as many migraines. When I do, I am better able to determine a trigger. If I know that I have not spent much time behind a screen during the day, there must be something else causing it.

More Later

I wish I had a better report for you. Please don’t lose faith in me!  I’m thankful to have done well with at least one of my resolutions and am optimistic that I can complete the other two. I’ll have another update in a few months for you. In the meantime, please let me know how you’re managing your epilepsy and encourage each other to take control of our health.

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NEXT UP: Be sure to check out the next post tomorrow by Carys at https://carysann25.wordpress.com/ for more on epilepsy awareness. For the full schedule of bloggers visit livingwellwithepilepsy.com.

Don’t miss your chance to connect with bloggers on the #LivingWellChat on June 30 at 7PM ET.