Living with Seizures

When I had my first seizure, I was 24 years old and had just brought home my first baby girl. Having had gestational diabetes, I was otherwise healthy as was the baby. It was the day after we were released from the hospital. My husband had left to get dinner. The last thing I remember I carried the baby from the bedroom to the living room. The next thing I knew, the paramedics were at my house and I was on my way to the hospital.

When I got to the hospital, I had another seizure in the waiting room. I was later told by a neighbor that they had heard the baby crying by the door and heard me kicking the door like I was trying to get out.They kicked my door in and found me on the floor in culvulsions and my baby was behind the door. I don’t know if I dropped her or what. I was devastated. I was diagnosed with epilepsy and put on dilantin.

A few months later I found out that I was expecting again. After normal tests, I was taken off medication. I delivered without any problems. Fast forward four years to this July. I had delivered my third child and was still in the hospital following complications with high blood pressure and preclampsia.

Four days after I delivered, I began to feel funny. I could not communicate well. I would zone out and could not hold a conversation. My husband said that the right side of my face was jumping. We notified my doctor and she sent in a neurologist to examine me. He gave me a test that I failed horribly. He recommeded that I stay in the hospital for further observation. A coulple of hours later my husband left and I was alone in my room with my baby who was sleeping at the time. Before my husband left he kept repeating to me that I shouldn’t pick up the baby in the event that I had a seizure The last thing I remember was looking at the clock and saying that he should be back soon.

When I came to, I was in the intensive care unit. I couldn’t beleive that it had happened again. I was thankful that I was in the hospital at the time, and that the nurse was already in my room when I had the seizure. I was also thankful that my baby stayed asleep, because if he woke up, I definately would have picked him up and things could have been a lot worse. Today things are fine. I have not had any more seizures, or children. I am not on any medication and hopefully I won’t ever have to. No one has been able to tell my why I have seizures four days after giving birth, I just pray that none of my children suffer with seizures, it is a terrifying experience.