What do my family think about my epilepsy?

People have asked me before what my family think about my epilepsy. It's a bit of a difficult question to answer because I don't think they really think anything about it. Epilepsy, and it's many side effects are just a part of me and a part of our lives. While many people discuss the weather, politics or sports over the breakfast table, we discuss seizures, side effects and any other epilepsy related topic you can think of. (When I say we discuss it over the breakfast table what I really mean is at some point everyday we discuss something epilepsy related .... I don't think we have ever all eaten breakfast together..in fact I don't think the teenager even eats breakfast .... he's too busy moaning about life).
Determined to answer the question I asked the most significant members of my family what they think of my epilepsy and here is what they had to say.
First up the teenager
"Don't really know, I don't think about it, it's just a common thing"  What he means is it's so normal for us to talk about it and for him to see parts of it, that he doesn't bat an eyelid anymore. The only time he is remotely bothered by it is if I am not feeling well and tea isn't made!.
Next in the spotlight is the husband.
"It's crap, it affects you more than me, it doesn't bother me though, it's just a part of our life and if you're poorly you're poorly, we just carry on" I think what he's trying to say is I have to live with it, making it worse fro me than it is for him, but again like the teenager, it is such a normal part of our life now that it's not something we worry about. We just deal with issues as and when they arrive.
Next in the firing line is my mum. Her view on epilepsy is
"It's a condition that gets in the way of life sometimes" She's not wrong. It does get in the way sometimes.
Finally the wise words of a rather bossy 8 year old
" I call nannie if you have a seizure or 999" Imagine please that when she told me this she came and attempted a bit of CPR on me. She's obviously watched one too many episodes of casualty!. My point is though she knows what to do should something happen, and she's not remotely worried about it.
Have you noticed that none of my wonderful family members have said that they think my epilepsy is scary or difficult for them to live with. While some of them have observed that occasionally it gets in the way, it's not really something that anybody spends much time thinking about.
It is just a normal part of our life!!!


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