Having epilepsy initially made me feel so ostracized and weird that I kept almost exclusively to myself.
- This was a way to protect me for the inevitable situation where I would suffer a seizure in front of people.
If I wasn’t close to people, in my mind, it would hurt a lot less to be pitied or ridiculed by them. But that was a long time ago and that was a tough, tough childhood. Today, my condition is just part of who I am. There are a few things I can’t really feel comfortable doing. But they are few and I can deal. What has been a real game changer for me is medical marijuana. My anti seizure meds come with some fairly intense side effects. Using cannabis to manage my seizures is a way for me to temper the effects of the meds. Cannabis reduces my seizure episodes and helps with pain associated with the seizures. Still, I think it’s also the fact that my mood is changed for the better due to the cannabis. I don’t dwell on my condition or fear it the way I had. I feel like the cannabis has had a great deal to do with that. Getting my medical marijuana card wasn’t as tough as I thought it might be. Actually, it was quite easy as my epilepsy is a major qualifying condition in my state for the use of medical cannabis. The people at the weed shop are great to me and I really enjoy our visits nearly as much as I do the cannabis they pick out for me. I’m very happy to add my voice to the marijuana advocacy as it has greatly improved my life.