I am just a teenage girl….Why do I have to have epilepsy?

Why ME???  I know it just isn’t fair!  You were just like all the other girls just last week… Then it happened… You had a seizure and now your life is completely different.  Your parents are always checking on you and won’t give you any space. You don’t want anyone to know you have epilepsy.  You hate it when your parents tell people you have seizures.  It is embarrassing and you hate it.  You want to keep it hidden from everyone and don’t want anyone to know about the seizures especially boys.
 
It is hard being a teenager living with the peer pressure of other kids at school, homework, classwork, boys, the right clothes, acne, periods,  but now this…… What am I to do?  Why do I have to have epilepsy?  I was once in your shoes too.  I had my first seizure when I was 15 years old and wanted to crawl under a rock.  I wanted to hide and tell no one!  I remember getting ready for my homecoming dance and my hair kept coming out every time I brushed it.  My seizure medication made my hair fall out a bit as my body was trying to get use to it.  My face was breaking out and I had started to gain weight all from this new medication.   I was crying and thinking why me…
 
Girls, I was right there with you.  BUT, you have so many things that I didn’t have when I was a teenager.  You have the ability to connect with girls from all over the country and even all over the world that live with epilepsy.  You have the SeizureTracker.com APP to help you remember to take your medication and to track how you feel or how your medicine is affecting you.  Plus you have us here at My Epilepsy Story to help walk you through this new journey. I didn’t have a group of women or girls helping me go through living with epilepsy as a teenager.  I want you to know that your future is bright!  You can still play sports, ballet, hang out with friends, go to parties, go to dances, listen to music, go to movies, go shopping, go on dates, etc… You can still go to college and be anything you want to be!  You can be a doctor, lawyer, start your own business, be a designer, engineer, scientist, politician, actress, singer, wife, mother or become whatever you want to become.  You are still BEAUTIFUL and SMART!
 
Epilepsy does not mean your life is over it means that you just need to be a bit more careful.  You need to make sure you take your medication, get plenty of rest, reduce your stress, exercise and stay hydrated.  Don’t live in the fear of epilepsy!  Don’t let it rob you of your life! Don’t let it make you become silent!  Share with others that epilepsy isn’t anything to be ashamed of.  Nothing about who you are and who you were has changed just because you had a seizure.  It is a medical condition and there is nothing to be ashamed of.   If you are feeling like your medication is making you feel bad, talk with your parents as well as your doctor.  Tell them how you feel and what you need.  Your voice is powerful so use it to tell others how you feel and what you need.  Start journaling, go for walks, listen to some relaxing music and find other girls that are going through the same thing.  I bet you will realize that you are all feeling the same emotions and can form a group to help each other out.  Reach out to us and become one of our Girls With Epilepsy (GWE) Ambassadors! Remember “The Sky is the Limit” and you will do great things!
 
XOXO,
Brandy