In a prior post I told you about an appointment coming up with my new Neuro because of some scary seizure-like events I am having. Well, it happened. Here’s a little update and some additional thoughts. Bear with me!
There are those of you who talk down pharmaceuticals and those of you who talk down natural healing using only diet and supplements. I’ve tried doing both…separately. What did I learn? Neither one works alone. I realized I need them both. How do I know? I was basically told to wake up! My new Neuro informed me about SUDEP and scared the crap out of me, because…reality check…I am a person with epilepsy who is untreated (then add in hemiplegic migraine to that). What does untreated mean? I means I take no seizure NOR migraine medications…none. Why? Several reasons. Reason #1: No insurance (why? no job, no money). Reason #2: No money (why? can’t work. why can’t work? because I’m sick. why sick? because I can’t find medication that works – VICIOUS CYCLE. Why isn’t hubby providing insurance? Doesn’t kick in until February 2017 and he makes peanuts because he’s a full-time student so he can make enough money to support my illnesses as soon as he graduates with a high paying job in Energy Technology in West Texas). Reason #3: Trying to treat my conditions all natural through diet and supplementation only because of no money and no insurance.
Back in August this year I was still in school full-time and working part-time so I didn’t qualify for Medicaid, but I also wasn’t having seizures during that time either. Within two weeks from the second major seizure I had to quit my job and a month later I had to quit school. I eventually qualified for Medicaid since my husband was still not working and only going to school full-time. It’s tough when you’re trying to better your future but your immediate present isn’t allowing you to. It’s very stressful. My poor hubby, he’s doing what he can to secure our future (we have teenagers to think of too) and do our best with our right now. We had made the decision to sacrifice all the fun stuff so that when the kids went to college we could afford to send them and pay for their apartments since he’d have a good job by then with his degree in Energy Technology. But my health setbacks are really putting a wrench in that plan if he has to quit school to work full-time in order to provide me with quality health insurance. I’m hoping whatever job he can land will have decent coverage, even if it only pays enough to afford the premiums.
So why is health insurance so important now? It wouldn’t have been if I was just worried about managing my illnesses all naturally. But now I have to include doctors and medications into the mix because of these new seizures. My new neurologist says that my condition is too complex and I really need to go back to the Mayo Clinic. I have reached out to my doctors there (I’ve been there before in 2014 before I lost my insurance coverage) and they do not accept out-of-state Medicaid. SO! There goes that idea. Until my husband’s insurance kick’s in I will do my best with my new Neurologist, maybe educate him on Hemiplegic Migraine in the meantime, and we will do our best to manage for now.
Life requires balance. Managing an illness is no different. With that in mind, I am working my illness from both ends. I’ve realized that the symptoms of my condition cannot rely solely on natural healing alone since I have been battling Hemiplegic Migraine and Epilepsy for over ten years. I’m sure you’ve heard the same stories I have of people out there who couldn’t walk and after a plant-based diet change were jogging and running around with their grandchildren after two weeks on the plan and threw away all their medications. Yea, that didn’t happen for me, but it did for them and that’s seriously exciting. I don’t have grandchildren. Neither did I try a plant-based diet. I like meat too much. BUT, I am on a balanced diet that I am really enjoying – I’m sure you’ve heard me preach about in other posts and on my Who Is This Chick page. I’ve also listed all the supplements I take as well. I can’t say enough about the Enzymatic Myo-tone for muscle pain. Just try it and see for yourself…every body is different, but make sure to talk to your doc about it first. Make sure it doesn’t interact with any of your meds.
At my appointment my Neuro prescribed Zonisamide and Clonazepam. It has worked wonders to stop the convulsions. I take it with my supplements, especially the HCL to help with absorption. I am still having seizure auras, though, but they are slowly fading over time. I think in a few weeks they might be gone as well. I hope this combination continues to work. I have an EEG scheduled for Jan 9th, hopefully we’ll have some answers then. I have had EEGs in the past show Generalized Epilepsy and I have also been diagnosed with Myoclonic Epilepsy, so I wouldn’t be surprised to find out I’m having a new type of seizure. I’ve had several of these new seizures since June, with June being my first of these. I’ve had some troubling memory loss with these as well, which I’m not quite ready to discuss. Let’s just say, I am forgetting things about my life my kids and husband can’t quite accept because it is important to them.
Maybe one day I will be able to be medication-free, but for now, my body needs a break from the pain and physical stress these episodes are causing. I need some peace. I hope you are having a peaceful day yourself. Lots of love to you! Eat healthy today 💜💚💜
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